Wednesday, September 24
Evanston, Ill.
9 p.m.
Indiana University
at
Northwestern
Volleyball Central: Northwestern
9/22/2025 11:30:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The 20-match gauntlet through the Big Ten Conference begins on Wednesday (Sept. 24) night for the Indiana volleyball team (9-1, 0-0 B1G) in 2025. IU will head to Northwestern to play its first of 10 road contests in one of the nation's toughest volleyball leagues. The match is the second game in a Big Ten Network doubleheader and will have a first serve of 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT from Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Hoosiers enjoyed immense success during the non-conference slate and will hope to carry that momentum over to Big Ten action. IU opened the season at 9-1 through 10 games and picked up a massive win at Miami (Fla.) that will carry big weight through the entire year.
Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum, one of IU's three team captains, has been instrumental in the program's success during her three seasons in Bloomington. She's taken her game to a new level in 2025 as she tries to help IU back into the NCAA Tournament. On the year, she's averaging 3.56 kills per set while hitting a blistering .436.
A solid run through the Big Ten will be critical as IU searches for its first postseason bid in 15 years. The Hoosiers have had just six seasons in program history with at least 10 conference wins. That includes a fantastic 2023 campaign where head coach Steve Aird's team won 11 league contests.
Chris Vosters and Anna Connelly will have the call on Big Ten Network from Evanston on Wednesday evening. IU is searching for its first victory at Welsh-Ryan arena since 2016. The Hoosiers have won all four previous Big Ten openers against Northwestern in program history.
Gameday Info
at Northwestern (Wednesday, September 24th – 9 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Stats: bit.ly/3W3E49u
Stat and Trends
• As it currently stands, senior opposite Avry Tatum has been the most efficient pin hitter in program history. Of IU players with at least 1,000 kills, Tatum's .276 hitting percentage is top in school history among all outside hitters and opposite hitters.
• In four of her last six matches, senior opposite Avry Tatum has gone for at least 12 kills with a hitting percentage north of .400. In fact, over her last six contests, Tatum is averaging 4.10 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .530. She will look to keep that going as Big Ten competition picks up.
• IU has lost the past four matches that it has played at Northwestern. Wins at Welsh-Ryan Arena have escaped the volleyball program, including a tough five-set defeat in 2023. Overall, IU has won two of the last three meetings.
Notable
TATUM TIME: Senior opposite Avry Tatum has been everything and more that the Hoosiers could ask for. Entering Wednesday, she has hit .400 or better in seven-straight contests. She has 11 career matches at IU with 12-or-more kills and a hitting percentage north of .400.
CLOSING IN ON 1K: Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum recently passed 900 career kills in last weekend's matches. She needs just 87 more to reach 1,000 for her collegiate career. During her time at IU, she's slowly worked her hitting percentage back up. She hit .204 as a sophomore in 2023 and now .436 in 2025.
HOLDING STEADY: Among qualified Big Ten hitters with at least 3.50 kills per set this season, senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum has by far the highest hitting percentage. She's the only qualified non-middle blocker in the country with at least 100 kills and a hitting percentage north of .430 this year.
DYNAMIC DUO: Indiana and Northwestern played just once last year. IU worked an efficient sweep to break a five-match losing streak. The Hoosiers hit .358 for the match, led by a combined 29 kills from then junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles (15) and opposite hitter Avry Tatum (14).
STEPPING UP: Sophomore middle blocker Ella Boersema has been a pleasant surprise for the Hoosiers this season. She's started six-straight matches and has averaged 1.60 blocks per set in that stretch. The young middle also matched a career high with nine kills in a win over Bradley last weekend.
PASSING BETTER: Despite some early struggles with communication, IU's passing numbers have been outstanding over the last two weekends. Freshman libero Audrey Jackson has passed a 2.40 on a 3.00-point scale over her last 56 attempts. On the season, IU has been just above a 2.00, a big reason for the offensive success.
T MONEY: Aided by good play of veteran pins, freshman setter Teodora Kričković has been able to adjust nicely to the college game. She leads all freshmen setters in the country with 11.03 assists per set. Her continued improvement will be crucial as IU searches for a return to postseason play.
