SEATTLE, Wash. — The IU Indy volleyball team opens its 2026 campaign this weekend, traveling west to Seattle, Washington, for the Husky Invitational, hosted by the University of Washington. The Jaguars will face three first-time opponents over three consecutive days, beginning Friday night against San Diego State.
 
IU Indy will take on San Diego State at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, August 28, before facing UC Irvine at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 29. The Jaguars will close the weekend against host Washington at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 30.
 
Live stats will be available for all three matches, while Sunday's matchup against Washington will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
 
BUILDING OFF A HISTORIC 2025
The Jaguars enter 2026 following one of the most successful seasons in program history. IU Indy finished 2025 with 18 wins, reaching that mark for just the seventh time since 1998. The Jaguars also earned their first-ever Horizon League Tournament victory, defeating Milwaukee in the opening round of the conference tournament. With much of last year's production returning, IU Indy enters the new season looking to build on that momentum.
 
PURICHIA RETURNS TO RUN THE OFFENSE
Senior setter Grace Purichia returns to direct the Jaguars' offense after a dominate  junior campaign. Purichia led the Horizon League with 11.03 assists per set in 2025, a figure that ranked sixth nationally in Division I. She finished fourth in the country with 1,346 total assists and earned Horizon League Setter of the Year and First Team All-League honors. Entering her senior season, Purichia has accumulated 3,411 career assists, ranking fifth all-time in IU Indy program history.
 
SOPHOMORE DUO RETURNS
The Jaguars also bring back two key contributors from last year's squad in sophomore Jillian Tippmann and sophomore libero Laura Roeder. Tippmann led IU Indy with 416 kills as a freshman, finishing fifth in the Horizon League in total kills and ninth in hitting percentage at .272. Her performance earned her Second Team All-League and All-Freshman Team recognition. Roeder started every match at libero during her freshman campaign and led the Jaguars with 560 digs. Her 4.59 digs per set ranked fifth in the Horizon League, and she joined Tippmann on the conference's All-Freshman Team.
 
FRESHMAN CLASS FEATURES INDIANA MISS VOLLEYBALL
IU Indy welcomes three freshmen to the program in 2026, including Bailey Sinish, the Indiana Miss Volleyball and Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year. Sinish arrives in Indianapolis after a decorated career at Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, where she was a four-year volleyball starter and helped lead the Chargers to back-to-back state championships during her junior and senior seasons.
 
JAGUARS VOTED THIRD IN HORIZON LEAGUE
IU Indy was selected to finish third in the 2026 Horizon League Volleyball Preseason Poll after placing fourth in the conference standings in 2025. The Jaguars were picked behind preseason favorites Wright State and Northern Kentucky as they enter the new season looking to make another push toward the top of the league.