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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
The Slate
Big Ten Week 2
College Ave. Gym - New Brunswick, N.J. ~ XFINITY Center Pavilion - College Park, Md.
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Radio - purduesports.com; WSHY 1410 AM
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Friday, Oct. 3: 7 p.m. at Rutgers
Sunday, Oct. 5: 1 p.m. at Maryland
The Book on the Boilermakers
At First Glance: The No. 15 Boilermakers (12-2, 2-0 Big Ten) take a four-match win streak on the road as they make the program's first trips to Rutgers and Maryland for Week 2 of the Big Ten season.. 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 2-0 at home last weekend to start Big Ten play, topping Michigan in five sets for the program's 800th victory, and Michigan State in four.
Statistically Speaking: Junior Annie Drews paces the Boilermaker offense with 4.27 kills per set, while redshirt sophomore Faye Adelaja (2.44), senior KiKi Jones (2.23), junior Sam Epenesa (2.16) and freshman Azariah Stahl (1.83) follow. Jones leads the Boilers at the net with 1.23 blocks per set, while Adelaja has put up 0.78 stuffs per stanza.
Defensively, libero Amanda Neill has pulled up 3.66 digs per set, while redshirt freshman Ashley Evans (2.64), senior Val Nichol (2.28) and redshirt sophomore Kate Workman (1.78) follow. As a team, Purdue has hit at a .298 clip and served up 68 aces, including 14 by Nichol, 13 by freshman Lydia Dimke and 10 each by Drews and Evans.
Series Information
Rutgers (Purdue leads the series 2-0): The Boilermakers have won both previous contests with the Scarlet Knights with a sweep on Nov. 12, 1982, at the Penn State Invitational and a four-set win on Dec. 5, 1982, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in West Lafayette.
Maryland: This is the first meeting between the Boilermakers and Terrapins.
What a Difference a Win Makes...
If the Boilermakers top Rutgers on Friday:
- They will move to 13-2 to start the season and extend their current win streak to five matches.
- They will start the conference season 3-0 for the third time in the last four years, fourth time under Dave Shondell (2006, 2011, 2012), and ninth time in program history.
- They will move to 118-184 all-time in conference road matches, including 52-59 under Shondell.
- They will improve to 267-199-1 all-time when playing in the month of October, including a 5-4 mark when playing on Oct. 3.
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
At First Glance: The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-8, 0-2 Big Ten) will play their first Big Ten home match when they welcome the Boilers to town on Friday. The Scarlet Knights posted a 5-27 record and 10th place American Athletic Conference record in 2013. Eleven letterwinners, including six starters, return from that team. Rutgers is coached by CJ Werneke, who is in his seventh year with the team.
Last Time Out: The Scarlet Knights dropped both matches of Big Ten opening weekend, falling to Northwestern and No. 16 Illinois on the road via sweep.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Meme Fletcher leads the way for the Scarlet Knights, putting down 2.79 kills per set to go with team-leading 16 aces and 2.68 digs per set. Four other players are averaging nearly two kills per set. Outside hitter Alex Lassa (2.06) and middle blockers Eden Frazier (1.98), Lauren Cloyd (1.87) and Mikaela Matthews (1.81) round out the group. Frzier boasts a team-best .321 hitting percentage and also puts up a team-high 1.09 blocks per set. Matthews adds 1.04 blocks per set.
Defensively, libero Ali Schroeter paces the team with 4.56 digs per set. Fletcher (2.68), defensive specialist Ronnie Komisarek (2.22), setter Anna Sudbury (1.69) and setter Nicole Bayer (1.65) follow. Bayer also adds 14 aces. As a team, Rutgers is hitting at a .154 clip and has served up 70 aces.
Talking About the Terrapins
At First Glance: The Maryland Terrapins (7-6, 0-2 Big Ten) look to snap a five-match losing streak when they welcome Indiana to College Park, Md., on Friday. The Terrapins posted a 13-19 record and finished 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013. Maryland returns 13 letterwinners, including four starters, from that team. The Terps are coached by Steve Aird, who is in his first year with the team.
Last Time Out: Maryland dropped both matches of its opening Big Ten weekend, falling to No. 16 Illinois via sweep and Northwestern in five sets on the road.
Statistically Speaking: Middle blocker Adreene Elliott and outside hitter Ashleigh Crutcher headline the Maryland offense, contributing 3.93 and 3.35 kills per set respectively. Middle blocker Hailey Murray (1.68) and outside hitter Emily Fraik (1.62) follow. Fraik also chips in six aces and 2.36 digs per set to thte team's tallies, while Murray paces the team at the net with 0.84 blocks per set.
Defensively, libero Amy Dion leads the way with 3.70 digs per set, while also adding five aces. Fraik (2.36) and setter Carlotta Oggioni (2.22) also manage more than two digs per set. Oggioni has served up eight aces and dished out 8.44 assists per set. As a team, Maryland is hitting .170 and has served up 50 aces, incluidng a team-leading nine by setter Whitney Craigo.
Boilermakers Post 800th Program Win
Purdue's five-set conference opening win over Michigan marked the 800th in program history. The Boilermakers are now 801-540-1 all-time in 40 seasons. The Boilers went 463-256 in 20 seasons under Carol Dewey, 45-75 under Joey Vrazel, 44-79 under Jeff Hilsmeyer and have posted a 249-133 record in 12 seasons under Dave Shondell. The team's 700th win came on Sept. 4, 2010 vs. Pittsburgh.
Among The Nation
The Boilermakers rank among the nation's top 20 in three different statistical categories. Purdue ranks fifth in hitting percentage (.298), fifth in kills per set (14.70), and 19th in assists per set (13.34).
Individually, senior middle blocker KiKi Jones ranks ninth in hitting percentage (.441). Jones also ranks 56th in blocks per set (1.23), while senior setter Val Nichol ranks 31st in assists per set (10.94). Junior outside hitter Annie Drews ranks 29th in kills per set (4.27) and 36th in points per set (4.76).
Poll Position
The Boilermakers remained at No. 15 spot 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 53 consecutive polls dating to Nov. 29, 2010. This week's ranking is Purdue's 150th all-time since the AVCA polls began in 1982, including preseason and postseason listings.