Indiana University Women’s Soccer Starts the Season with a Statement win over Tennessee
The Indiana Hoosiers started off the 2024 Regular Season with a 1-0 win over Tennessee Volunteers Thursday Night at Bill Armstrong Stadium. This is third all time between the two teams with Indiana leading the series 2-0-1 after a 2-2 draw in Knoxville a season ago and a 2-0 win in 2008 in College Station, Texas. Indiana is coming off a 12-4-4 season and a NCAA Tournament Appearance for the first since 2013. The Hoosiers return 21 of 25 players that played a season ago along with 8 of the top 12 goal scorers. Indiana added Graduate Transfer Avery Snead from Providence College along with five Freshman Layla Sidrah starting and Haden Vleck coming off the bench for Head Coach Erwin van Bennekom starting his Sixth Season. “Besides the result we took it to them in the second half and I am very happy, so proud of them and they (Tennessee) are very good team and the way the play makes it very hard for us” Indiana Head Coach Erwin van Bennekom said after the game.
Tennessee finished 9-7-4 a season and after beating Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in overtime they lost to Nebraska 2-1 in the second round. The Lady Vols has 17 Newcomers with 7 Transfers and 10 Freshman. Tennessee picked up three transfers from the Big Ten with Sammi Woods and Sarah Bridenstine from Michigan and Luciana Latino from Penn State as all three started the match making an immediate impact for their new team. Noblesville, Indiana Native Jenna Chatterton who is a Senior Midfielder came back to her home state coming off the bench to play 12 Minutes. Tennessee Head Coach Joe Kirt is beginning his third season as the Head Coach, but he has been in Knoxville since 2007 as the assistant coach until 2021.
After playing the possession game for the first nine and half minutes without a shot on target. Tennessee got the first attempt at the 9:34 mark with Kate Runyon going bottom center of net with IU Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg making the save. Tennessee’s Sammi Woods who transferred from Michigan picked up the first yellow card of the season at the 10:17 mark. The Hoosiers went on the attack at the 11:07 mark with Hope Parades launching a shot from just outside the box going to the bottom left of the goal and Ally Zazzara made the save. The Lady Volunteers got their second shot attempt when Reese Mattern went top center of goal and Gerstenberg was able to knock it over the crossbar for her second save of the match. Runyon and Keaton Mitchell had the other shot attempts for Tennessee. Sydney Masur, Haden Vlcek and Ava Keel had the other three shots for the Hoosiers. After 45 minutes the game remained scoreless with both teams getting 4 shot attempts and Tennessee with two shots on goal to one for the Hoosiers. Indiana Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg made 2 saves and Tennessee Goalkeeper Ally Zazzara made one save. Indiana committed 5 fouls and Tennessee committed four. Indiana had 5 corner kicks to four for Tennessee and neither team was called for offside.
Four minutes and two seconds into the second half the Hoosiers got on the board with Sophomore Midfielder Kennedy Neighbors scored her first career goal when she got the ball past Ally Zazzara at the bottom right of the goal off her left foot. “It was the best feeling ever; it was so great and great to celebrate as a team” Kennedy Neighbors said after the game. The Evansville, Indiana Native played in 17 games as Freshman with 6 starts and had 1 assist. Both teams picked up a yellow card in the second half with Camille Hamm at the 65:07 mark for Indiana and Sarah Bridenstine for Tennessee at the 65:56 mark. Kate Runyon picked up a yellow card at the 79:29 mark. Indiana Senior Goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg recorded her school record 26th career shutout and moved up on the all-time Goalkeeper wins list with 23 which is tied with Shauna Daugherty who played from 2000-03. The Hoosiers outshot Tennessee 10-7 as the teams both had 4 shots on goal. Jamie Gerstenberg made 4 saves for Indiana while Ally Zazzara made three. The Teams combined for 22 fouls with 11 on each side. 8 Corner Kicks for IU to 6 for Tennessee and Tennessee was called for offsides twice. Tennessee had 3 Yellow Cards to 1 for Indiana. The Hoosiers travel to Ball State on Tuesday for a 5:30pm matchup with Cardinals.
