Indiana University Athletics
Thursday, September 10
Bloomington, Ind.
7 p.m.
Indiana University
vs
(RV) Cal Poly
Volleyball Central: Indiana Invitational
9/8/2026 2:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the first time in the regular season, fans will get the chance to watch the 21st-ranked Indiana volleyball team (3-2, 0-0 B1G) at Wilkinson Hall. After five games in 10 days across four different cities, the Hoosiers make the journey home for the Indiana Invitational on Thursday (Sept. 10) and Friday (Sept. 11) evening.
A grueling beginning to the season was intentional under ninth-year head coach Steve Aird to get his team accustomed to playing good teams in big environments. Nothing will change as his squad prepares to play a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago. Cal Poly (Thursday) and Eastern Illinois (Friday) will come to Bloomington for a round-robin event this weekend.
As IU continues to work out its offensive lineup, third-year Ella Boersema continues to shine in any position she's asked to play. The Indiana native provided 21 kills on the right side in a win over No. 12 Texas A&M and flipped back to the middle to score 16 kills in Monday's victory over Southern Indiana. She's second on the team with 3.26 kills per set and is hitting a team-best .357 on the year.
Team success on the offensive side of things continues to run through second-year setter Teodora Krickovic. She's averaging 9.79 assists per set and 1.89 digs per set. In addition to that, she's tapped in 17 kills including a season-best seven against No. 12 Texas A&M. IU continues to bolster its hitting percentage after a tough start to the year.
Both of IU's games this weekend will start at 7 p.m. Cal Poly will take the court against IU on Thursday (Sept. 10) evening while Eastern Illinois will wrap up the invitational on Friday (Sept. 11). The two opposing teams will play a neutral site game as well on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Gameday Details
(RV) Cal Poly (3-2) vs. #21 Indiana (3-2)
Thursday, September 10th | 7 p.m. ET | Wilkinson Hall (Bloomington, Ind.)
TV: B1G+ (Brooks White, Sam Egan and Allie Halm)
Live Video | Live Stats
Eastern Illinois (1-5) vs. #21 Indiana (3-2)
Friday, September 11th | 7 p.m. ET | Wilkinson Hall (Bloomington, Ind.)
TV: B1G+ (Nicholas Bobay, Jack Rizzo and Olivia Pierce)
Live Video | Live Stats
A Win Would
CAL POLY: Be the second win of the year against a team that made last year's regional semifinals. It would also improve IU to 34-9 in the last four years at Wilkinson Hall.
EASTERN ILLINOIS: Be the 10th win in program history against Eastern Illinois and the second of the year against an OVC program.
BOTH: Put the Hoosiers at five wins during the early portion of the season and move then to 35-9 at Wilkinson Hall since 2023.
Stats and Trends
• Indiana to play first two home games this year against Cal Poly and Eastern Illinois.
• IU has finished .500 or better in each of the last four seasons - the program has won 80 games since 2022.
• Since the beginning of 2023, the Hoosiers are 33-9 inside the friendly confines of Wilkinson Hall.
Notable
WINNING AT HOME: Dating back to 2023, the Hoosiers have won 23-consecutive matches against unranked opponents at Wilkinson Hall. That includes a run of nine non-conference teams in that same stretch. Wins over Cal Poly and Eastern Illinois would improve IU to 35-9 at Wilkinson Hall since the 2023 season.
BOERSEMA'S BIG WEEK: Third-year middle blocker Ella Boersema averaged 3.44 kills per set in four games last week. That included 21 kills as an opposite hitter against No. 12 Texas A&M and 16 as a middle blocker against Southern Indiana. She hit .441 over that stretch of play for the Hoosiers.
BIG T OFFENSE: Second-year setter Teodora Krickovic has become a much bigger offensive threat during her second college campaign. Over the last two years, IU is 4-0 when she records at least five kills in a match. That includes games against No. 12 Texas A&M (7) and Southern Indiana (5) this season.
CALIFORNIA CONNECTION: Between Cal Poly (13) and Indiana (4), there will be 17 kids from the state of California involved in Thursday's match in Bloomington. Both of each team's leading scorers - Jaidyn Jager, Indiana (3.42 kills per set) and Kendall Beshear, Cal Poly (3.44 kills per set) - are from the Golden State.
STEPPING UP: In win over Southern Indiana, middle blockers Ella Boersema (16) and Victoria Gray (11) combined for 27 kills. It was the first time that IU had a pair of middle blockers each reach double figures in the same match since 2023 (at Northwestern - Oct. 29, 2023, Rammelsberg - 15, Kjolhede - 10).
