Local Sports Headlines: October 21, 2021

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Indiana Women’s Basketball Ranked 8th in Preseason Poll

Indiana women’s basketball will begin the preseason with its highest ranking in school history, coming in at No. 8 in the Associated Press top 25. The Hoosiers have now appeared in the AP preseason poll for the last four consecutive seasons, marking its highest-ever ranking overall in the national poll. It leaps its No. 9 ranking, one they earned in Week 16 last season. They elevated three spots from its final ranking of 2020-21, where they finished at No. 12 and have now been ranked for a program-record 38 consecutive weeks. Off the heels of an NCAA Elite Eight appearance last season and its sixth-straight 20-win campaign, the Hoosiers return all five starters for 2021-22. Among those returners includes a pair of All-American honorees in junior forward Mackenzie Holmes 17.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg and senior guard Grace Berger 15.4 ppg. Second team All-Big Ten selection Ali Patberg 14.0 ppg. also returns for her seventh and final collegiate season along with senior forward Aleksa Gulbe 9.0 ppg., 6.9 rpg. and senior guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary (8.5 ppg.  Eighth year head coach Teri Moren holds a 148-80 overall record in her time in Cream and Crimson. She’s taken the program to three NCAA appearances and are coming off a second-place finish in the Big Ten last season. Indiana will host University of Indianapolis in exhibition play on November 5th and will open the 2021-22 regular season on Wednesday November 10th at Butler. 

Indiana Men’s Soccer beats Evansville 2-0

Indiana Men’s Soccer beat Evansville 2-0 on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium Wednesday Night. The Hoosiers have won 5 in a row and have outscored their opponents 16-0 during the win streak. Indiana Victor Bezerra scored at the 23:30 mark and Hoosiers got the second goal when Evansville had an own goal at the 71:01 mark. Indiana goalkeeper Roman Celentano was named Big Ten Player of the Week had 4 saves and has 7 shutouts on the season along with a combined shoutout with Bryant Pratt against Trine. Indiana is 10-3-1 on the season while Evansville falls to 1-11-1. The Hoosiers host Wisconsin this Sunday at 1 PM.

Michigan Beats Indiana Volleyball 3-0

Michigan beat Indiana Volleyball 3-0 at Wilkinson Hall Wednesday Night. Michigan won 25-22, 25-9 and 25-21. Brenna Edwards had 13 Kills, Brooke Westbeld had 24 assists and Paula Cerame had 13 digs for the Hoosiers. Michigan had 3 players with double digit kills Paige Jones had 13, Jess Murzik had 11 and May Pertofsky had 10. Hannah Grant had 14 Digs and Scottee Johnson had 34 assists for the Wolverines. Indiana falls to 8-13 and 2-7 in the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers will look to snap a 4-game losing streak when they host Rutgers this Sunday at 2 PM.

Indiana Women’s Soccer Host Rutgers in Regular Season Home Finale

Indiana Women’s Soccer host Rutgers at 7 PM tonight in the regular season home finale. Indiana is 9-3-4 on the season. Rutgers is ranked 9th and with their win over Michigan State on Sunday Rutgers clinched a share of the Big Ten Conference title. Rutgers can clinch the outright title with a win or tie in the match on Thursday night. Rutgers holds a 48-13 advantage in goals over their opponents this season. They are led in goal by senior forward Frankie Tagliaferri, who has scored 11 goals on the season. The Hoosiers have only allowed eight goals in 16 matches this season. Indiana ranks sixth in the country in goals against average. The Hoosiers have a 23-8 advantage in goals over opponents this season and goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg is tied for first in the NCAA in shutouts with nine this season. Gerstenberg has tied the Hoosiers single season record for shutouts with her nine so far this season. The Women’s Soccer program is encouraging all fans to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness month for tonight’s match.