2018 Big Ten Guide

2018 Big Ten Guide | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

VOLLEYBALL Hoosiers begins rebuild in a loaded Big Ten Conference, page 8

MEN’S SOCCER IU looks to return to the National Championship game, page 2

CROSS-COUNTRY Upperclassmen set to lead the way for both IU teams, page 4

Your guide to the

BIG TEN

FOOTBALL A young IU team will try to survive conference play, page 6

FIELD HOCKEY Streaky offense has chance to shine in Big Ten action, page 5

WOMEN’S SOCCER Hoosiers determined to make a return to the postseason, page 3

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2018 Big Ten Guide | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

MEN’S SOCCER

Sophomore Dorsey is ready for the spotlight

By Phillip Steinmetz psteinme@iu.edu | @PhillipHoosier

It’s a four-hour-and47-minute flight from Bradenton, Florida, to South Bend, Indiana.

After being called to participate with the USA U-20 national team, sophomore midfielder Griffin Dorsey was over 1,000 miles away from his team.

The No. 2 Hoosiers took care of Virginia Commonwealth University easily in the first match without Dorsey, but there was a much tougher challenge in front of them.

IU was getting set to take on No. 8 Notre Dame in the third top 10 clash away from Bill Armstrong Stadium this season.

While the Hoosiers were preparing for the Fighting Irish, Dorsey was a part of the starting lineup in the U.S. Soccer U-20 Men’s Invitational.

USA defeated both Jamaica and Venezuela but lost to the U-19 USA team as part of the round robin tournament.

“It kind of numbs you down a little bit,” Dorsey said. “It brings you back down to Earth because of how great some of the players are your age, and it really motivates you to work harder.”

On Sept. 9, after the loss to the U-19 team, Dorsey skipped the final match against Venezuela and instead boarded a direct flight just eight hours later the following day. Dorsey landed in South Bend and spent 24 hours with his team before the in-state battle.

Despite starting in each match that he’s ever appeared in, IU Coach Todd

NOBLE GUYON | IDS

Then-freshman, now sophomore Griffin Dorsey looks to pass the ball to a teammate during the second half of the NCAA semifinal against North Carolina on Dec. 8, 2017 at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia. Dorsey was named to the USA U-20 National Team.

Yeagley had a different way to ease him back in for his third match in five days.

Dorsey came off the bench for the first time and played 50 minutes against Notre Dame. He didn’t register a shot, but his presence on the field was enough to help IU take the 2-1 victory in overtime.

“Sometimes the very beginning of the game can be a little fast and helterskelter, so we saved him for when the game calmed a

little bit,” Yeagley said.

After an impressive freshman campaign, it was easy to see why Dorsey was called up to be a part of the national team.

Last season, Dorsey was named Second Team All-Big Ten after scoring three goals on 50 shots and picking up six assists. Fellow freshman and roommate last season, Mason Toye, garnered most of the national attention after leading IU in goals, but Dorsey mentioned how

Toye taught him to be more mature.

Now, Dorsey has taken a bigger spotlight for the Hoosiers.

Already through seven matches, Dorsey has a pair of goals and had the first IU goal of the season in the loss to No. 5 Wake Forest. His goal against No. 22 Dartmouth showcased how he’s grown after only one season.

With about 21 minutes remaining, Dorsey made

a run behind the line of defense. With a swift leftfooted kick, senior defender Andrew Gutman sent the ball in between two Dartmouth defenders, leaving just Dorsey and the goalie.

The ball landed perfectly at Dorsey’s feet, allowing him to slow down and take one dribble to set himself up for the shot. After his touch, the Dartmouth keeper came charging toward Dorsey, but it was too late.

Dorsey planted his left

foot and perfectly placed the ball past the sliding goalie and into the candystriped net.

“His dribbling ability to beat players is great but now as defenders slide we are starting to see plays higher and seeing where he can be more dangerous making runs off the ball instead of always being on the ball doing stuff,” Yeagley said. “It’s been a nice progression.”

Another reason why Dorsey has been so successful already this season is the depth of the IU midfield.

It’s not unusual to see a different starting lineup each night depending on the opponent.

Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Dorsey produces the same pressure on the opposing team’s defense.

“I think we all have the same role, and we don’t put too much pressure on each other because we know if one isn’t performing at a certain time then we can always count on each other,” Dorsey said. “Everyone plays a similar role whether you start or not.”

After losing the first game of the season, IU has now continued to prove time and time again why another trip to the College Cup is possible. This team may be loaded with talent and depth but Dorsey will play a major role in if the Hoosiers can secure that ninth star.

“The more we get out of him, the better we will be as a group,” Yeagley said.

“He’s got a bigger margin to gain in three months, and we want to try and capture some of that.”

IU’s run to top will have to start with topping the Big Ten Dylan Wallace is a junior in journalism.

MATT BEGALA | IDS

Virginia Commonwealth University midfielder Fortia Munts holds off IU senior Reece Buckmaster on Friday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers defeated VCU, 5-0.

Opponents might just get hit with the Rico Dylan Wallace is a junior in journalism.

It’s game day and IU senior Rece Buckmaster wakes up and drinks some coffee.

It’s just to get him energized for that morning, whatever he may be doing. If it’s a home game during the week he’ll be attending classes, and if it’s an away game he’ll be having a team breakfast.

Fast forward to two hours before the match and the team will have a pre-game meal, and Buckmaster will drink another cup of coffee.

He’ll put on his cream and crimson jersey and then put on his shin guard, sock and shoe all on his right leg first, then all on his left. All throughout the day he’ll be listening to his game day playlist, which has all types of music on it.

Most notably is the song “R.I.C.O.” by Meek Mill featuring Drake, simply due to the fact that his nickname is Rico.

As Buckmaster was talking about this nickname and how it’s carried over from high school to college, a few of his teammates yell out, “Rico” from the other side of the fence as they were leaving practice.

It’s what his teammates will call him on the pitch, it’s a part of his Twitter handle and it’s been a name that formed when he was a fresh-

man in high school.

When he takes the field, his opponents might just get hit with the Rico, as Drake and Meek Mill would say.

Despite only being 5 feet, 8 inches tall, Buckmaster constantly pests the attackers going for goal.

“I feel like being low center to gravity is better than being tall,” Buckmaster said.

“I think that helps a lot, and obviously my quickness.”

All the caffeine he drinks before the game pays off.

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and is one of the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drug. That’s a lot of scientific words to say it keeps Buckmaster awake and ready, and he’s fast. Really fast.

When IU is pushing up the field on offense, and the opponent begins its counter attack, Buckmaster is the quickest one to retreat on defense. He may be the fastest player on the team. He never ran track, but he remembers setting the record for the mile at his middle school.