EMERGING HELP: Third-year opposite hitter Avery Daum made her first start on the right side with seven kills and four blocks against Southern Indiana. She has been a fantastic practice player for the Hoosiers and finally got her chance to shine. All five primary attackers had at least seven kills in the win.
KEEP CLIMBING: Second-year setter Teodora Krickovic is closing in on 1,500 career assists during her time in Bloomington. She would only be the 12th setter in program history to hit that plateau. The Serbian has 1,398 over the last two years and is averaging 10.59 assists per set in her career.
TALLYING WINS: Since the 2022 campaign (four-plus years), Indiana has racked up 80 wins under head coach Steve Aird. That includes at least 15 wins in each full season during that stretch. IU will be looking to reach that plateau again for the fifth-straight year.
Scouting the Opponent
(RV) Cal Poly (3-2, 0-0 Big West)
• After a fantastic season in 2025, Cal Poly's expectations remain high this year. That's reflected in a non-conference schedule that sees them play Texas A&M, Indiana, Arizona State and Stanford. A veteran group is led by outside hitters Kendal Beshear (3.44 kills per set) and Emma Fredrick (3.22 kills per set).
• Setter Alexis Haury is familiar with the Hoosiers, having been the starting setter for Washington in last year's match at Wilkinson Hall. She averages 10.39 assists per set for an offense that hits .222 in the first two weeks of the year. The Mustangs offer up 2.06 blocks per set as well.
Eastern Illinois (1-5, 0-0 OVC)
• The Panthers have embarked on a challenging schedule of their own. They have dropped five-straight games with defeats to Wright State, Dayton, BYU, Long Beach State and Wyoming. Head coach Ryan Millar is one of the best middle blockers to ever play for the U.S. Men's National team. He was a three-time Olympian for the Americans.
• Katie Kopshever, a veteran pin attacker from Indiana, is the team's leading scorer with 3.52 kills per set. Five other players have between 11 and 37 kills this year. Setter Alanys Nieves took over the reins of the offense against Wyoming with 40 helpers. The Panthers have just 30 total blocks on the year.
Inside the Series
Cal Poly
• Indiana and Cal Poly have never played in volleyball. However, the two schools did recently play in men's soccer with the Hoosiers coming out on top. The last school from the Big West that IU played in volleyball was against Long Beach State in 2023.
Eastern Illinois
• These two sides have played just twice since 1985 but played nearly every season before that. IU leads the all-time series 9-2 with a win in the most recent contest in 2011.
• The first volleyball match in program history (1975) actually came against Eastern Illinois and resulted in a win for the Hoosiers. In 1981, the first year that women's volleyball was an NCAA sanctioned sport, IU beat Eastern Illinois again.
A grueling beginning to the season was intentional under ninth-year head coach Steve Aird to get his team accustomed to playing good teams in big environments. Nothing will change as his squad prepares to play a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago. Cal Poly (Thursday) and Eastern Illinois (Friday) will come to Bloomington for a round-robin event this weekend.
As IU continues to work out its offensive lineup, third-year Ella Boersema continues to shine in any position she's asked to play. The Indiana native provided 21 kills on the right side in a win over No. 12 Texas A&M and flipped back to the middle to score 16 kills in Monday's victory over Southern Indiana. She's second on the team with 3.26 kills per set and is hitting a team-best .357 on the year.
Team success on the offensive side of things continues to run through second-year setter Teodora Krickovic. She's averaging 9.79 assists per set and 1.89 digs per set. In addition to that, she's tapped in 17 kills including a season-best seven against No. 12 Texas A&M. IU continues to bolster its hitting percentage after a tough start to the year.
Both of IU's games this weekend will start at 7 p.m. Cal Poly will take the court against IU on Thursday (Sept. 10) evening while Eastern Illinois will wrap up the invitational on Friday (Sept. 11). The two opposing teams will play a neutral site game as well on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Gameday Details
(RV) Cal Poly (3-2) vs. #21 Indiana (3-2)
Thursday, September 10th | 7 p.m. ET | Wilkinson Hall (Bloomington, Ind.)
TV: B1G+ (Brooks White, Sam Egan and Allie Halm)
Live Video | Live Stats
Eastern Illinois (1-5) vs. #21 Indiana (3-2)
Friday, September 11th | 7 p.m. ET | Wilkinson Hall (Bloomington, Ind.)
TV: B1G+ (Nicholas Bobay, Jack Rizzo and Olivia Pierce)
Live Video | Live Stats
A Win Would
CAL POLY: Be the second win of the year against a team that made last year's regional semifinals. It would also improve IU to 34-9 in the last four years at Wilkinson Hall.
EASTERN ILLINOIS: Be the 10th win in program history against Eastern Illinois and the second of the year against an OVC program.
