MATCH STATS
- #7 Nebraska def. (RV) Purdue, 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 26-24, 25-23)
- Nebraska improves to 19-4, 12-1 Big Ten; Purdue falls to 17-7, 7-6 Big Ten
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Attendance: 8420
- Box score
LINCOLN, Neb. – The NCAA Selection Committee’s #2 team nationally got all they could handle from Purdue on Friday night at home, squeaking out a win in four sets, 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 26-24, 25-23). The match stats tell only part of the fight the Huskers needed to win; Purdue outhit (.328-.281), outblocked (11-6) and outdug (52-49) Nebraska. In the middle of this epic battle, junior outside hitter Mikaela Foecke reached 1,000 career kills.
Nebraska, whose Big Ten-leading defense (opponents hit only .163 against the Huskers) failed them on the evening, needed four double-digit kill performers to turn back the Boilermakers. Foecke’s double-double of 20 kills and 10 digs led the way. She also hit .364 on the evening to go along with 2 blocks. Briana Holman pounded 15 kills and hit .417 for the match. Rounding out the double-digit killfest were Jazz Sweet and Annika Albrecht both registering 10 kills each. Albrecht also added a match-high-tying 13 digs to lead the Husker back line. Setter Kelly Hunter directed the offense with a match-high 55 assists.
The Boilermakers showed the crowd in Devaney Sports Center a great Big Ten match, with the usual suspects leading the way. Danielle Cuttino and Sherridan Atkinson had identical attack numbers, both garnering 20 kills with only 2 errrors on 40 swings, each hitting .450 on the night. Atkinson added a match-high-tying 4 blocks to lead the defense at the net for Purdue. Azariah Stahl filled the stat sheet with 7 kills, 6 digs and 4 blocks of her own. Setter Ashley Evans orchestrated an efficient offense against the Big Ten’s best defensive team with a double-double of 44 assists and a match-high-tying 13 digs. It was Evans’ 8th double-double of the season. With her defensive effort, she becomes the only Boilermaker in program history with 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs in her career. Libero Brooke Peters added 11 digs to the floor defense, and was one assist away from her first ever double-double.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of Nebraska Athletics
LINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 7 Nebraska volleyball team overcame a sharp offensive performance by No. 22 Purdue to defeat the Boilermakers 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 26-24, 25-23) in front of a crowd of 8,420 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday night.
Mikaela Foecke had 20 kills and 10 digs while hitting .364 to guide the Huskers past Purdue, which hit .328 against the Huskers, the highest percentage by a Husker opponent this season. The Huskers (19-4, 12-1 Big Ten) beat an opponent that hit better than .300 for the first time since 2013 at Minnesota.
Nebraska hit .281 on the night and served five aces, including three by Annika Albrecht, who finished with 10 kills and 13 digs. Kelly Hunter had a season-high 55 assists with six digs, and Briana Holman had a season-high 15 kills on .417 hitting. Lauren Stivrins added eight kills on 16 error-free swings, and Jazz Sweet had 10 kills.
Nebraska, which picked up its ninth win over a ranked opponent this season, extended its nation-leading home win streak to 24 matches. Foecke reached 1,000 kills in her Husker career early in the second set, putting her in a group of 21 Huskers all-time to eclipse 1,000 kills at Nebraska.
Danielle Cuttino and Sherridan Atkinson had identical stat lines to lead Purdue (17-7, 7-6 Big Ten). Both had 20 kills on 40 attacks with two errors for a .450 hitting percentage. The Boilermakers had an 11-6 edge in blocks, but the Huskers’ four more kills and three more service aces proved to be the difference.
Set 1: The Huskers pulled ahead 11-8 in set one after back-to-back kills by Albrecht and Foecke. NU led 15-12 at the media timeout, but Purdue came back to tie the set at 18-18. Foecke landed a roll shot and Sweet terminated for a 20-18 Husker lead. The Boilermakers pulled within one on three occasions, but the Huskers got a sideout each time to go up 23-21. NU held on for the 25-22 win with two blocks by Stivrins, one with Albrecht and one with Hunter, to end the set.
Set 2: Nebraska took its first lead of the set at 6-5 and led 8-6, but Purdue went on a 5-1 run to go ahead 11-9. The Boilermakers extended the lead to 19-14 after a pair of kills by Caitlyn Newton and one by Cuttino. The Huskers fought off two set points, but the Boilermakers evened the match after a 25-21 win.