Buckmaster will allow his taller opponents to go for the headers, but as soon as the ball gets to their feet, he locks them down, pressures them tries to throw them off.

He throws them off more often than not.

He hasn’t always been the high-caliber defender he

is today, though.

It was his freshman year at Canterbury High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that the young buck officially committed to IU. Ever since the eighth grade, he knew he wanted to come to IU. All it took was a visit to the campus on spring break and a meeting with Coach Todd Yeagley and Buckmaster was set.

He played two years in high school, freshman and sophomore year, and played for the Indiana Fire all four years of high school.

All this time he was playing in the midfield, never once playing defense. He remembers in his first match with IU that he played poorly and took a role with the bench.

He admits it hurt his confidence a little bit, but the feisty defender was used to fighting for his share. He got moved to the backline, and by the time junior year came around, Buckmaster was the pitbull on the Hoosiers’ backline that shutout their opponents 18 times, and held opponents scoreless for a total of 966:28 consecutive minutes — the fourth longest streak in NCAA history.

It was a historic run and Buckmaster was a big part it.

A run that saw the Hoosiers advance to the NCAA Championship game against Stanford and losing a heart-

break in double overtime.

After smiling along with his recruitment story and nicknames, Buckmaster’s expression changed with the thought of that game on Dec. 10, 2017. His blue eyes looked down at the practice field grass at Bill Armstrong Stadium, “Yeah, I think about it a lot.”

The Hoosiers were eight minutes away from forcing penalty kicks.

“We were right there, it sucks. I think we would’ve had them in PK’s,” he said.

However, Buckmaster, always the one to have fun and the constant smile of enjoyment on his face, was optimistic for his team’s goals this season.

He listed four goals: not lose for the rest of the season, win the Big Ten regular season, win the Big Ten Tournament and win the NCAA Championship to cap it off.

To remix the end of Meek Mill’s verse in “R.I.C.O.”: The Hoosiers started 0-1, but have won six straight and are number two on the list They really are rolling They can hear echos from teams on the pitch from informants I think they’re ignoring Shh, listen, you hear that?

Their opponents might just get hit with the Rico. dswallac@iu.edu @Dwall_1

The Big Ten is constantly argued to be the best, most competitive conference in the NCAA. This is mostly the case for basketball and football, but it’s no secret the Big Ten shines superior with other sports such as volleyball, tennis and swimming and diving, etc.

For men’s soccer, this trend continues. The Hoosiers went further than any Big Ten team in the postseason last year but didn’t even take the regular season conference title or Big Ten Tournament title.

The unique thing about Big Ten men’s soccer is that only nine Big Ten schools have soccer teams, and there’s 14 teams in the Big Ten. Nebraska, Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois are the five schools without teams.

Of the nine teams, five made the NCAA Tournament. IU, Michigan and Michigan State were seeded in the tournament, while Maryland and Wisconsin went unseeded.

Michigan took the regular season conference title last season. The runner-up was IU. Wisconsin won the Big Ten Tournament by defeating IU in penalty kicks 4-2, which made the Hoosiers runner-up. IU went on to the National Championship last year and lost to Stanford 1-0 in double overtime. Runner-ups yet again.

IU is tired of being runner-ups, and that trend stops with the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have already begun conference play, defeating Wisconsin on the road 3-1. Their record is now 6-1 on the season after dropping the first game of the year to Wake Forest in double overtime.

The six straight victories have included some highlyranked opponents including North Carolina, Dartmouth and UConn. Those tests won’t get any easier with the conference foes approaching.

The first big conference match to watch for is against No. 21 Michigan on Oct. 7 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Last year, IU tied the Wolverines 1-1 in Bloom-

ington. Michigan is currently 5-1 on the season, playing just one Big Ten match against Rutgers, and has yet to play anyone quite the caliber of IU. It should be a big test for Michigan with the advantage of having it at home, but it will be a chance to avenge the tie for the Hoosiers and give them an edge in the standings.

After that it’s Maryland on Oct. 12 at home. The Terrapins are another team the Hoosiers tied with last season; this time it was 0-0.

Maryland isn’t ranked like how they were last season, but the Terrapins are 2-22, with one of those draws coming against defending champion Stanford. It won’t be a walk over for the Hoosiers, as the Terrapins have the potential of sneaking out a victory.

Ohio State is the next big one on the list, on Oct. 24 in Columbus, Ohio. The Hoosiers defeated the ranked Buckeyes last year 2-0. Ohio State is off to a rough start this year at 1-5-1, but any conference opponent can pose any real problem at any given time. Especially with game on the road, the Hoosiers will need to make sure they take care of business and leave with a win.

The last and most important game is the last game of the regular season.

It can be argued that Wake Forest and UNC were the best games for IU, but it’s actually No. 5 Michigan State on Oct. 28 at home.

Last year, IU’s best games were against MSU. The Hoosiers needed to beat the Spartans last season in the last game of the year, but tied them 1-1, giving Michigan the regular season title. The two met again in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, and outlasted them 3-2 in penalty kicks. With both teams being inside the top five this year, this matchup will certainly prove pivotal for Big Ten standings and tournament seedings.

The Hoosiers are still on that quest for nine national championships, and it starts by coming out of the Big Ten as the best. dswallac@iu.edu @Dwall_1

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2018 Big Ten Guide | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

WOMEN’S SOCCER

A SPECIAL CONNECTION

Junior midfielder Allison Jorden started the club Everybody Plays.

By William Coleman wicolema@iu.edu | @WColeman08

Amid her junior season on the pitch for the women’s soccer team, midfielder Allison Jorden is heading a special project off the field. When the Scottsdale, Arizona native first left high school, she began to long for one of her favorite extracurricular activities.

Jorden started the first four games of her sophomore year before a seasonending injury sidelined her indefinitely.

At that point in time, two of her favorite pastimes were lacking from her life.

During the time Jorden spent away from soccer, it dawned on her that she could bring her passion of working with the disabled directly to IU’s campus.

She wanted to start an organization that would build a healthy connection between Bloomington’s disabled population and IU’s student athletes.

“I was always really involved with people with disabilities in high school, but when I came to IU it was something that was really missing from my life,” Jorden said. “I get a ton of joy from working with people with disabilities and it was a big gap that I needed to fill.”

Enter Everybody Plays, a program where disabled participants play sports with the student athletes that represent the cream and crimson for IU. “People look up to athletes and idolize them and associate them with all these great things,” Jorden said. “I wanted to harness that power and turn it into something positive.”

The junior teamed up with the IU Excellence Academy and the IU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to bring her idea to life. On April 5, the club had its inaugural meeting – a soccer event.

“The first event, it was really important that we got everything right and had great volunteers and great organization,” Jorden said. “It was a good thing that it was the soccer event because my

teammates did such a good job volunteering and creating special relationships with the participants.”

