Competitive Tatum Taps into Teammate Power
10/1/2025 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
By Pete DiPrimio
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Avry Tatum concedes nothing. You know that, right? Block her shot attempt and this Indiana senior opposite hitter comes right back to deliver the goods with an outstanding efficiency pace.
"I feel competitive about everything I do," she says.
Consider this moment in the Hoosiers' three-set victory over Washington on Saturday (Sept. 27) night at Wilkinson Hall. The 6-foot-2 Tatum's shot is blocked, the ball deflecting back to the Hoosiers. Tatum stays focused, circles back then forward as the ball is saved and set, then crushes a sideline winner, one of her seven kills for the match.
It's all part of a more mature Tatum, a more team-focused Tatum, a Tatum steeled by two-plus seasons of Big Ten battles to understand that, in so many ways, selfless tops selfish.
"I pour myself a lot into my teammates now," she says. "It helps me not focus as much on myself. When I'm pouring myself into my teammates and helping them, it helps me because then I don't over-think."
She pauses. Smiles.
"I'm an extreme overthinker."
Overthinking won't help you thrive in the ultra-competitive Big Ten, won't help you lead a young team rich in potential. With an 11-1 record, 2-0 in the conference, despite a roster of seven freshmen and four sophomores, IU's potential is obvious.
"I'm looking to help the freshmen as much as possible," Tatum says. "When I was I their shoes, I was like, 'Holy cow, what is going on?' It was a completely different environment (from high school).
"What helps me is helping them. When I help them, I don't overthink."
This is exactly what head coach Steve Aird wants to hear. He says it shows Tatum's "maturity."
"Her approach from the end of last season through the summer to where she is now has been methodical," Aird says. "She's in great shape. She's trained hard. She's grown physically and mentally. She's very low error. She's not going to be outside of herself. She's very in control of her game."
The result -- Tatum leads all Big Ten pin hitters in hitting percentage at .402 as a difference-making scoring force.
"She's become an exceptional point scorer who doesn't chase it if it's not there," Aird says. "She doesn't swing at wild pitches. She'll take a few balls and strikes to get a great pitch. She's become really cerebral. You couple that with elite arm talent and grit. She's a tough kid who competes like crazy."
Then there's the improved leadership that's earned Tatum co-captain status.
"Early in her career, Avry was trying to figure herself out," Aird says. "Her approach was more selfish than it is now. She's done a very good job with the young kids. She's grown into a leadership role.
"The off-the-court growth has been just as important as the on-the-court growth. She's turning into that complete teammate."
And when it comes to on-the-court necessity, when it's crunch time and everything comes down to a decisive moment, "She wants the ball," Aird says. "She wants the match on her arm, which is what you want your best players to do."
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For Tatum, the key is managing the moments, the successes and the struggles.
"Volleyball is very up and down," she says. "Be consistent in your attacking. If you're not given a good ball, if it's not a good set or out of the system, be consistent and get it in the court. Manage it as much as possible."
Tatum manages it better than she ever has. Her 142 kills tie her with heralded freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager for second on the team behind senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles' 150. Her streak of 15-straight matches with at least nine kills ended against Washington.
Is there a competitive battle to see who finishes with the most?
Not for Tatum.
"I get competitive with myself, never with the girls," she says. "We try not to look at the scoreboard. When we look at our stats, it can make us overthink. I tend to look at my stats and go, 'OK, last game I had nine kills, so this time I'll try get more and more.'"
Instead, the focus is quality over quantity, efficiency over volume, with this key advantage -- Aird estimates the ball that Tatum hits reaches 50 to 60 mph, but success isn't just velocity.
"Kids are eight-to-10-feet away from her when she's hitting it," he says. It's on you in a hurry."
Still, Aird refers back to her improved maturity.
"She's really grown up," Aird says. "She's at the point -- off the court, in the classroom – where she's becoming a pro in all those places. She's taking all of that seriously. The better she's become as a teammate, the better she's become as a player. There's a correlation."
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Tatum, a high school and club machine from California, came to IU after a freshman season at Cincinnati in which she totaled 215 kills over 24 matches. A big draw were Hoosier assistant coaches Rachel Morris and Kevin Hodge, who had coached her in high school and club volleyball.
"I knew the Indiana coaching staff," she says. "That was a huge thing I really needed. Rachel and Kevin had coached me. I knew what I was getting with the coaching staff. They told me nothing but good things about Steve. It was like, 'OK, I'm going to take this leap and play with them a couple more years. It's really paid off because they're awesome."
Aird saw Tatum as a key piece in building a Big Ten power.
"We knew she had fantastic arm talent. She had an elite, world-class arm. There were big portions of her game she had to develop."
Tatum did, with 229 kills and 73 blocks as a sophomore; 348 kills, 50 blocks as a junior.
"When she got here," Aird says, "Year One was good; Year Two was better; Year Three, she's becoming really complete."
Completeness comes with a sports background that started with soccer. As Tatum outgrew that sport, her mother, Ashley, a former high school volleyball player, suggested volleyball.
"I tried it and fell in love with it," Tatum says. "I like the reset of it after each point. It's not like you keep on going, keep on going. A point happens; you reset. I think that's super helpful, especially with people who over-think."
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This weekend's trip to No. 17 USC (10-2) and No. 24 UCLA (8-4) is special for Tatum as well as other California Hoosiers Jager, graduate student outside hitter Jessica Smith and sophomore setter Sade Ilawole.
"I can't wait," Tatum says. "I'm so excited to see my family and to have my teammates see their families. It will be a really good reset for us going into October and the grind of the Big Ten."
Tatum said she grew up about two hours from Los Angeles and attended a lot of USC games. She said she and her California teammates bond over little things that "California people would know."
"It's really cool that a lot of California people are coming and playing here in Indiana. Who would have thought?"
Sweeping Washington after beating Northwestern gave the Hoosiers their first 2-0 Big Ten start since 2003. For perspective, in that year, "Friends" rocked TV ratings, the movie "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" debuted, and OutKast's "Hey Ya!" hit the music airwaves.
"A lot of these kids have played in big matches," Aird says. "They come from very competitive programs. They're used to winning. They expect to win. That mentality has shown through."
IU's only loss came at Western Kentucky in three competitive sets.
"The loss stings a little bit," Tatum says, "but I think we needed it. Being undefeated and young creates a lot of tension and anxiety. We needed it to grow from. Being undefeated is hard to sustain. A lot of eyes are on you. It hurts a lot but it was a learning lesson."
Success comes despite youth that includes freshman libero Audrey Jackson, freshman setter Teodora Kričković, Jager, freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray, freshman defensive specialist Avery Freeman, and sophomore middle blocker Ella Boersema.
"We are so young at so many key positions," Aird says. "I was interested to see how fast they could gel and how well they could play early because the preseason schedule had a lot of good teams on it. Everyone has played hard.
"I feel fortunate the record is good, but we have a long way to go."
The Big Ten grind continues after the west coast swing, with trips to Michigan and Michigan State, a game against No. 13 Purdue at Indianapolis's Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and matches against No. 1 Nebraska, No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 10 Minnesota and No. 16 Penn State (the defending national champion) looming.
"I still don't know how good we are," Aird says. "We have so many young kids. You can hit the wall, and it can go south in a hurry. We try to monitor them and keep teaching but still give them rest."
Rested or not, these Hoosiers seem to be building something special
"It will be fun to play ranked teams," Tatum says. "This group is super competitive. It will let us see what we can do."