SCORING POINTS: Being able to score outside of just offense has been important for IU this year. It is the only Big Ten school this season to average at least 2.90 blocks per set and 1.80 aces per set. On top of that, the Hoosiers are second in the country with a .338 hitting percentage through 10 matches.
JAIDYN IS KEY: IU's two veteran pins have been awesome. But freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager is the key to the whole engine. She is one of just six power four freshmen in the country to average at least 3.40 kills per set. On the year, she has seven matches with at least 10 kills.
NEED A GOOD START: IU would love nothing more than a big beginning to the long Big Ten campaign. It's been a while since the Hoosiers got off to a good start. In fact, the last time IU started the conference season at 2-0 was in 2003. IU gets Northwestern on the road before a home match with Washington (Saturday).
Scouting the Opponent
Northwestern (10-2, 0-0 B1G)
• The Wildcats struggled last season after putting together a later roster but have gotten off to a nice start here in 2025. They won a pair of deuce games to avoid late losses to Valparaiso and Buffalo and have also picked up nice wins over Saint Mary's and Campbell.
• Northwestern has used almost its whole roster in hopes of finding a consistent rotation. Setters Sienna Noordermeer and Lauren Carter have worked together to replace longtime setter Alexa Rousseau (graduation). Kansas transfer and six-rotation outside hitter Ayah Elnady (2.63 kills per set) has carried a heavy load but outside hitter Rylen Reid (3.29 kills per set) has been a pleasant surprise this year.
• Opposite hitters Campbell Paris and Isabella Bullington have been integrated into the office nicely. The Wildcats will hope to get more production out of the middle. Bella Simkus is averaging just 1.00 kills per set. She does have a team-leading 38.0 blocks (1.00 per set) as well.
Inside the Series
Northwestern
• This has been as even of a series against any opponent in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers hold a slight edge, 41-40 in the all-time matchups. As one of IU's three double play teams, it will look to take two wins this season. The Hoosiers won the last contest in the series, a sweep in Bloomington in 2024.
Playing in Evanston has been a difficult task over the years. It's been since 2016 that IU has won a game at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Hoosiers had a 2-1 lead in the match in 2023 but fell in five sets. Head coach Steve Aird has lost all three games at Northwestern with the Hoosiers. He had good success with Maryland when traveling to Evanston.
The Hoosiers enjoyed immense success during the non-conference slate and will hope to carry that momentum over to Big Ten action. IU opened the season at 9-1 through 10 games and picked up a massive win at Miami (Fla.) that will carry big weight through the entire year.
Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum, one of IU's three team captains, has been instrumental in the program's success during her three seasons in Bloomington. She's taken her game to a new level in 2025 as she tries to help IU back into the NCAA Tournament. On the year, she's averaging 3.56 kills per set while hitting a blistering .436.
A solid run through the Big Ten will be critical as IU searches for its first postseason bid in 15 years. The Hoosiers have had just six seasons in program history with at least 10 conference wins. That includes a fantastic 2023 campaign where head coach Steve Aird's team won 11 league contests.
Chris Vosters and Anna Connelly will have the call on Big Ten Network from Evanston on Wednesday evening. IU is searching for its first victory at Welsh-Ryan arena since 2016. The Hoosiers have won all four previous Big Ten openers against Northwestern in program history.
Gameday Info
at Northwestern (Wednesday, September 24th – 9 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Stats: bit.ly/3W3E49u
Stat and Trends
• As it currently stands, senior opposite Avry Tatum has been the most efficient pin hitter in program history. Of IU players with at least 1,000 kills, Tatum's .276 hitting percentage is top in school history among all outside hitters and opposite hitters.
• In four of her last six matches, senior opposite Avry Tatum has gone for at least 12 kills with a hitting percentage north of .400. In fact, over her last six contests, Tatum is averaging 4.10 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .530. She will look to keep that going as Big Ten competition picks up.
• IU has lost the past four matches that it has played at Northwestern. Wins at Welsh-Ryan Arena have escaped the volleyball program, including a tough five-set defeat in 2023. Overall, IU has won two of the last three meetings.