The first event took place at the Mellencamp Pavilion. Jorden’s support from her soccer teammates was much appreciated, but the midfielder still feared it might be a challenge to get a variety of other student athletes to get in on Everybody Plays.

Luckily for Jorden, she said getting athletes from different sports was the easiest part of the program’s start-up.

The junior is happy to say that there’s an abundance of student-athletes prepared to contribute to Everybody Plays.

“People look up to athletes and idolize them and associate them with all these great things. I wanted to harness that power and turn it into something positive.”

Allison Jorden, junior midfielder

When the program was addressed at a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) meeting, a sign-up sheet was passed around the room. When the long list of names made its way back to Jorden, it brought her to tears.

“I thought that I was going to work a little harder to get volunteers, but the minute I spoke even one word about it, I had 40 to 50 people reaching out to me saying they wanted to be a part of it,” Jorden said. “It’s pretty cool that we have had athletes from almost every single sport volunteer and we’ve had over 75 student athletes be a part of it.”

Since April 5, there have been events for track and field and volleyball through Everybody Plays. Jorden commented that a wrestler recently reached

AINMENT OPINION IN DEPTH & FEATURES MULTIMED MULTIMEDIA NEWS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINME AINMENT OPINION IN DEPTH & FEATURES MULTIMED RTAINMENT OPINION IN DEPTH & FEATURES MULTIM MULTIMEDIA NEWS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMEN AINMENT OPINION IN DEPTH & FEATURES MULTIMEDI MULTIMEDIA NEWS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMEN AINMENT OPINION IN DEPTH & FEATURES MULTIMED MULTIMEDIA NEWS SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTAINMEN AINMENT NMENT OPINION IN DEPTH & FEATURES MULTIMED MULT LT TIM MED EDIA IA NE NEWS WS SP SPOR ORTS OR TS AR ARTS TS & ENT NTER ERTA ER TA AIN INME M AIN NM MENGet T OP OPIN INIO ION N IN DE DEPT PTH H &you FEAT FE ATUR URES ES MUL ULTI TIMEDI the campus news want sent MULTIM MEDIA SPORTS ARTS & ENTERTA AIN NME daily toNEWS your phone, along with AIN NM MEN T OPINION IN alerts.

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out to her asking if a wrestling event could be in the works.

For Jorden, it goes beyond the sports. She acknowledges that while the participants with disabilities obviously benefit from the activities, so do the student athletes. The club is a mutually beneficial opportunity for pure relationships to be fostered.

“Forming those relationships has been the best part of it all,” Jorden said.

“A lot of the kids that came to the soccer event have come to the next few events, so we’ll get to see them over and over again.”

And with that, the relationships are cemented and then given a chance to grow over time. These bonds are different because participants can swing by any IU home game and cheer on their friends.

Jorden is always looking for ways to better engage them in activities. On her own, she makes connections with the participants so quickly that she can dissect their personalities.

“Now we know that Ava is the troublemaker of the group, and Molly is the one that you’re going to have to chase around, and Alfred’s the one that has the best attitude,” Jorden said.

Everybody Plays is an early success. In just its fifth month of existence, the club has already seen so many volunteers and participants take serious interest in contributing.

The program may been in a stage of growth, but that doesn’t mean the vision for it ever changed.

The program may be in a stage of growth but still has goals it can accomplish right now.

“The participants can learn so much from them, like their hardworking-ness and what it means to have a healthy, active lifestyle,” Jorden said.

“On the flip side, the athletes can learn so much about pure joy and happiness and facing adversity from the participants.”

CLAIRE LIVINGSTON | IDS

Allison Jorden tries to move around her opponent to get to the ball.

Jorden scored one goal against Kentucky, the ending score being 4-1.

Games you should watch

By William Coleman wicolema@iu.edu | @WColeman08

IU went 2-6-3 in the Big Ten last season and will look to rewrite that record this season.

Sept. 29: Purdue Their lone Saturday game of the season, the Hoosiers will travel north to West Lafayette to take on Purdue in their next match. The Boilermakers lost to Michigan and drew with Michigan State while IU beat both teams. The rivalry should be the biggest headline in this contest.

Oct. 5: Wisconsin The Hoosiers’ next home game will be against arguably their best opponent in conference play. Standing victorious in seven of their first nine matches, the Badgers' only loss was to a top-five Florida State squad. Wisconsin’s last five wins have all been one-goal games.

Oct. 11: Northwestern The Wildcats will host IU for a Thursday night battle.

Northwestern was coming off a six-game stretch where

they did not allow a goal.

Then, the Wildcats settled for a draw against Wisconsin and suffered a loss to Minnesota.

Northwestern will need to get back on track if they want their season to live on past the regular season.

Oct. 14: Illinois The Fighting Illini were riding a recent wave of success, winning five straight games and outscoring opponents 18-1. A 1-0 loss to Wisconsin brought the streak to an end. Given that Illinois has a similar record to IU, this match screams of Big Ten Tournament seeding implications.

Oct. 18: Penn State Unless IU sees its home turf in the postseason, this will be the last women’s soccer home game of the year.

The senior class will want to go out in a big way, but a tough Penn State offense stands in their way. The last time these teams met was in 2016, when the Hoosiers played to a draw against the then-No. 13 Nittany Lions.

Expect another close match this year on Senior Night.

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CROSS-COUNTRY

Receveur races to earn more honors

Meets you should watch

By D.J. Fezler

By D.J. Fezler

djfezler@iu.edu | @DJFezler

djfezler@iu.edu | @DJFezler

On the cross-country course, there is never just one constant terrain. It’s full of rising hills and winding turns. The earth seemingly shifts as runners battle for 20 minutes to reach the finish line first.

Senior Katherine Receveur has battled the ups and the downs during her IU career, but no matter the path in front of her — whether in life or in a race — she's taken it head on and conquered it.

Receveur ran track and cross-country at Assumption High School in Louisville, Kentucky. She lettered every year in both sports and won five state championships, four in cross-country and one in track.

Her accolades before college end with All-State honors, but injuries jeopardized her success before her collegiate career even started.

She suffered through a stress fracture, mononucleosis and an iron deficiency in 2014 before her freshman year at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. While struggling to recover, she left the program after one semester.

“Not many athletes realize how difficult college running will be,” Receveur said.

“If you don’t come in in the best shape you’ve ever been in, then it’s even more difficult.”

The former Kentucky AllState runner came to IU to train with the cross-country team in 2015. Receveur struggled to keep up. Coach Ron Helmer said despite her accomplishments in high school, she offered no improvement to their roster at the time.

