Match Notes 5: Michigan, Michigan State

Sept. 24, 2014

Complete Release in PDF Format

The Slate
Big Ten Week 1
Holloway Gymnasium; West Lafayette, Ind.
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Friday, Sept. 26
7 p.m. vs. Michigan

Saturday, Sept 27
7 p.m. vs. Michigan State

The Book on the Boilermakers
At First Glance: The No. 15 Boilermakers (10-2) begin Big Ten play this weekend at home against Michigan and Michigan State. Purdue returns eight players, including four starters, from its 2013 Elite Eight team, which posted a 23-12 record and finished sixth in the Big Ten, and adds one redshirt freshman and seven true freshmen. Head coach Dave Shondell is in his 12th season with the team.

Last Time Out: The Boilermakers went 2-1 en route to the tournament title at the Active Ankle Challenge. Purdue fell to Saint Louis in five sets to open the event, but rebounded with sweeps of Morehead State and Notre Dame.

Statistically Speaking: Junior Annie Drews paces the Boilermaker offense with 4.15 kills per set, while redshirt sophomore Faye Adelaja (2.52), senior KiKi Jones (2.21), junior Sam Epenesa (2.21) and freshman Azariah Stahl (1.94) follow. Jones leads the Boilers at the net with 1.34 blocks per set, while Adelaja has put up 0.81 stuffs per stanza.

Defensively, libero Amanda Neill has pulled up 3.80 digs per set, while redshirt freshman Ashley Evans (2.68), senior Val Nichol (2.17) and redshirt sophomore Kate Workman (1.71) follow. As a team, Purdue has hit at a .307 clip and served up 61 aces, including 12 by Nichol, 11 by freshman Lydia Dimke and 10 each by Drews and Evans.

Series Information
Michigan (Purdue leads the series 45-24): Purdue won the first four meetings in the series which began on Oct. 31, 1975. Michigan took its first win on Oct. 24, 1981, but the Boilermakers responded with 19 straight victories from Nov. 7, 1981 to Nov. 2, 1990. The Wolverines countered with nine wins in the next 14 meetings from 1991 to 1997. Purdue won five straight from 1998-2000, but Michigan won eight of the next nine. In 2005, the Boilermakers kicked off a string of three straight wins. Purdue swept the 2007 contests, but Michigan took both in 2009 and 2010. The Boilermakers have won five straight, sweeping the 2011 and 2012 meetings and taking the Oct. 26, 2013, match in Ann Arbor in four sets.

Michigan State (Purdue leads the series 47-27): Michigan State won the first four contests in the series which began on Oct. 18, 1975. Purdue rebounded by taking 29 of the next 30 matches, including 24 straight from 1981 to 1993. The Spartans snapped the streak with a five-set win on Nov. 13, 1993, and continued on to win 18 of the next 19, including an 11-match streak from that five-setter until Nov. 12, 1998. The Boilermakers swept MSU on Oct. 10, 2003 to start Purdue's current streak of 16 wins in the last 19 contests. Purdue has taken the last seven matches, with season sweeps in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and a five-set win in the 2013 regular season finale.

What a Difference a Win Makes...
If the Boilermakers top Michigan on Friday:

- They will move to 11-2 to start the season and extend their current win streak to three matches.

- They will record the program's 800th victory, moving Purdue's all-time record to 800-540-1.

- They will have won their conference opener for the eighth time in 12 tries under head coach Dave Shondell, and for the sixth time in the last seven seasons (save 2013).

- They will extend their current win streak over Michigan to six matches (dating to Sept. 24, 2011).

- They will move to 176-129 all-time in conference home matches.

- They will improve to 285-149 all-time when playing in the month of September, including a 9-5 mark when playing on Sept. 26.

A Word About the Wolverines
At First Glance: The Michigan Wolverines (5-5) have lost four of their last six matches, including two against ranked foes, coming into the conference season. The Wolverines posted an 18-14 record, finished eight in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA first round in 2013. Ten letterwinners, including four starters, return from that team. Michigan is coached by Mark Rosen, who is in his 16th year with the team.

Last Time Out: The Wolverines went 2-1 at their own Michigan Invitational last weekend, sweeping Youngstown State and Eastern Michigan, but falling to Kansas State in four sets.

Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Ally Davis and middle blocker Abby Cole lead the Wolverine offense with 3.38 and 3.21 kills per set respectively. Outside hitters Caroline Knop (2.42) and Katherine Mahlke (1.95) and middle blocker Krystalyn Goode (1.58) also contribute. Cole is hitting at a team-best .398 clip and also puts up a team-leading 1.11 blocks per set. Knop also chips in 2.29 digs per set and has served up nine aces.

Defensively, libero Tiffany Morales paces the team with 4.32 digs per set. Setter Carly Warner (2.42), defensive specialist Lindsey Lerg (2.37) and Knop (2.29) also add more than two digs per set. Morales has served up a team-best 11 aces, while Lerg has recorded seven. As a team, Michigan is hitting at a .218 clip and has served up 41 aces.

Scouting The Spartans
At First Glance: The Michigan State Spartans (7-4) take a two-match win streak into their Big Ten opener at Indiana on Friday. The Spartans posted a 23-12 record, finished seventh in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2013. MSU returns 11letterwinners, including four starters, from that team. Michigan State is coached by Cathy George, who is in her 10th year with the team.

Last Time Out: MSU went 2-1 at its own Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational last weekend, sweeping Western Kentucky and UW-Milwaukee, but falling to LIU Brooklyn in a five setter.

Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Chloe Reinig leads a trio of players averaging more than two kills per set. Reinig has put down 3.15 kills per set, while middle blocker Allyssah Fitterer (2.92) and outside hitter Holly Toliver (2.75) follow. Middle blocker Jazmine White adds 1.68 kills per set, while putting up a team-leading 1.20 blocks per set. Middle blocker Alyssa Garvelink posts 1.67 kills and 0.89 blocks per set, while Fitterer adds 0.85 stuffs per set.

Defensively, libero Kori Moster leads the team with 4.50 digs per set, while also serving up a team-best 12 aces. Setter Rachel Minarick (2.59) and defensive specialist Kristen Muir (2.06) follow. Muir has served up 11 aces, while Minarick has dished out a team-leading 9.35 assists per set. As a team, Michigan State is hitting at a .237 clip and has served up 60 aces.

Poll Position
The Boilermakers dropped four spots to No. 15 in this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll. The Boilers were No. 8 in the preseason rankings, marking the highest in program history, ahead of the No. 9 listing to start the 2012 season. The No. 7 ranking on Sept. 1 matched the highest in program lore, duplicating the team's poll position on Nov. 14, 1983, and on Aug. 27, 2012.

Purdue was ranked in the Top 25 throughout the 2013 season, peaking with the No. 8 ranking in the final poll, and has been ranked in 52 consecutive polls dating to Nov. 29, 2010. This week's ranking is Purdue's 149th all-time since the AVCA polls began in 1982, including preseason and postseason listings.

Among The Nation
The Boilermakers rank among the nation's top 20 in three different statistical categories. Purdue ranks fifth in hitting percentage (.307), sixth in kills per set (14.71), and 16th in assists per set (13.34).

Individually, senior middle blocker KiKi Jones ranks 10th in hitting percentage (.464), while redshirt sophomore middle blocker Faye Adelaja ranks 27th in the category (.411). Jones also ranks 35th in blocks per set (1.34), while senior setter Val Nichol ranks 30th in assists per set (11.00). Junior outside hitter Annie Drews ranks 35th in kills per set (4.15) and 40th in points per set (4.68).