Indiana University Women’s Basketball announces 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule
Indiana Women’s Basketball has announced the non-conference portion of its 2024-25 schedule which includes seven home dates and a trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis in November. Indiana’s non-con scheduled will feature four teams that made the postseason last year including a matchup with the Stanford Cardinal in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The team is schedule for its public exhibition game on Oct. 30 against Maryville before hosting a pair of Ivy League schools to begin the season on Nov. 4 against Brown and Nov. 7 against Harvard. A trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse is set for Nov. 13 against Butler as the Hoosiers return home on Nov. 17 to face Stanford.
The Hoosiers head to Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas for the first time in program history on Nov. 23-25. They will play three games at the Atlantis Paradise Resort Island. The field includes Ball State, Baylor, Columbia, North Carolina, Southern Miss, Texas A&M, and Villanova. Matchups will be announced later. December will have a loaded home slate, playing four non-con games in the final month of the 2024 calendar year. It kicks off with Maine visiting Bloomington on Dec. 1 followed by Southern Indiana (Dec. 4), Bellarmine (Dec. 15) and Oakland (Dec. 22.) Additional game times, TV designations and a full Big Ten schedule will come in the following weeks.
IU Women’s Basketball is coming off a record-setting season for attendance in 2023-24. Coach Teri Moren’s team averaged 10,336 fans during its 17 home games, and in doing so became just the fifth Big Ten Women’s Basketball team to average 10,000-plus during a single season. IU went a perfect 17-0 at home last season while eclipsing the 20-win barrier for the ninth straight year and earning a trip to its third Sweet 16 in the last four years. Both Reserved and GA season tickets for the 2024-25 IU Women’s Basketball season remain on sale. A limited number of reserved season tickets are still available while GA season tickets will remain on sale until the start of the season. Adult reserved season tickets are $112, while reserved senior season tickets (65+) and youth season tickets (18-and-under) are $48. IU faculty and staff can purchase reserved season tickets for $80. Adult general admission season tickets are $96, while general admission youth and senior tickets are $48.
2024-25 Indiana Women’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location |
| Nov. 4 | Brown | Bloomington, Ind. |
| Nov. 7 | Harvard | Bloomington, Ind. |
| Nov. 13 | at Butler | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Nov. 17 | Stanford | Bloomington, Ind. |
| Nov. 23-25 | Battle 4 Atlantis | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Dec. 1 | Maine | Bloomington, Ind. |
| Dec. 4 | Southern Indiana | Bloomington, Ind. |
| Dec. 15 | Bellarmine | Bloomington, Ind. |
| Dec. 22 | Oakland | Bloomington, Ind. |
Indiana University Football’s Nick Kidwell to miss the 2024 Season Due to Injury
Indiana Offensive Lineman Nick Kidwell will miss the 2024 season due to a knee injury. Kidwell transferred from James Madison to Indiana this offseason, and he was expected to be the Hoosiers’ starting right guard in 2024. At 6-foot-5 and 316 pounds, Kidwell appeared in 52 games with 34 starts at James Madison, playing both right tackle and right guard. Kidwell was named first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association in 2021 and second-team All-Sun Belt in 2022. He was in line to finish his college career at James Madison in 2023, but he suffered a season-ending injury four games into the season. He received a medical hardship waiver, which granted him a seventh season of collegiate eligibility at Indiana in 2024.
“He was one of the best two linemen in the Sun Belt had he stayed healthy last year,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said of Kidwell. Following Indiana’s first practice of fall camp on July 31, Cignetti mentioned Drew Evans and Bray Lynch as two young lineman that could provide depth for the Hoosiers this season. Evans transferred from Wisconsin to Indiana last season, but he has not played in any games during his two-year college career.
Lynch was a three-star recruit in the class of 2022 out of Austin, Texas, and he has played 71 total snaps in 10 games on the offensive line and special teams across two seasons with the Hoosiers. Kidwell’s injury now heightens their importance to Indiana’s offensive line. Indiana returned two starters on its offensive line from last season: Carter Smith and Mike Katic. Smith started all 12 games at left tackle last season, and Katic, who has played 39 games in his Indiana career, moved to center this offseason. Indiana also added Wisconsin transfer Trey Wedig, who was expected to start at right tackle prior to Kidwell’s injury. Tyler Stephens transferred to Indiana this offseason from James Madison, where he appeared in 36 games with 31 starts, playing left tackle, left guard and right tackle. Stephens earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2023 and provides versatility for the Indiana offensive line.