“She was terrible,” Helmer said. “She couldn’t do a workout. I didn’t have anybody slow enough for her to do a workout with and it took all of that semester and most of the next semester to get her up to speed enough

Many members of the IU cross-country roster saw success in two nonconference meets. The team as a whole saw success as a result, placing first in both meets. However, the road gets tougher as the Hoosiers begin Big Ten competition.

Here are some meets for IU with big implications:

BOBBY GODDIN | IDS

Junior Katherine Receveur celebrates as she crosses the finish line at the Big Ten Cross-Country Championships on Oct. 29 at the IU Championship Cross Country Course. Receveur won her first meet of the 2018-19 season Friday in New York.

to where she could work with our lower group.”

After the cross-country season, Receveur failed to score points on the track, which put her position in the IU athletic program in question. Helmer said he told her to go home over the summer and train hard. She couldn't come back to the program and struggle like she did during that first semester with the team.

“There was nothing I saw initially that would have suggested she was going to end up being the level of runner that she is, but thank goodness we let her stay around,” Helmer said.

As a sophomore, Receveur came back and had a breakout season as the top runner on the women’s team. She was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection after finishing second in the Big Ten championships. Receveur was the only woman to

represent the Hoosiers in the NCAA championships that year, where she placed 11th and was named an AllAmerican.

Her individual performance inspired her teammates to push themselves during the following season.

“I remember watching her the first time at the national cross-country meet and I was with my teammates,” senior Maggie Allen said. “We were watching and it was kind of like, I don’t want her running all by herself out there anymore.”

Receveur built upon her success from her sophomore year and ended up taking first place in the Big Ten Championships last season.

She also led an IU crosscountry team that would wear its cream and crimson uniforms in the 2017 NCAA championships. Receveur finished 20th in the national meet last season, and her

teammates ran alongside her. They placed 24th as a team.

“She kind of set a standard for us as athletes being a multiple-time Big Ten champion, making it to USAs and getting to that national level,” Allen said. “It kind of set the standard for what we’re all hoping to be.”

It’s no longer a surprise to Allen that her teammate is running at such a high level.

Coming into her senior season, Receveur is the defending Big Ten champion and a two-time All-American, but she said she isn’t worried.

“Stressing about it isn’t going to get me anywhere,” Receveur said. “I’m going to put in the work that I always have, and I think if I can do that, I would love to get another title.”

Receveur said she is sure she has a target on her back this season after winning the

Big Ten championship last year. Allen said her teammates will be there to support her.

“I think everyone always has a target on their back and you strive so much to be that No. 1 and once you get it, the target just gets bigger,” Allen said. “All the teams are going after her, but we’re just ready to back her up.”

Receveur made her season debut Sept. 14 at Iona’s Meet of Champions. She led the women’s team to its second victory of the season after finishing first in the 5K. She won with the time of 17:30.8, 10 seconds faster than the second place finisher, Columbia University’s Erin Gregoire.

“I know I’m capable of doing what I did two years ago,” Receveur said. “I’m going to work as hard as I have in the past, take care of the little things and hopefully the rest comes.”

Oct. 28: Big Ten Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska Last season both men’s and women’s cross-country teams placed seventh in the Big Ten Championships. Senior Katherine Receveur led the women with a first place finish in the 6K while Ben Veatch finished fourth in the men’s 8K. This year the Hoosiers will compete against a Wisconsin program that has both their men’s and women’s teams ranked top-10 in the country.

Nov. 9: Great Lakes Regional in Terre Haute, Indiana The Great Lakes Regional marks the final meet before the NCAA championships.

Last season the women’s team placed fifth and Receveur took first overall. The men’s team finished sixth, led by Veatch’s fourth-place finish. This meet serves as a final opportunity to qualify as a team or as an individual for the NCAA Championships meet.

Nov. 17: NCAA Championships in Madison, Wisconsin The IU women’s team and Veatch, as an individual for the men’s team, represented the Hoosiers at the national stage last season. This year the IU cross-country teams are both ranked in the top 30 after two weeks of competition. The women are led by Receveur and senior Maggie Allen. Senior Kyle Mau leads the men’s squad that failed to qualify for the national meet as a team a year ago.

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2018 Big Ten Guide | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

FIELD HOCKEY

First-year forward

ANNA TIPLICK | IDS

From the basement of her Pennsylvania home to the turf of the IU Field Hockey Complex, freshman Hailey Couch continues to make noise.

By Jared Rigdon jmrigdon@iu.edu | @RigdonJared

Hailey Couch was always the one to make a little noise when she was younger.

When Hailey’s father, Greg, allowed young Hailey Couch to turn his basement into a makeshift field hockey field, the noise became consistent. The basement – featuring a small scale regulation field, electrical tape outlines in the shape of a goal on the wall and a goalie made of a giant blue carpet cutout – was the hotbed of activity in Couch’s Pennsylvania neighborhood.

Most of the ruckus made in the basement came from Couch, who hit shots against the wall at all times of the night. She's always had a knack for competition and never missed the chance to get better at her choice sport. She said she lives for the moment when she plays and practices.

The basement became a space with no worries for Couch.

“I would play down there for hours,” Couch said. “It was my escape. I could go down there and play at any hour.”

It was in the wee hours in that basement where Couch, now a freshman at IU, forged her skillset.

The countless reps of dribbling, shooting and passing the ball helped her develop her game to reach the level needed to play in college. * * * Growing up as the youngest of four competitive children, Couch took every chance she was given.

Couch's brother Michael was a state hurdler finalist. Her sister Michelle played Division II field hockey at Slippery Rock University in Butler County, Pennsylvania.

Her other brother Chris played soccer. None of that ever stopped Couch from competing with her siblings as a young kid.

“It was very competitive through sports and even just backyard games when we were younger. I definitely say my siblings pushed me, and once I started to strive for field hockey, they were harder on me and kept supporting me.”

Hailey Couch, freshman forward

“It was very competitive through sports and even just backyard games when we were younger,” Couch said. “I definitely say my siblings pushed me, and once I started to strive for field

hockey, they were harder on me and kept supporting me.”

Couch picked up the game of field hockey at a young age.

Her neighbor taught local kids the rules and tricks of the sport. Eventually, there were endless games going across backyards.

“As a kid, it was just so much fun,” Couch said. “I would go out and try to drive the ball across my entire front yard. It was definitely an enjoyable thing and something I’ve loved and found a passion for as soon as I was introduced to the game.”

Couch had no shortage of mentors growing up. Her sister and neighbor played with her. But there was also Audra Heilman, a girl who took the same path Couch would eventually take.

Both started at Easton High School and then came to IU, where Heilman starred for the Hoosiers from 2011-2014. Heilman finished her career at IU ranked third in program history for goals scored and total points.

She also ranked fourth in assists and earned first team Big Ten recognition as a senior.