BOTH: Put the Hoosiers at five wins during the early portion of the season and move then to 35-9 at Wilkinson Hall since 2023.
Stats and Trends
• Indiana to play first two home games this year against Cal Poly and Eastern Illinois.
• IU has finished .500 or better in each of the last four seasons - the program has won 80 games since 2022.
• Since the beginning of 2023, the Hoosiers are 33-9 inside the friendly confines of Wilkinson Hall.
Notable
WINNING AT HOME: Dating back to 2023, the Hoosiers have won 23-consecutive matches against unranked opponents at Wilkinson Hall. That includes a run of nine non-conference teams in that same stretch. Wins over Cal Poly and Eastern Illinois would improve IU to 35-9 at Wilkinson Hall since the 2023 season.
BOERSEMA'S BIG WEEK: Third-year middle blocker Ella Boersema averaged 3.44 kills per set in four games last week. That included 21 kills as an opposite hitter against No. 12 Texas A&M and 16 as a middle blocker against Southern Indiana. She hit .441 over that stretch of play for the Hoosiers.
BIG T OFFENSE: Second-year setter Teodora Krickovic has become a much bigger offensive threat during her second college campaign. Over the last two years, IU is 4-0 when she records at least five kills in a match. That includes games against No. 12 Texas A&M (7) and Southern Indiana (5) this season.
CALIFORNIA CONNECTION: Between Cal Poly (13) and Indiana (4), there will be 17 kids from the state of California involved in Thursday's match in Bloomington. Both of each team's leading scorers - Jaidyn Jager, Indiana (3.42 kills per set) and Kendall Beshear, Cal Poly (3.44 kills per set) - are from the Golden State.
STEPPING UP: In win over Southern Indiana, middle blockers Ella Boersema (16) and Victoria Gray (11) combined for 27 kills. It was the first time that IU had a pair of middle blockers each reach double figures in the same match since 2023 (at Northwestern - Oct. 29, 2023, Rammelsberg - 15, Kjolhede - 10).
EMERGING HELP: Third-year opposite hitter Avery Daum made her first start on the right side with seven kills and four blocks against Southern Indiana. She has been a fantastic practice player for the Hoosiers and finally got her chance to shine. All five primary attackers had at least seven kills in the win.
KEEP CLIMBING: Second-year setter Teodora Krickovic is closing in on 1,500 career assists during her time in Bloomington. She would only be the 12th setter in program history to hit that plateau. The Serbian has 1,398 over the last two years and is averaging 10.59 assists per set in her career.
TALLYING WINS: Since the 2022 campaign (four-plus years), Indiana has racked up 80 wins under head coach Steve Aird. That includes at least 15 wins in each full season during that stretch. IU will be looking to reach that plateau again for the fifth-straight year.
Scouting the Opponent
(RV) Cal Poly (3-2, 0-0 Big West)
• After a fantastic season in 2025, Cal Poly's expectations remain high this year. That's reflected in a non-conference schedule that sees them play Texas A&M, Indiana, Arizona State and Stanford. A veteran group is led by outside hitters Kendal Beshear (3.44 kills per set) and Emma Fredrick (3.22 kills per set).
• Setter Alexis Haury is familiar with the Hoosiers, having been the starting setter for Washington in last year's match at Wilkinson Hall. She averages 10.39 assists per set for an offense that hits .222 in the first two weeks of the year. The Mustangs offer up 2.06 blocks per set as well.
Eastern Illinois (1-5, 0-0 OVC)
• The Panthers have embarked on a challenging schedule of their own. They have dropped five-straight games with defeats to Wright State, Dayton, BYU, Long Beach State and Wyoming. Head coach Ryan Millar is one of the best middle blockers to ever play for the U.S. Men's National team. He was a three-time Olympian for the Americans.
• Katie Kopshever, a veteran pin attacker from Indiana, is the team's leading scorer with 3.52 kills per set. Five other players have between 11 and 37 kills this year. Setter Alanys Nieves took over the reins of the offense against Wyoming with 40 helpers. The Panthers have just 30 total blocks on the year.
Inside the Series
Cal Poly
• Indiana and Cal Poly have never played in volleyball. However, the two schools did recently play in men's soccer with the Hoosiers coming out on top. The last school from the Big West that IU played in volleyball was against Long Beach State in 2023.
Eastern Illinois
• These two sides have played just twice since 1985 but played nearly every season before that. IU leads the all-time series 9-2 with a win in the most recent contest in 2011.
• The first volleyball match in program history (1975) actually came against Eastern Illinois and resulted in a win for the Hoosiers. In 1981, the first year that women's volleyball was an NCAA sanctioned sport, IU beat Eastern Illinois again.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballThursday, September 03
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Wednesday, August 05