Notable
TATUM TIME: Senior opposite Avry Tatum has been everything and more that the Hoosiers could ask for. Entering Wednesday, she has hit .400 or better in seven-straight contests. She has 11 career matches at IU with 12-or-more kills and a hitting percentage north of .400.
CLOSING IN ON 1K: Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum recently passed 900 career kills in last weekend's matches. She needs just 87 more to reach 1,000 for her collegiate career. During her time at IU, she's slowly worked her hitting percentage back up. She hit .204 as a sophomore in 2023 and now .436 in 2025.
HOLDING STEADY: Among qualified Big Ten hitters with at least 3.50 kills per set this season, senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum has by far the highest hitting percentage. She's the only qualified non-middle blocker in the country with at least 100 kills and a hitting percentage north of .430 this year.
DYNAMIC DUO: Indiana and Northwestern played just once last year. IU worked an efficient sweep to break a five-match losing streak. The Hoosiers hit .358 for the match, led by a combined 29 kills from then junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles (15) and opposite hitter Avry Tatum (14).
STEPPING UP: Sophomore middle blocker Ella Boersema has been a pleasant surprise for the Hoosiers this season. She's started six-straight matches and has averaged 1.60 blocks per set in that stretch. The young middle also matched a career high with nine kills in a win over Bradley last weekend.
PASSING BETTER: Despite some early struggles with communication, IU's passing numbers have been outstanding over the last two weekends. Freshman libero Audrey Jackson has passed a 2.40 on a 3.00-point scale over her last 56 attempts. On the season, IU has been just above a 2.00, a big reason for the offensive success.
T MONEY: Aided by good play of veteran pins, freshman setter Teodora Kričković has been able to adjust nicely to the college game. She leads all freshmen setters in the country with 11.03 assists per set. Her continued improvement will be crucial as IU searches for a return to postseason play.
SCORING POINTS: Being able to score outside of just offense has been important for IU this year. It is the only Big Ten school this season to average at least 2.90 blocks per set and 1.80 aces per set. On top of that, the Hoosiers are second in the country with a .338 hitting percentage through 10 matches.
JAIDYN IS KEY: IU's two veteran pins have been awesome. But freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager is the key to the whole engine. She is one of just six power four freshmen in the country to average at least 3.40 kills per set. On the year, she has seven matches with at least 10 kills.
NEED A GOOD START: IU would love nothing more than a big beginning to the long Big Ten campaign. It's been a while since the Hoosiers got off to a good start. In fact, the last time IU started the conference season at 2-0 was in 2003. IU gets Northwestern on the road before a home match with Washington (Saturday).
Scouting the Opponent
Northwestern (10-2, 0-0 B1G)
• The Wildcats struggled last season after putting together a later roster but have gotten off to a nice start here in 2025. They won a pair of deuce games to avoid late losses to Valparaiso and Buffalo and have also picked up nice wins over Saint Mary's and Campbell.
• Northwestern has used almost its whole roster in hopes of finding a consistent rotation. Setters Sienna Noordermeer and Lauren Carter have worked together to replace longtime setter Alexa Rousseau (graduation). Kansas transfer and six-rotation outside hitter Ayah Elnady (2.63 kills per set) has carried a heavy load but outside hitter Rylen Reid (3.29 kills per set) has been a pleasant surprise this year.
• Opposite hitters Campbell Paris and Isabella Bullington have been integrated into the office nicely. The Wildcats will hope to get more production out of the middle. Bella Simkus is averaging just 1.00 kills per set. She does have a team-leading 38.0 blocks (1.00 per set) as well.
Inside the Series
Northwestern
• This has been as even of a series against any opponent in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers hold a slight edge, 41-40 in the all-time matchups. As one of IU's three double play teams, it will look to take two wins this season. The Hoosiers won the last contest in the series, a sweep in Bloomington in 2024.
Playing in Evanston has been a difficult task over the years. It's been since 2016 that IU has won a game at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Hoosiers had a 2-1 lead in the match in 2023 but fell in five sets. Head coach Steve Aird has lost all three games at Northwestern with the Hoosiers. He had good success with Maryland when traveling to Evanston.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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OH/DS
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OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
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