On top of the stats, she served as a role model to Couch.

“She really held Audra to a very high standard. She always wanted to be as good or better than Audra was,” Greg Couch said.

Field hockey has never had the extensive training available in schools that sports like basketball, baseball and others do.

A lot of work is done in club and high school workouts, but Couch found the best work was done with her father when they would spend upwards of five days a week at Lafayette College, a school only four miles from Couch's basement.

“I really found my getaway with my dad,” Couch said. “I remember one time I had glasses, and we were on the field and it started pouring rain. It was literally pouring rain and I couldn’t see out of my glasses and he told me I was going to have to play in this, so let’s go." * * * Couch grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, a town of about 26,000 located roughly 55 miles north of Philadelphia. She attended Easton High School, a school buried in the middle of a field hockey talent hotbed.

The USA National Team has its headquarters in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and some of the nation’s top talent plays in Pennsylvania.

The top club programs play their field hockey in Pennsylvania. The tradition of high school programs and expertise of the coaches leads to a ton of high-level recruits from the Keystone State.

Couch was successful at

Easton, starting as a freshman and putting up more than 40 points each season during her prep career. She was a team player, arguably their best offensive player, and that’s all that mattered to her father.

From afar, her father never really paid much attention to the stats.

“It’s interesting because when you see it, you’re not realizing what’s happening,” Greg said.

“She would always look at what’s the best for the team rather than her personally looking to break records.”

And break records she did. As a freshman, she tallied 16 goals and eight assists. Her sophomore year, she added another 15 goals.

Her final two years, 67 goals.

Couch finished her prep career with 98 goals, 57 assists, an unprecedented 253 points and an appearance in the state playoffs – Easton’s first in 27 years, against national powerhouse Emmaus High School.

Smashing the school’s 49-year goal record and all-time assist mark eventually earned her a spot in the Easton High School Hall of Fame and then a shot with the U.S. Indoor Under-19 National Team.

Couch played for four years in the USA Field Hockey pipeline, competing in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, as well as internationally in Canada and the Netherlands.

She had success in both high school and at the club level with X-Calibur, one of the most dominant club programs in the country, where she won four national club titles.

After watching Couch at the high school and club levels, the director of the U.S. National Indoor Program, Jun Kentwell, gave Couch a call. Even after the first tryout, one that Couch calls the worst of her career, she would eventually get her shot. Couch was a part of the U-19 Squad that traveled to the Netherlands, falling short of a title to the host nation.

“It was truly amazing, and I’m so thankful for the experience,” Couch said. “Being exposed to college-level girls was truly phenomenal. They just push you to be better and taught you how to not just do things, but mentally take things.”

All these experiences from high school fueled Couch's drive to perform at the highest level.

Playing with one of the most elite club teams in the U.S., starting varsity four seasons and playing on the Indoor National Team opened a variety of new doors for Couch at a young age. IU Coach Amanda Janney Misselhorn was first introduced to Couch when she was an 8th grader. Janney

Freshman forward Hailey Couch marks her opponent to obtain the ball Friday at the IU Field Hockey Complex. The Hoosiers lost 2-1 after Louisville scored in the final seconds of the game.

Games to watch this season

By Jared Rigdon

Misselhorn saw great potential in the girl from Easton.

“She’s been a great recruit for us, and I saw her potential as a young player,” Janney Misselhorn said. “I’ve seen her just develop as that killer forward. I watched her play a few times in indoor in which she was just unstoppable."

Ever since Couch stepped foot in Bloomington, she’s had great success. She started by dropping a goal in her first scrimmage against St. Louis. Her first regular season match against Louisville saw her dish an assist to senior Claire Woods. Couch said it's a testament to the hard work that the team put in during the summer and the mindset that the freshmen have come to campus with.

“She’s a killer forward that’s aggressive and has that competitiveness.

She also has a variety of shooting ability that allows her to be really dangerous in different ways.”

Amanda Janney Misselhorn, head coach

“All the freshmen came in, and we knew we wanted to hold our own and work hard,” Couch said.

She has started every game this season on the front line. Her attacking style of play allows her to get deep beyond the lines of the defense and opens up many ways for her and her teammates to score, which makes her crucial to the IU attack.

“She’s a killer forward that’s aggressive and has that competitiveness,” Janney Misselhorn said.

“She also has a variety of shooting ability that allows her to be really dangerous in different ways.

With all the achievements, past and present, Couch still has the moments in her basement, the talks with her dad and competing with her siblings fresh in her memory.

Her dad always taught her to seize the moment, which is what she continues to do.

But now at a higher level than ever before.

“It is crazy," Couch said. "I remember being there and him telling me that this is the national championship, you’re going for the goal. We prepped for high school games, what’s going to happen and what colleges are looking for. You put it all together and now it’s here.”

jmrigdon@iu.edu | @RigdonJared

After going winless in the Big Ten Conference last season, IU field hockey will look to turn the tide this year. The Hoosiers are 0-2 in conference play so far this season, but will have a multitude of opportunities to their luck this year.

Here are some matchups that could help IU make a push for postseason play.

Oct. 5: Michigan State An early-October date with the Spartans at home may provide IU their best chance for a conference win this season.

Michigan State is coming off an equally disappointing 8-11 season last year. The Spartans bested IU 3-2 last season in a close match, but were demolished in their final three games of the season following that victory.

Michigan State has a lot of turnover from last year and has gotten off to a slow offensive start this season. The IU matchup is right in the middle of a tough conference stretch for the Spartans. Isa van der Weij is a crucial offensive piece for Michigan State as a freshman. The Spartans will need several goals to keep a hungry and aggressive IU team at bay.

Oct. 12: Maryland Just a year removed from playing for the national title, Maryland could be the Hoosiers’ toughest conference foe of the season.

The Terrapins play a gauntlet of a schedule that already features wins over ACC opponents Duke and Boston College.

Maryland will be tested before their trip to Bloomington, and with players like Nike Lorenz and Bodil Keus, Maryland has a very potent offensive attack.

Maryland’s date with IU is on the heels of a road matchup with Penn State and right before a big trip to Iowa. The night before the homecoming football game should give the Hoosiers a larger-thanusual crowd and an opportunity to beat a good team they played down to the wire last season.

Oct. 14: Rutgers Senior Day 2018 will be an emotional day for the players from IU Coach Amanda Janney Misselhorn’s first recruiting class.

This final game could be one of the most important for the season as the Hoosiers battle for positioning in the Big Ten tournament. With a lot of young talent back, Rutgers has gotten off to a hot start including a win over No. 18 St. Joseph’s (PA).

