Purdue To Begin Big Ten Play With Northwestern At Home

Press Release courtesy of Purdue Athletics.

The Big Ten volleyball season beginsWednesday, Sept. 20 in Holloway Gymnasium as No. 13 Purdue (10-1) takes on Northwestern (10-2) at 7 p.m. ET. The Boilermakers own a three-game winning streak in which they swept each of their opponents and are undefeated on Belin Court this season with five three-set victories.

“The ten-week war begins now,” said head coach Dave Shondell. “We open with three Big Ten matches in eight days on our home boards. We need our most vocal fans on that wall in Holloway Gym.”

Following Wednesday’s matchup with the Wildcats, Purdue will host Ohio State (7-4) on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 8:30 p.m. and will finish its five-game homestand with Indiana (11-1) on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.

Purdue is coming off its eighth three-set victory of the 2017 season as it swept Miami (Ohio) and Loyola (Chicago) to win the second annual Stacey Clark Classic. The eight three-set victories this season are as many as the Boilermakers had the entire 2016 season. The last time Purdue swept eight opponents in non-conference play was in 2014 when it earned nine three-set victories and went on to finish the season 22-10. The offense still ranks among the best in the nation as the Boilermakers own the second best hitting percentage in Division-I volleyball. A lot of the credit to Purdue’s .353 hitting percentage belongs to Ashley Evans as the Liberty Township, Ohio, native has registered 421 assists and is averaging 11.38 assists per set. Her assists per set average ranks her 19th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten.

Evans’ setting has led to each of Purdue’s starting pin hitters and middle blockers boasting hitting percentages north of .300. Danielle Cuttino leads the Boilermakers with 141 kills, 3.92 kills per set and a .388 hitting percentage while Sherridan Atkinson isn’t far off, torching opposing defenses from the right side for 124 kills, 3.44 kills per set and a .328 hitting percentage. A big weekend from Azariah Stahl elevated her hitting percentage to .316 as the six-rotation outside hitter now has 91 kills and is averaging 2.46 kills per set thanks to 20 kills and a .514 hitting percentage in six sets over the weekend. Blake Mohler leads the attack out of the middle with 77 kills and a .374 hitting percentage while Shavona Cuttino is hitting .391 with 22 kills to her credit.

Purdue’s offense has been the toughest to manage in the Big Ten as its 1.24 blocks and 9.81 digs per set against are best in the conference. Opponents are hitting just .176 against the Boilermakers thanks to a defensive effort led by first-year libero Brooke Peters. The junior our of Avon, Indiana, is coming off an impressive weekend in which she registered 26 digs and seven aces in six sets of play. Her service aces per set average (1.17) was the best recorded among Big Ten student-athletes this past weekend. With a streak of nine-consecutive contests with 10 digs or more, she now has 10-plus digs in nine of Purdue’s 11 matches this season. Peters has also been aced just twice in her last eight matches in which she was served 105 times. Peters’ 129 digs and 3.49 digs per set lead the Boilermakers while defensive specialists Carissa Damlerand Jena Otec have earned 53 and 51 digs respectively, averaging 1.47 and 1.42 digs per set, to assist Peters and Stahl defensively.

Notes

• Purdue improves two spots in this week’s AVCA Coaches Poll to No. 13. The Boilermakers were ranked 25th in the preseason poll and have improved its position each week the poll has been released.
• Purdue’s No. 13 ranking is its best ranking since Sept. 19, 2016 when it was ranked 10th in the nation by the AVCA.
• Purdue’s total home attendance of 9,564 fans this season ranks 10th in the nation.
• The Boilermakers are hitting .353 this season, ranking them second behind Penn State (.360) and ahead of third-ranked Wisconsin (.347). Illinois (.301) is the only other Big Ten team ranked in the top 10 as the Illini are currently ninth.
• Purdue’s 14.49 kills per set rank 14th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten.
• Ashley Evans currently ranks 19th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten averaging 11.38 assists per set.
• Danielle Cuttino’s .696 hitting percentage (17 kills, 1 errors, 23 attempts) against Cleveland State is good for 12th in the nation for hitting percentage in a single match with a minimum of 20 attempts.
• Azariah Stahl’s .722 hitting percentage (13 kills, 0 errors, 18 attempts) against Loyola (Chicago) is good for 24th in the nation for hitting percentage in a single match with 15-19 attempts.
• Purdue’s .402 hitting percentage in its 3-1 victory over No. 9 Creighton is the nation’s fourth best hitting percentage recorded in a four-set match.
• Purdue’s .322 hitting percentage in its 3-2 victory over Wyoming is the nation’s seventh best hitting percentage recorded in a five-set match.
• Purdue owns two of the best hitting percentages in a three-set match recorded by a Division-I program this season. Its .523 hitting percentage in its win against Jacksonville is good for fifth while its .482 hitting percentage in its win against Oral Roberts currently ranks 12th.