MATCH STATS
- (RV) Purdue def. #14 Wisconsin, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20)
- Purdue improves to 20-7, 10-6 Big Ten; Wisconsin falls to 17-8, 8-8 Big Ten
- West Lafayette, Indiana
- Attendance: 2415
- Box score
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In their fifth sellout of the season, (RV) Purdue knocked off their second ranked opponent in as many nights with a sweep of Wisconsin, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20). It was the Boilermakers’ third ranked victory, with the previous two coming against Creighton and Minnesota. Also, it was the first match all season where Wisconsin lost via the sweep.
The fans in Holloway Gymnasium were once again treated to high-level volleyball on both sides. Purdue had three players in double-digit kills, led by Sherridan Atkinson for the second-straight match. Atkinson finished with 14 kills, hitting .480, blocked a match-high 5 blocks and added 5 digs on defense. Seniors Azariah Stahl and Danielle Cuttino both tallied 13 kills each, with Stahl hitting .478 and Cuttino hitting .300 and adding 4 blocks to the net defense. Senior setter Ashley Evans ran the efficient offense (.318) with 44 assists and had Purdue’s only double-double by digging 10 balls Saturday night.
Wisconsin could not figure out the Boilermaker block. Coach Kelly Sheffield stated, “Atkinson, that’s a big block over there. She got five blocks herself. It wasn’t a block we wanted to go after a whole lot in-system. We went after it a little bit but they made some nice digs. Out-of-system there’s just not much room to hit around.”
One night after earning her 1,000th career kill, Lauryn Gillis had 5 kills and hit negative (-.071). The Badgers were led offensively by Dana Rettke, who finished with team-highs of 11 kills, 3 blocks and 2 aces. Saturday night’s match was the 18th time Rettke finished in double-digits in kills. Madison Duello hammered 7 kills without an error to hit .636 on Saturday night. Setter Sydney Hilley distributed 31 assists. Kelli Bates led Wisconsin defensively with 10 digs.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of Purdue Athletics
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 21 Purdue (20-7, 10-6 B1G) swept Wisconsin (17-8, 8-8 B1G) 25-19, 25-21, 25-20 to defeat its second top-10 opponent in as many days for the first time in program history. The Boilermakers hit .318 while holding the Badgers to a .194 hitting percentage with three student-athletes registering 10-plus kills in their fifth sellout of the season. The Badgers had not been suffered a three-set loss this season heading into tonight’s contest.
“I think we did a really good job of staying focused on what we needed to do,” said head coach Dave Shondell. “You can just see the evolution of our defense. From tough serving, to blockers getting to where they need to be, and to the backcourt players being disciplined making plays, playing harder, expanding their range. Then the ability to transition out of that because we have a really good setter and the hitters getting more confidence in a variety of shots.”
Ashley Evans registered 44 assists and 10 digs, setting Purdue’s Big Three to double-digit kills. Sherridan Atkinson registered 14 kills with a .480 hitting percentage, five blocks and five digs to lead the Boilermakers while Azariah Stahl and Danielle Cuttino each earning 13 kills on the night with Stahl hitting .478 with six digs while Cuttino hit .300 with four blocks. Caitlyn Newton and Blake Mohler combined for seven kills.
The Boilermakers’ defense was the difference maker as Brooke Peters, Carissa Damler and Jena Otec combined for 20 digs to hold off the Badgers. Peters finished with six digs while Damler and Otec each earned seven with Otec adding a pair of service aces to her line. Fellow freshman Julianna Reisinger aced Wisconsin as well.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The 10th-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team was unable to overcome Purdue’s offensive punch, falling to the Boilermakers in three sets, 25-19, 25-21, 25-20, at Holloway Gymnasium on Saturday night.
Wisconsin (17-8 overall, 8-8 Big Ten) hit .194 (34 kills – 14 errors – 103 attempts) led by Dana Rettke. The freshman collected a team-high 11 kills. Purdue (20-7, 10-6) hit .318 (49-15-107) for the match and had three players with double-digit kills.
Senior Kelli Bates earned a team-high 10 digs for the match as Purdue out dug the Badgers, 48-37.
The Badgers were out blocked at the net 6-4. Rettke led the Badgers with three stuffs.
Rettke also earned two aces as the Badgers out served the Boilermakers, 4-3.
Notables
- Wisconsin got swept for the first time this season.
- Purdue is the second team to hit over .300 against the Badgers.
- Rettke earned 10-plus kills for 18th time this year.
Quotable
“I thought our serving and passing got better as the match went on. We didn’t handle their short serves very well coming out of the gates. I thought we did a lot better job of that in the third. That was the biggest difference, their bigs just going over our blockers. I think we could’ve played better than we did tonight, but that was the biggest factor.
“Atkinson, that’s a big block over there. She got five blocks herself. It wasn’t a block we wanted to go after a whole lot in system. We went after it a little bit but they made some nice digs. Out of system there’s just not much room to hit around.”
-Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
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