The Scarlet Knights run into a tough stretch of play before visiting Bloomington, including important conference matchups against Northwestern and Maryland. Rutgers will likely be battling for a top seed in the Big Ten Tournament and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

A visit to IU could be a trap game at the end of the season for Rutgers, especially if the Hoosier offense heats up by senior day.

6

2018 Big Ten Guide | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

FOOTBALL

SWEATING THE SMALL THINGS

SAM HOUSE | IDS

As the team’s field goal holder, Drew Conrad has an important but often unheralded job.

By Murphy Wheeler jonmwhee@iu.edu @murph_wheelerIU

Drew Conrad’s attention to small details almost borders on obsessive.

When he is on the field as IU’s starting field goal holder, his mind assesses everything. The kicker has to block out his surroundings and focus on getting the ball through the uprights, but Conrad has taken it upon himself to take care of the rest.

When it comes to minor factors that might ruin the kicker’s concentration, Conrad tries to find a way to block it out for him.

He offers a high five to the kicker as a confidence boost. He evaluates the wind and adjusts to its gusts. He reminds the kicker of the most important things — keep your head down and swing downfield.

“Those are the little things you have to do,” Conrad said. “If that’s the last thing you’re thinking about before you kick it, there’s no reason you should miss.”

Conrad’s position is one not many dream about having when they think about being a starting college football player. On the field for less than a minute at a time, crouching down on his knees behind a towering row of offensive lineman, Conrad can go unnoticed by most casual fans.

The only time he might get any recognition is if he makes a mistake. To be good at Conrad’s job is to be invisible.

“He’s so unselfish and he just does his job and most people don’t even know who he is,” IU Coach Tom Allen said. “But he’s a tremendously valuable part of our team because he cares more about this team than he does himself.”

Holder isn’t the most appealing position but it’s one Conrad has fully embraced and loves to talk about.

When explaining his technique on something as simple as holding the

football, Conrad sticks his hands out to demonstrate, staring off into the distance as if he’s visualizing himself doing it on the field.

“I always like to keep the ball out in front of me and make sure that the kicker has constant visualization with the ball,” Conrad said.

“That’s what I always stress, making sure the ball is out in front of my body, even if it is a little harder to catch.”

“I always like to keep the ball out in front of me and make sure that the kicker has constant visualization with the ball.”

Drew Conrad, sophomore field goal holder

He snaps out of his trance for a moment and shoots a quick glance out of the side of his eye, his hands still frozen in mid-air in his holding technique.

“I feel like that’s something not a lot of holders around the country think about.” * * * Conrad has played football nearly his whole life, starting competitive play as early as second grade.

He tried as many positions as he could, and in third grade, after some urging from his father, he begrudgingly started kicking.

As the kids around him started to grow and mature in middle school, Conrad lagged behind. By the time he was a freshman at Center Grove High School, he was only 5-foot-5, and he knew his football career might be almost over.

But Conrad still wanted to compete, so he adapted.

“My dad told me to learn how to kick because it will keep you in the game, it will keep you part of the team,” Conrad said. “I saw how beneficial it could be to me beyond high school.”

Conrad excelled as he took over punting duties for a successful Center Grove team where he played alongside current IU teammates Gavin Everett, Nathanael Snyder and Jacob Limbach.

By the time he ended his senior year, Conrad had racked up numerous awards, culminating in a Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference record for punting yardage and a state title as a senior in 2015.

He received scholarship offers from some smaller schools but decided to join IU’s team as a preferred walk-on instead.

“Education was always the most important thing to me and the opportunities I saw both on the field and off the field at IU were far better than any other school I could have hoped for,” Conrad said.

While he had more success as a punter, high school was also where he started picking up the art of holding.

“Holding the ball is a little part of the game,” Conrad said. “But when you take a lot of pride in it and it’s done well, it can have a huge impact.” * * * There’s one moment everyone asks Conrad about, and it’s not from any game.

A few days prior to the Big Ten Network’s visit to an open practice this offseason, the Hoosiers were told they might be looking for some social media content. Everybody on IU’s team knew who to turn to.

The field goal unit, a group that refers to themselves as the “trust team,” had become known for pulling off impressive trick shots. When asked to come up with one for the cameras, the stunt they concocted would definitely test that trust for Conrad.

“The double hold Gatorade shot,” as they called it, consisted of long snapper Dan Godsil snapping two

“So many choices...

It’s a shame you can only choose one!”

balls to Conrad, who would catch each with one hand.

Then, he would hold them to the ground as kickers Logan Justus and Jared Smolar would simultaneously kick field goals. After the two made kicks, Conrad would raise his arms above his head signaling a made field goal, while Justus would place an empty Gatorade bottle on top of his head.

Then, Godsil would cap it off with another long snap that would knock the bottle off Conrad’s head, bringing the ball inches from his scalp.

They practiced it a few times leading up to the eventual taping of the stunt.

With the cameras rolling, the four of them perfected it in one shot.

Conrad didn’t even flinch.

This deep trust comes in part from Conrad and his special teams comrades spending time together off the field, whether it’s playing intramural basketball or video games.

“He’s so unselfish and he just does his job and most people don’t even know who he is.”

Tom Allen, head football coach

“I would do anything for these guys,” Conrad said.

“And I feel that same way about how they feel about me.”

Godsil’s praise for Conrad is blunt. All he has to do is give a half shrug and a smirk, as if his answer should just go without saying.

“Holder of the year,” Godsil said. “He’s the best in the business.” * * * Allen has often called Conrad the most valuable special teams player on his team.

When Conrad earned the starting holder position

Redshirt sophomore Drew Conrad holds the ball for a kick after a touchdown attempt during IU’s game against Ball State Sept. 15 at Memorial Stadium. IU won the game, 38-10.

during his redshirt freshman season in 2017, he played an integral role in then-kicker Griffin Oakes earning his second Bakken-Andersen Big Ten Kicker of the Year Award after going 16-17 on field goals on the season.

Despite his accomplishments so far, Conrad knows holders don’t generally go to the NFL, so he has different goals set for his future.

It’s something he gets more excited to talk about than holding a football.

Conrad is an accounting major in the Kelley School of Business but takes a lot of pride in the fact that he is a co-major in Law Ethics and Decision-Making.

He wants to eventually go to law school and have a career in corporate law. His interest in the field began when he job-shadowed his uncle and mentor, Jeremy Nix, an attorney now with his own practice in Huntington, Indiana.

“I just got to see the daily visits he does with clients,” Conrad said. “It was awesome because it’s something new every day, a new case, a new situation.”

There are a lot of parallels in the ways Conrad talks about his love for the legal profession and his football career.

There’s an excited, yet deeply focused way in which he speaks. He can go meticulously in-depth on every tiny aspect of each subject.

“Passion” is a word he often uses when talking about both.