Set 3: The Huskers got off to a 3-0 start with a kill by Holman and block by Foecke. Purdue battled back to take a 10-8 lead after an ace by Julianna Reisinger. With the set tied 12-12 on a Holman kill, Purdue reeled off the next three points with two kills and a block to go up 15-12. After a timeout, Sweet posted a kill and Holman put one to the floor to get within 15-14. Later, Albrecht and Foecke smashed consecutive kills to tie the set at 17-17, but Cuttino immediately answered for Purdue. After a kill by Stivrins on the slide, Albrecht served an ace for a 19-18 Husker advantage. The Boilermakers tied the set at 19-19 before Foecke put the Huskers back in front. Hunter Atherton came in to serve and the Boilermakers hit wide on the next rally for a 21-19 Big Red lead. After a timeout, Purdue responded with the next three points to reclaim a 22-21 lead. With the scored tied 23-23, Sweet killed a bump set from Holman for set point. Purdue won the next point, but Albrecht gained another set point for the Huskers at 25-24. The Boilermakers committed an attack error to end the set with the Huskers on top, 26-24.
Set 4: Foecke blasted four more kills, and Holman and Sweet each tallied one as the Huskers ran out to a 7-3 start. An ace by Albrecht put the Huskers up 13-7. Later, Foecke pounded a kill and Atherton served an ace to keep the Huskers ahead six, 15-9. Purdue would not go away quietly, as it cut the deficit to 16-13 with a three-point spurt. A sprawling dig by Foecke led to a Purdue attacking error and an 18-13 Husker lead. Purdue pulled within three points twice, but Stivrins and Albrecht produced kills to earn key sideouts. Atkinson again got Purdue within three, and this time a Husker hitting error and Purdue ace made it 21-20 Huskers. After a timeout by Nebraska, Hunter dumped a kill for sideout. But the Boilermakers scored the next two to tie it 22-22. Foecke was awarded a kill on the next rally after the Huskers won a challenge that her shot was touched by the Purdue block. Sweet terminated for match point, but Atkinson staved off the first one with a kill. On the next match point, Hunter set Foecke on the right side for the win, 25-23.
Courtesy of Purdue Athletics
LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 22 Purdue (17-7, 7-6 B1G) gave No. 6 Nebraska (19-4, 12-1 B1G) the fight of its life on its home floor at the Devaney Sports Center, ultimately falling to the Cornhuskers 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 24-26, 23-25). The Boilermakers out-hit (.328-.281), out-blocked (11-6) and out-dug (52-49) the NCAA Selection Committee’s No. 2 team in the nation.
Danielle Cuttino and Sherridan Atkinson showed 8,420 fans in attendance why they are legitimate All-Americans this season as they both finished the match with identical offensive lines of 20 kills, two errors and 40 swings to hit .450 against one of the Big Ten’s best defensive programs. Azariah Stahl added seven kills and a .250 hitting percentage. The trio led Purdue’s blocking efforts as well as Stahl and Atkinson each finished with four blocks while Cuttino matched Blake Mohler with three blocks on the night.
Ashley Evans registered 44 assists and 13 digs in the contest for her eighth double-double of the season. The performance defensively gives her 1,004 digs in her career, making her the only Boilermaker in program history to earn 3,000-plus assists and 1,000-plus digs in her career. Heading into the weekend, Nebraska held opponents to a Big Ten best .163 hitting percentage. Evans set the Boilermakers to a .328 hitting percentage in the match, including hitting percentages of nearly .400 in the second (.382) and fourth (.389) sets.
Brooke Peters complemented Evans’ defensive effort with 11 digs of her own and was just an assist away from her first career double-double. Jena Otec added nine digs and a service ace while fellow freshman Julianna Reisinger also added an ace. Otec’s 15 service aces against Big Ten opponents are the most by a freshman in the conference.
The match was tight throughout as the Boilermakers pulled within one of the Cornhuskers in the first set with a kill by Atkinson to present a 22-21 score. However, Nebraska managed to hold on to win the set 25-22. Purdue responded with a 4-0 run fueled by two kills at the hands of Caitlyn Newton to take an 19-14 advantage in the second set. The four-point run was all the Boilermakers needed to close out the set as it earned a 25-21 victory to tie the match heading into intermission.
The third set was as dramatic as they come between two Big Ten powerhouses as the set saw 12 tie scores and four lead changes. Purdue took the lead on a stuff block by Cuttino to threaten Nebraska with a 23-22 advantage. However, the Cornhuskers found a way edge the Boilermakers 26-24.
Purdue’s fight in the fourth set was as impressive as the Boilermakers have looked all season. Down 16-10 to a team that has won 23 straight home matches, Purdue fought its way back into contention. The Boilermakers eventually tied the set at 22 on an incredible one-on-one block by Azariah Stahl. Purdue later pulled within one with a chance to tie the set at 24 but the Cornhuskers managed to escape the set 25-23.
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