BLOOMINGTON — Steve Aird describes himself as a “lunatic” during practice in August.But when the calendar turns to December and the NCAA tournament begins?”It’s Cancun, baby,” the longtime Indiana volleyball coach laughed. “I’m chilling.”Aird’s approach to the season’s biggest stage was inspired by his mentor, legendary Penn State coach Russ Rose, and perfected during his 25 seasons in college volleyball, a run encompassing six Final Fours and two national championships.The eighth-year IU coach is loose and “kind of weird” this time of year, but as he sees it: “The hay’s already in the barn.””This is a really good team and as a coach, you don’t want to stress them out any more than they already are,” Aird continued. “It’s about staying loose — making sure they know you love them and are proud of them.”The longtime coach’s energy set the tone for No. 4-seed Indiana ahead of Thursday’s first-round NCAA tournament match vs. Toledo, senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum and freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager agreed. And while there were some opening-set jitters — as was expected for such a young group — the Hoosiers maintained a high-level of efficiency and largely dominated their first postseason match in 15 years, sweeping the Rockets, 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17).The victory is IU’s 24th of the season, a single-season program record, as its historic season continues.”We weren’t very smooth or composed early, but I think we’ll feel a lot better going into tomorrow with a match under our belt,” said Aird, whose Hoosiers will host No. 5 Colorado at 6 p.m. Friday. “The best part of the program is sitting beside me, having veteran kids who are flat-out great and young kids who are as good as it gets in the country.”Tatum and Jager were unsure what to expect when they emerged for warmups. They were initially greeted by a mostly empty Wilkinson Hall, largely the result of the day’s first match (Colorado vs. American) wrapping up in about 90 minutes.But when they returned for the second half of pregame preparations, the student section beside the Toledo bench was packed.And by the midway point of the opening set, Wilkinson Hall was nearly at capacity with a reported attendance of 1,815. “To have that love come out for us has been really awesome,” Tatum said. “And even on social media, everyone has been tagging us and reaching out, completely giving us full credit for the season we’re having and having a packed gym today was really helpful.”Said Jager: “The support is amazing and it definitely helps bring us all together as a team. We wouldn’t be here without them.”The early nerves IU experienced were complicated by the unique wrinkles presented by their opponent. The Rockets are a tough team to prepare for, Aird said, highlighting the height on their sets and speed at which they play — both in sharp contrast to the Hoosiers, who run one of the fastest offenses in the country.While Indiana looked increasingly comfortable as the match progressed, its efficiency never really waivered. It scored 75 points, including 24-of-25 in the third, and hit .396 as a team, with the attack led by Candela Alonso-Corcelles (12 kills) and Jager (11 kills).Aird was also particularly pleased with how his team served (10 aces) and passed.”Charlotte Vinson had a few great trips to the line,” Aird said of the 2025 Yorktown grad. “Her numbers don’t look awesome — there were a few more errors — but she’s banging it and running points.””(Libero) Hannah Leftridge had a good night from the end-line. She contributed a lot and Jaidyn had a really good serving night,” he continued. “We have a lot of different ways we can beat you when we serve and pass really well. It’s not a very fun thing for the opponent, traditionally. I was proud of our effort.”Insider: How Indiana made improbable rise to NCAA volleyball tournament hostRewind: Indiana vs Toledo NCAA volleyball tournament recap: Hoosiers set single season wins recordCandy can: Indiana volleyball’s winningest player set familial culture before historic seasonThe stakes will be raised another level Friday night with an opportunity to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history. But don’t expect the energy inside the room, at least from Aird, to be any different.”(Rose) always said the closer you get to winning, the looser you have to be,” Aird said. “Tonight was a good first step,” he later added. “What we are is what we are. We just need to relax and play. Be consistent, play with great passion and energy. Play hard and play fast. … Just play the next point, fly around and love each other.” 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 score today in NCAA tournament game vs Toledo, stats