“I think with the legal passion, the people who are best at it are the people who take a lot of pride in what they do and pay attention to the little details, the small things,” Conrad said. “So I think it would be a really good profession for me.”

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2018 Big Ten Guide | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

CAM’S CORNER

Hoosiers are set for strong conference showing Cameron Drummond is a junior in journalism.

IU’s four most important Big Ten Conference games

By Sean Mintert smintert@iu.edu | @Sean_mintert20

This is when things fall apart for IU. Consistently, seemingly every season, just like clockwork.

It’s not as much a specific date on the calendar as it is a specific moment on IU’s schedule, when the shift from nonconference to conference play occurs.

The Hoosiers have failed to put together anything resembling a decent performance in Big Ten play since a 4-4 conference mark in 2001.

Even during the recent seasons in which IU has made a bowl game, the Hoosiers have gone 2-6 and 4-5 against conference opponents.

And during the seasons IU hasn’t made a postseason appearance, there are a litany of one and two-win showings against Big Ten foes.

But, there is reason to expect something different in 2018, and it has less to do with the Hoosiers than you may think.

Nonconference play exposed the Big Ten’s teams earlier this season. Embarrassing home losses occurred to teams from both divisions — Nebraska losing to Troy, Purdue stumbling against Eastern Michigan, Northwestern blowing an 18-point lead against Akron, Rutgers allowing 55 points to Kansas and Maryland being blown out at home by Temple.

Most of the Big Ten’s top teams like Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State remain intimidating to opponents.

As for the rest of the conference, it’s just not very good.

This should be a dream for the IU football program and its fans.

Many of those one and two-win conference campaigns were a result of the Hoosiers having a flat-out noncompetitive team. But the three and four-win conference seasons, like those in 2013 and 2016, were the result of a decent IU team

After going 3-0 in nonconference play, IU enters Big Ten Conference play with an opportunity for a special season in front of them. Since the Hoosiers currently reside in the East division of the conference, the annual gauntlet of Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State means IU’s schedule is always a tough one. If IU can win these four games, it will have laid the foundation for one of the more successful seasons in school history.

SAM HOUSE | IDS

Freshman running back Ronnie Walker Jr. dives into the endzone for a touchdown during IU’s 38-10 win over Ball State Sept. 15 at Memorial Stadium. The game against Ball State was their last non-conference game of the season.

playing against elite conference opponents on an almost weekly basis.

That won’t happen in 2018.

Aside from games at Ohio State and at home against Penn State, the Hoosiers will have a realistic chance against all other conference opponents this season.

IU’s offense silenced critics with its 3-0 nonconference start. Sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey has been efficient in the passing game without taking unnecessary risks, in part because of the emergence of freshman Stevie Scott as IU’s featured running back.

Familiar faces at wide receiver like senior Luke Timian and juniors Donavan Hale and Nick Westbrook have offered the Hoosiers with the occasional downfield deep threat as well.

Most importantly, IU’s offensive line has remained healthy leading into conference play. A unit ravaged

by injuries last season now is in rhythm and has shown progress after being challenged by IU Coach Tom Allen following the opening game of the season.

Defensively, a young Hoosier defense has risen to the limited challenges posed to it this season.

While Florida International, Virginia and Ball State weren’t offensive juggernauts, the Hoosiers showed competency stopping strong rushing attacks, a dual-threat quarterback and a pass-happy offense after showing vulnerabilities against FIU. When it comes to special teams, the Hoosiers, and in particular redshirt senior wide receiver J-Shun Harris, are peaking at the right time.

On the eve of the start of Big Ten play, Harris marked his return from a third torn ACL by returning a punt against Ball State 86 yards for a touchdown.

Harris now has a punt return touchdown in three

of his last 10 games, and he will play a key part in any upset wins IU has in conference play.

There are certainly Big Ten games IU needs to win to reach the postseason. Defeating Rutgers on the road and Maryland and Purdue at home seems to be the easiest path to six wins for the Hoosiers. But the bare minimum shouldn’t be what IU aims for.

With a team that’s limited its mistakes during nonconference play and has a favorable conference schedule during a down year for the Big Ten, the Hoosiers have the potential to reach seven or eight wins this season.

The question, though, as so often is the case with IU football, is can the Hoosiers elevate their level of play as summer turns to fall?

Because more often times than not, they can't. cpdrummo@iu.edu @cdrummond97

Oct. 13 vs. Iowa The Hawkeyes will come to Bloomington for the first time since 2015. This will also be the homecoming game, which the Hoosiers haven’t won since 2009.

Led by junior quarterback Nate Stanley, Iowa is coming off a season in which it went 8-5 and is hoping to challenge Wisconsin for the Big Ten West division title.

IU will come into this game after back-to-back road games at Rutgers and Ohio State, so the Hoosiers should relish the chance to get back in front of the home crowd.

Oct. 20 vs. Penn State Just a week after duking it out with Iowa, IU will welcome Penn State to Memorial Stadium. Trace McSorley and the Nittany Lions boast one of the most high-powered offenses in the country — scoring over 40 points per game this season.

McSorley came into the season as a Heisman hopeful, and despite needing overtime to get past Appalachian State at the beginning of the season, it appears head coach James Franklin has got his team back on the right path.

For IU, this game comes in the middle of a crucial threeweek stretch in the middle of the season. There’s a chance Penn State could be a top-10 team by Oct. 20, and the opportunity for a win should not

be taken lightly. IU has played Penn State tough each of the last four times the game has been in Bloomington, and that bodes well for the Hoosiers.

Oct. 26 at Minnesota Six days after Penn State, IU travels to Minneapolis to play on a Friday night. IU hasn’t played the Gophers since 2013, and the Hoosiers haven’t traveled to Minneapolis since 2008. A strange kickoff time and an unfamiliar opponent could add up to an interesting game, so the Hoosiers will need to stay disciplined if they want to head back to Bloomington with another win.

Minnesota, in its second year under coach PJ Fleck, is looking to improve on last season’s 5-7 mark that saw them drop close games to Michigan State and Iowa. The Gophers also failed to score in their last two games against Northwestern and Wisconsin, so Minnesota will have plenty to prove as it enters the conference slate at 3-0 for the thirdstraight season.

Nov. 24 vs. Purdue This one’s obvious. Purdue won back the Old Oaken Bucket last season after four years of losing to IU, and with the Boilers off to an 0-3 start, it looks like the famous bucket could come back to Bloomington this year. After two poor weeks, Purdue appeared to find its offense in a 40-37 loss at home to Missouri, but the Boilermaker defense has shown itself as a weakness.

Going into this game, IU could be on the cusp of a great season, or fighting for bowl eligibility. Either way, the significance of the Old Oaken Bucket game is clear.