Indiana Pacers announce 2024-25 Regular Season Schedule
The Indiana Pacers will tip-off the 2024-25 regular season with a two-game road trip that begins on Wednesday, October 23 against the Detroit Pistons at 7:00pm, before returning home for their first game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, October 27 at 3:30pm. Pacers tickets for games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse will be on sale on Wednesday, October 2 at 2:00pm. Fans can register for pre-sale access to single game tickets by signing up for Pacers Insider emails. Additional information on season tickets, group sales, suite rentals, and more can be found at Pacers.com/Tickets. As previously announced, the Pacers’ four Emirates NBA Cup games will take place on Friday, November 15 vs. the Miami Heat (7:00pm), Friday, November 22 at Milwaukee (7:30pm), Friday, November 29 vs. Detroit (8:00pm), and Tuesday, December 3 at Toronto (7:30pm). Teams that advance through the group stage will play Knockout Round games on December 10 and December 11 (the winners will then play Semifinal and Final round games on December 14 and December 17, respectively, in Las Vegas, NV), while teams that do not advance will complete their 82-game regular-season schedule as part of two games that will be announced at a later date.
The Pacers will have three homestands at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season at consist of at least four games. The first such homestand tips off on Sunday, November 24 vs. the Washington Wizards (5:00pm), and continues Monday, November 25 vs. New Orleans (7:00pm), Wednesday, November 27 vs. Portland (7:00pm), and concludes with the team’s traditional post-Thanksgiving date vs. Detroit on Friday, November 29. The Pacers will make their first trip to France as part of the NBA Paris Games 2025, presented by Tissot, with two games against the San Antonio Spurs in the French capital on Thursday, January 23 and Saturday, January 25. In addition to the games, the Pacers will be a part of interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives, and Jr. NBA youth basketball development programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in Paris. The Pacers are currently scheduled to appear in 14 nationally televised games this season, which includes five ESPN games, four TNT games, and five games on NBATV. The first nationally televised game will be on ESPN and is a re-match of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, when the Pacers return to Madison Square Garden on Friday, October 25 to take on the New York Knicks (7:30pm). The Pacers full television and radio schedule will be announced at a later date.
The Pacers will host the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics on Wednesday, October 30 (7:00pm), while the New York Knicks visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday, November 10 (5:00pm) and then again on Tuesday, February 11 (7:30pm). The Pacers will welcome the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, January 4 (7:00pm), the Golden State Warriors on Friday, January 10 (7:00pm), and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, March 26 (7:30pm). In what is now an annual league tradition, there will be no NBA games played on Tuesday, November 5 in recognition of Election Day. The Pacers also confirmed their 2024 preseason schedule, which starts with two road games, the first on Tuesday, October 8 at Atlanta (7:00pm) and then on Thursday, October 10 at Cleveland (7:00pm). The Pacers will conclude their pre-season schedule with two games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the first on Monday, October 14 vs. Memphis (7:00pm) and then on Thursday, October 17 against Charlotte (7:00pm).
Fans are Engaging with the Indiana Fever in Record Numbers during the 2024 Season
Women’s basketball has exploded in popularity and more fans are tuning in, packing arenas, and engaging in social media to watch their favorite teams and players. Indiana in particular has been the epicenter of the sport with fans engaging with the Fever and their young stars in new ways, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing down as the team makes a push to return to the WNBA playoffs this season. The results have been impressive across the organization, but they are perhaps more glaring with the excitement and energy of the game experience at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Fever lead the League in attendance, eight of the team’s 11 home games this season have been sellouts, and the team maximized its season ticket sales for the 2024 season. In all, more than 186,000 fans have attended a home game so far in 2024, the most in franchise history and already a 265% jump from last season. The enthusiasm has carried over to road games, as well, with more than 230,000 fans attending Fever games in opposing arenas and multiple road games moving to larger venues to accommodate the big crowds.
