The raw emotion from Indiana senior Avry Tatum could be felt through the ESPN broadcast as she made her way through the handshake line Friday afternoon.
Widely heralded as the team’s emotional leader and an All-Big Ten honoree in 2025, tears streamed down the record-setting opposite hitter’s cheeks as the finality of the Hoosiers’ 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) loss to top-seeded Texas in the Austin regional semifinals set in.
“Avry’s a fantastic talent,” IU coach Steve Aird said in a phone interview with IndyStar. “Her name will be all over the record books and we think she’ll hopefully end up with some All-American honors. She was drafted (by Columbus in the MLV Draft). She’s developed. She’s a fantastic young woman and has had a fantastic career.”
Tatum’s emotions captured that of the entire program. They left disappointed, because they really believed they could win, Aird said, a reflection on how far this program has come during his eight-year tenure.
Indiana volleyball finished .500 or below in five of the past six seasons, a stretch low-lighted by a 5-15 finish to the 2020 season (moved to 2021 due to COVID-19) and had a winning conference record only once since 1999.
It finished this season 25-8 (14-6 Big Ten), setting a program record for wins en route to securing its first NCAA tournament berth since 2010 and sixth overall. Add it to the list of accomplishments for this Hoosiers team: most Big Ten wins in a single season (14), highest ranking all-time (15) and Big Ten road wins in a single season (7).
“The toughest part about getting to this space with a group that’s really connected is the amount of pain you feel is commensurate with how much everyone cares about each other,” Aird said. “I’ve been trying to build a program that the players will cherish and fight for.”
Senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles, IU’s leading attacker and winningest player, spearheaded the offense with her sixth double-double of the season, notching 13 kills and 10 digs. Fellow senior Jaidyn Jager added nine kills, five digs and a couple blocks, while Victoria Gray registered seven kills on .700 hitting (10 attempts).
Setter Teodora Kričković capped off a brilliant freshman campaign with 38 assists, seven digs and a couple kills. The Hoosiers hit .217 and had a season-low two blocks.
“We battled,” Aird said. “I’m incredibly proud of our effort, but I think the better team won. It was a great experience for our program.”
IU did not have an answer for Texas attacker Torrey Stafford.
“She was the difference in the match,” Aird said, an apt description of the 6-2 junior, who put down 19 kills and hit .679 with zero attacking errors. She also accounted for four of her team’s 12 total blocks and set the tone for the Longhorns.
“(Stafford’s) numbers are wild, and when you have someone who’s that talented, that athletic and that terminal, it makes it really hard,” Aird continued. “She’s (essentially) a get-out-of-jail-free card. They could throw the ball to the roof and she took care of it.”
Indiana attempted to slow Stafford by lining up Tatum and 6-3 middle Madi Sell across from her, but she was largely unfazed.
“There are a few players in the country who are extra special and she’s one of them,” Aird said.
After trailing by as many as six points, IU rallied from a 15-10 deficit with an 8-3 run that tied the set at 18. The scoring surge was launched by a couple Texas attack errors, then the Hoosiers went on the offensive, scoring kills from Tatum, Gray, Alonso-Corcelles and Jager, plus a block registered to Jager and Sell.
Indiana tied the set again at 20, then got within a point twice more, including 23-22, but Texas closed out the victory with kills by Cari Spears and Whitney Lauenstein.
Texas libero Emma Halter, an Indianapolis native (Roncalli graduate), registered a team-high eight digs with five assists. IU transfer Ramsey Gary, a Pendleton Heights graduate, notched three digs.
Texas will host the winner of Wisconsin vs. Stanford in the regional championship Sunday as the Longhorns seek a third national championship in four years.
“Tip of the cap to Texas. They’ve been here an awful lot,” Aird said. “We can be upset, but we can still be incredibly proud at the same time.”
Future bright for Indiana volleyball
Friday marked the continuation of a dynastic run by the national powerhouse Longhorns, who have won three titles since 2012.
As for Indiana, it’s only just begun tapping into its potential.
The Hoosiers bring in another top-10 recruiting class for 2026, a group which includes Warsaw libero/defensive specialist Ellie Hepler, who’s ranked third in her class by Prep Dig Indiana and 71st nationally.
The three incoming freshmen will be competing for playing time in a lineup that started six freshmen this fall.
“The future is incredibly bright,” Aird said. “This is just the beginning.”
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana volleyball’s historic season ends vs Texas: ‘Just the beginning’
Reporting by Brian Haenchen, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