If IU can knock off Purdue for the fifth time in six years, it will likely mean that the Hoosiers are headed to a bowl game, possibly even with eight or nine wins. IU’s had a successful nonconference season, but the Big Ten will determine how good this year’s team really is.

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2018 Big Ten Guide | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

VOLLEYBALL

Lebo continues legacy at libero

Matches to watch during IU volleyball’s Big Ten season

By Stefan Krajisnik stefkraj@iun.edu | @skrajisnik3

By Stefan Krajisnik stefkraj@iun.edu | @skrajisnik3

Less than 24 hours remained until IU volleyball would be wheels up, headed to Las Vegas for its opening invitational.

An offseason filled with workouts, practices and preparation finished, and the next thing in line for the team was regular season play.

But not for sophomore Bayli Lebo.

After the final practice before heading out, the sound of a volleyball hitting the University Gym floor echoed throughout the arena as Lebo worked overtime on her passing.

“Just working on my serve receive, I’ve always wanted to get better at that,” Lebo said. “Trying to get more confident with serve receive, and fine-tuning things that I know I need to get better at.”

However, the hard work was about much more than returning serves.

For Lebo, it isn’t just about becoming a better player each day. It is about a legacy – her legacy.

Her entire life she has been compared to her sister, Taylor, who also dominated the court in their home town of La Porte, Indiana, and at IU. However, that’s not who Bayli Lebo is.

“For the longest time in high school, people would come up to me and ask ‘oh, who’s better, you or your sister?’” Lebo said. “I was looking at IU, but at the same time I did not want to come here because everyone would know Taylor.”

Ultimately, she was not afraid of the challenge of making her own stamp on the IU volleyball program.

“I just fell in love with this place,” Lebo said. “I didn’t care whether my sister went here or not. I truly did want to make a name for

STEVEN LIN | IDS

Sophomore Defensive Specialist Bayli Lebo returns the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats on Sept. 21 in University Gym. IU defeated Northwestern, 3-1.

myself. That was the deciding factor.”

However, there is no tension between the sisters. As Lebo follows a similar path of majoring in human biology, her sister is always by her side to help when needed.

“I knew little details before coming in freshman year, more than other people,” Lebo said.

Her sophomore year, Lebo become became more comfortable at libero and is continuing to build that legacy even in the short amount of time this season.

“She’s a bubbly, happy kid. She never makes my day worse.”

Steve Aird, head coach

Lebo already set a new career high in digs when she had 24 against Northern Iowa on Sept. 7.

“Most Big Ten players come in as freshmen who were the stars of their team in high school,” Lebo said.

“It’s a lot different, just trying to work on things every single day to get my confi-

dence up and keep it that way.”

IU’s libero now finds herself about three to four hours away from home – which she describes as close enough to home, but also far enough away, but she finds ways to feel connected.

Lebo said she enjoys spending time at Lake Monroe and Griffy Lake, where she can rent a paddleboard.

She would prefer to bring her own paddleboard that she often uses back home, but she doesn’t quite agree with still having to pay to use it on the lake.

“When I’m home, I like to go to the beach a lot,” Lebo said. “But the biggest thing about my hometown is the lake. There’s nothing like Lake Michigan.”

Throughout her club team days with the Dunes, Lebo played under many coaches including Rick Ashmore and Kevin Lane.

Lane no longer coaches for the Dunes, but he and the team made their impact on Lebo during her time there.

In her time at IU, she has already dealt with two coaching staffs.

IDSNEWS.COM VIDEO | Watch sports editor Stefan Krajisnik attempt to return Bayli Lebo’s serves.

As a recruit from the days of Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan, Lebo has had to adjust to the new coaching staff under Coach Steve Aird.

“She’s at the beginning of a pretty long, solid career if she does the right things,” Aird said. “She plays the game hard. It’s the attention to detail, it’s the everyday mentality."

Aird’s goal of getting his players to buy into his message of getting 1-percent better each day is something that Lebo said has been easy for her.

“As soon as you walk into the gym, even if you’re a player, coach or someone who has no idea about volleyball, you are so bought in to what he’s saying,” Lebo said.

But just as much as she appreciates his personality, the feeling is mutual toward her.

“She’s a bubbly, happy kid,” Aird said. “She never makes my day worse.”

Whether it's off-thecourt storylines or top-five opponents, there are plenty of things to look for in IU volleyball’s Big Ten Conference schedule.

The Big Ten has won 10 national championships in the 21st century, which means it will be tough for the Hoosiers to improve from the 1-19 conference record it had last season.

However, with a new coaching staff and new environment at University Gym, IU could be poised to pull off some major upsets.

With 20 Big Ten games, IU will play seven opponents both on the road and at home.

Here are the five best matchups to keep an eye on this Big Ten season.

Oct. 21 at Maryland It will be a battle of the Steve Aird rebuilds at University Gym. When IU hired Aird as its head coach in late December, it came as a shock to some because he was in the middle of a rebuild at Maryland.

Aird has since brought that rebuild mentality to Bloomington, and Oct. 21 will be the first time he will face off against his former team.

Aird spent 2014 to 2017 coaching the Terrapins, a program that was struggling in the ACC before he came along for the team’s transition into the Big Ten. Nov. 17 vs. Nebraska Nebraska ranks third alltime in number of national championships, and comes into this season as the defending champion.

The Hoosiers travel to Nebraska in mid-October, but Aird said he expects his team to play better at home and as the season progresses.

Nebraska will probably remain a top-10 program throughout the season, so

fans can expect the November matchup to be much more exciting than the one in October.

The Cornhuskers have a great amount of depth, something that Aird said his team lacks right now. If IU can improve on that by the matchup at University Gym, it could see itself pulling off a major upset.

Oct. 13 vs. Rutgers IU defeated Rutgers on Oct. 20 last season at University Gym, the only conference win that either of these teams had last season.

With a loaded conference, it is not a surprise for the bottom teams to struggle immensely. If the rebuild does take time to develop like Aird said it would, this could be one of the few wins IU fans can see this season.

It might not be the best game, but it could be a Big Ten win for the Hoosiers.

Nov. 21 vs. Purdue Last season the Boilermakers and Hoosiers played twice in four days, and IU dropped all six sets.

This matchup, however, will be the last home game of the season for IU which may or may not be played in Wilkinson Hall -- the teams new stadium that is still under construction.

Aird’s motto all season has been to get 1-percent better each day, so depending on postseason play, this will be one of the final markers in seeing just how much the team have improved throughout the season.

Plus, it’s IU versus Purdue. Last season University Gym saw more 1,700 fans show up for the game.

Regardless of records, fans will come out to see the in-state rivalry. But with that motto lurking over the team this season, it could be a chance for the Hoosiers to pull off an upset to show how year one of the rebuild went.

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