Purdue To Face 14 Opponents From 2016 NCAA Tournament In 2017

The Purdue volleyball schedule is set and will feature another season packed with the toughest competition in the nation, including a number of notable matchups slated for Belin Court. The Boilermakers will face 11 programs that made the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Boilermakers will host two home non-conference tournaments with the first set to begin on August 25, marking the start of the 2017 season. Purdue will take on Alabama, Cleveland State and Oral Roberts in the Purdue Mortar Board Tournament. Of the three, Cleveland State is the lone team that made the NCAA Tournament last year as the Vikings dropped three-straight sets in the first round to Arizona.

Prior to hosting Loyola and Miami (Ohio) in the Stacey Clark Classic on September 15 and 17 to finish non-conference play, Purdue will head to Lawrence, Kansas, for two highly anticipated matchups on the Jayhawks’ home court. OnSeptember 8, Purdue will take on Creighton and Kansas before its meeting with Belmont on September 9. Creighton and Kansas both made noise in the tournament last season as the Bluejays advanced to the Elite Eight and the Jayhawks made it to the second round. The Boilermakers’ match with Kansas will be a rematch of last season’s bout on Belin Court as No. 14 Purdue defeated No. 4 Kansas in four sets.

Northwestern comes to Holloway Gymnasium on September 20to kick off a Big Ten slate that features 10 matches against teams that made NCAA Tournament in 2016. Ohio State comes to town just three days later, prior to back-to-back matches against Indiana in a battle for the Governor’s Cup. The Boilermakers host the Hoosiers September 27 before heading to Bloomington, Indiana on September 30.

The road test against Indiana is the beginning of four-straight matches on the road, capped off by Minnesota. After Purdue’s meeting with the Gophers, the competition doesn’t get any easier as Nebraska comes to West Lafayette for a showdown in Mackey Arena on October 14. Penn State and Rutgers follow back-to-back on October 20 and 21 to conclude the three-game homestand before hitting the road to take on Ohio State, Maryland, Nebraska and Iowa.

Minnesota and Wisconsin present the first two-of-four home tests in November as the Boilermakers will square off with them on November 10 and 11 before finishing the season at home against Michigan State and Michigan on November 24 and 25.

The Boilermakers will look to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 11^th time in the last 13 years. The NCAA Tournament begins on December 1 and runs through December 16.

Volleyball news courtesy of Purdue Athletics.