“This is a historic moment, an inflection point for women’s basketball, and there’s nothing more fitting than Indiana being at the center of it all,” said Mel Raines, Chief Executive Officer of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. “Over several seasons, we have built a young, talented roster that fans are excited to support, and this is momentum that we will build off for years to come.” Fans in the arenas are not the only ones excited to catch Fever games, however. In April, the WNBA announced the Fever would lead the League with 38 games on national TV, and the team also has partnered with TEGNA to broadcast games in central Indiana and across the Midwest. The response from fans has been tremendous. Viewership for the Fever’s regular season opener in Connecticut, for example, peaked at 2.3 million people across ESPN 2, ESPN+, and Disney+ platforms, making it the most-viewed WNBA game at the time on ESPN platforms. The team’s June 23 game in Chicago set the record for the most viewed WNBA game in 23 years averaging 2.3 million viewers and peaking at 3.3 million viewers.
Fans are also engaging on social and digital media unlike ever before. Interaction on Fever digital platforms have skyrocketed this season, with fans loving the exciting and creative content the team has produced. The Fever have enjoyed the most engagement, video views, and social media followers of any team in the WNBA, and from April 15 through July 19, videos produced by the team had more than 800M views, trailing only Miami FC across major U.S. sports franchises during that period. Fever social media platforms added more than 1.3M followers since mid-April, as well, and lead the WNBA in that category. “This is a fun team, on and off the court, and our staff has done an exceptional job at creating content that connects our growing fan base in new and innovative ways,” said Todd Taylor, Pacers Sports & Entertainment President for Business Operations. “This is an important moment for our sport and our city and state, and it is exciting to be able to share it with our fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and all over the world.”
Unsurprisingly, fans have also flocked to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Team Store in record numbers, and thus far in 2024, four Fever home games have set the single-game Team Store record at the venue. This has resulted in a 694% increase, year over year, in total items sold and growth of more than 1,000% in net sales at the Team Store and a similar jump in jersey sales. Finally, the excitement translated to increased engagement on the part of the Fever’s corporate partners, as well. So far in 2024, the team has experienced a 225% increase in overall corporate partners and lead the WNBA in that category. The Fever are currently competing to return to the WNBA Playoffs after several historic draft classes have resulted in a roster full of up-and-coming stars. The team has a winning record at home and has turned things around following an early season stretch of difficult games against some of the WNBA’s top teams, including a west coast trip. The Fever return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to begin the second half of the season this evening at 7:30 p.m. against the Phoenix Mercury.
Indianapolis Colts Sign Defensive End Derek Rivers and Wide Receiver Greg Ward
The Indianapolis Colts signed free agents Defensive End Derek Rivers and Wide Receiver Greg Ward. The team also waived Safety Kendell Brooks and waived-injured Wide Receiver Ethan Fernea. If Fernea clears waivers, he will revert to the Colts Injured Reserve list. Rivers, 6-5, 250 pounds, spent time on the practice squads of Indianapolis and Houston last season. He has played in 24 career games (one start) in his time with the Colts (2023), Texans (2021-23), Los Angeles Rams (2020) and New England Patriots (2017-20). Rivers has registered 16 tackles (11 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He has also appeared in three postseason contests and has recorded one special teams tackle. Rivers was originally selected by the Patriots in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Youngstown State.
Ward, 5-11, 190 pounds, played in 40 career games (13 starts) in seven seasons (2017-23) with the Philadelphia Eagles and compiled 88 receptions for 768 yards (8.7 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. He also totaled 30 punt returns for 170 yards (5.7 avg.) and one kickoff return for three yards. Ward started two postseason contests and recorded three receptions for 24 yards (8.0 avg.). In 2023, he spent most of the season on the Eagles practice squad. Brooks, 6-0, 206 pounds, was signed by Indianapolis to a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2024. He participated in the Arizona Cardinals’ 2023 offseason program and training camp after originally signing with the team as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2023. Collegiately, Brooks played in 43 games (20 starts) at Michigan State (2021-22) and North Greenville University (2018-20). Fernea, 6-0, 195 pounds, has spent time on the team’s active roster and practice squad the last two seasons (2022-23). In 2023, he saw action in three games. As a rookie in 2022, Fernea played in one game. He was originally signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022.
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