Photo credit: @IndianaVB/X
WILKINSON HALL (IUSTV SPORTS) - Following a sweep of the Kennesaw State Invitational from August 30-31, during which they took down Kennesaw State and Wichita State, the Indiana Hoosiers improved to 3-0 on the 2024 season by defeating the UC Davis Aggies three sets to one in their first game of 2024 at Wilkinson Hall.
However, it was not without a spirited fight from the Aggies. At first, it looked to be relatively smooth sailing for the Hoosiers, as they were dominant throughout the first set and it seemed that every player on the team was making all sorts of plays, including Ramsey Gray's ace that put the Hoosiers up seven points.
The Hoosiers would go on to take the first set 25-16. However, it was at that point that the momentum began to turn. Indiana found themselves neck-and-neck with the Aggies throughout the second set, and after a wild tug-of-war in the last few minutes of the set during which neither team literally could not pull away to win, UC Davis scored two consecutive points to finally win the set and tie the match at one set apiece.
Afterwards, the Hoosiers managed to play some of their best volleyball of the night, as they displayed lots of mental toughness to take the final two sets and the match. In the third set, Indiana went down early but rode an impressive run to take a 25-16 victory and go up two sets to one, punctuated by Avry Tatum's impressive block.
In the fourth and final set, it once again came down to the wire as the Aggies were putting up a heck of a fight all night long, but their opponent's friskiness did not deter the Hoosiers from earning a victory, as they would take a thrilling 27-25 victory in set 4, and the game-winning kill came from none other than Avry Tatum, who celebrated her 21st birthday on the day of the game.
When all was said and done, the Hoosiers put together a 3-1 victory over the UC Davis Aggies, and Indiana improves to 3-0 on the season. However, credit absolutely must be given to UC Davis, as they hung with Indiana throughout the match.
With the Hoosiers' win, they remain undefeated and improve to 3-0 on the young season. However, the road does not get any easier coming up. In fact, it quite literally only gets harder, as Indiana will head down to Austin, Texas on September 5 to take on the defending national champion and top-ranked Texas Longhorns before remaining in Austin and taking on Miami (FL) on September 6, a team just outside the Top 25 but receiving votes.
