Complete Release in PDF Format
The Slate
Big Ten Week 6
Belin Court at Holloway Gymnasium - West Lafayette, Ind.
Wednesday, Oct. 29: 7:30 p.m. vs. Wisconsin
TV: Big Ten Network
PxP - Mike Wolf; Color - Liz Tortorello-Nelson
Radio - purduesports.com
Live Stats - purduesports.com
Saturday, Nov. 1: 8:30 p.m. vs. Minnesota
TV: Big Ten Network
PxP - Mike Wolf; Color - Audrey Flaugh
Radio - purduesports.com
Live Stats - purduesports.com
Promotions
Wednesday, Oct. 29 - Dig For A Cure night & Social Media Night - Wear pink to support the breast cancer awareness cause. There also will be a silent auction and free will donations will be accepted for the Purdue Center for Cancer Research.
It is also social media night with contests, in-game activities and more. Use the hashtag #PurdueUWVB. Click the pdf above to get all of the pertinent social media information for use in the match.
Tracking The Boilermakers
Be a part of Purdue volleyball online via the social networking services Facebook and Twitter. Like Purdue Volleyball on Facebook and follow us on instagram at PurdueVB. Follow the team on twitter at twitter.com/PurdueVB or Boilermaker coach Dave Shondell's tweets at twitter.com/daveshondell.
Click the pdf at the top of the story for all of the pertinent social media information to get involved in the BTN broadcast and the match on Wednesday night vs. Wisconsin.
The Book on the Boilermakers
At First Glance: The No. 13 Boilermakers (18-4, 8-2 Big Ten) return home for a pair of matches as No. 4 Wisconsin and Minnesota come to Belin Court for BTN televised matches. 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 sit in second place in the Big Ten standings, one game behind Wisconsin, after splitting road matches last weekend. Purdue topped Northwestern in five sets on Friday, but fell to No. 10 Illinois in four sets on Saturday.
Statistically Speaking: Junior Annie Drews paces the Boilermaker offense with 4.06 kills per set, while junior Sam Epenesa (2.44), redshirt sophomore Faye Adelaja (2.06), senior KiKi Jones (1.99) and freshman Azariah Stahl (1.77) follow. Jones leads the Boilers at the net with 1.11 blocks per set, while freshman Danielle Cuttino, Adelaja and senior setter Val Nichol have put up 0.98, 0.79 and 0.77 stuffs per stanza.
Defensively, libero Amanda Neill has pulled up 3.69 digs per set, while redshirt freshman Ashley Evans (2.46), Nichol (2.31) and redshirt sophomore Kate Workman (1.88) follow. As a team, Purdue has hit at a .275 clip and served up 97 aces, including 22 by Nichol, 19 by freshman Lydia Dimke, 16 by Evans, 13 by Neill, 11 by Drews and 10 by Workman
Series Information
Wisconsin (Wisconsin leads the series 39-31): The teams split the first six contests of the series which began on Oct. 11, 1975. Purdue surged ahead in the series with 10 straight wins from 1981 to 1986. The Badgers won 11 of the next 19 and went ahead in the series with 17 straight wins from 1996 to 2004. The Boilermakers stopped the streak, taking two of the next three matches. The Badgers swept the 2006 and 2007 meetings, but Purdue swept the 2008 and 2009 contests. Wisconsin took the first meeting in 2010, but the Boilermakers won the next three, including the lone meetings in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, the teams split the regular season meetings, each winning at home, but Wisconsin won the Elite Eight match in Champaign, Ill., Dec. 14.
Minnesota (Minnesota leads the series 47-28): Purdue dominated the early part of the series with the Golden Gophers, which began on Oct. 11, 1975, posting 18 wins in the first 20 meetings. Minnesota won 19 of the next 25, though Purdue swept the 1990 series. The Boilermakers took the 1998 series in a pair of five set matches, but the Gophers won 22 of the next 24. Purdue took a 3-1 win in the lone 2011 meeting, snapping an 11-match UM win streak and marking the first Purdue win since 2005. The Gophers have won the last four contests, two in 2012 and two in 2013.
What a Difference a Win Makes...
If the Boilermakers top No. 4 Wisconsin on Wednesday:
- They will move to 19-4 to start the season, the program's best since starting the 2011 season 20-3.
- They will start the conference season 9-2, the team's best since 1985 (10-1).
- They will have beaten their third ranked foe of the season (also No. 14 San Diego & No. 22 Ohio State).
- They will have beaten at Top 10 team for the first time since defeating No. 4 Missouri on Dec. 7, 2013, in the NCAA Second Round. It would mark Purdue's 12th Top 10 win under Coach Shondell and the ninth Top 10 win since defeating then No. 4 Penn State on Oct. 8, 2010.
- They will move to 11-11 against the Badgers under Coach Shondell, including a 7-4 mark at home.
- They will improve to 273-201-1 all-time when playing in the month of October, including a 14-7-1 mark when playing on Oct. 29.
Words About Wisconsin
At First Glance: The No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers (18-2, 9-1 Big Ten) sit atop the Big Ten standings and bring a nine-match win streak into Wednesday's meeting with the Boilermakers. The Badgers return 12 letterwinners, including six starters from the 2013 which posted a 28-10 mark, fourth place finish in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA championship match. Wisconsin is coached by Kelly Sheffield, who is in his second year with the team. Former Purdue player Brittany Dildine is an assistant coach for the team.
Last Time Out: The Badgers extended their current win streak to nine matches with home victories over Iowa and No. 14 Nebraska, winning both via sweep.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Ellen Chapman leads a group of five Badger players averaging more than two kills per set. Chapman puts down 3.05 kills per set, followed by outside hitters Courtney Thomas (2.78) and Kelli Bates (2.70) and middle blockers Dominque Thompson (2.29) and Haleigh Nelson (2.29). Nelson is hitting a a team-best .397 clip, while Thompson follows with a .356 clip and Thomas is hitting .344. Nelson also leads the Badgers at the net with 1.20 blocks per set, while Thompson adds 1.09 stuffs. Thomas adds 2.30 digs per set and Chapman chips in 14 aces.
Defensively, libero Taylor Morey pulls up 5.52 digs per set, while also serving up 14 aces. Setter Lauren Carlini follows with 3.04 digs per set, while Thomas (2.30) and Bates (2.00) also add two or more digs per set. Carlini dishes out 11.40 assists per set and has served up a team-best 25 aces. As a team, Wisconsin is hitting at a .283 clip and has served up 84 aces.
Getting to Know the Golden Gophers
At First Glance: The Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten) face off with Indiana on Wednesday in Bloomington before playing the Boilermakers on Saturday. The Gophers return eight letterwinners, including four starters from the 2013 team, which posted a 29-7 overall record, third place Big Ten finish and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Minnesota is coached by Hugh McCutcheon, who is in his third year with the team.
Last Time Out: The Golden Gophers split weekend home contests with No. 14 Nebraska and Iowa, falling to the Huskers in five sets and sweeping the Hawkeyes.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Daly Santana paces Minnesota with 3.90 kills per set, while also serving up a team-best 29 aces and adding 2.56 digs per set. Outside hitters Sarah Wilhite (3.21) and Adrianna Nora (2.12) and middle blockers Paige Tapp (2.05) and Hannah Tapp (1.81) round out the offense. Paige Tapp leads the Gophers at the net with 1.40 blocks per set, while Hannah Tapp adds 1.26 stuffs per set.
Defensively, libero Dalianliz Rosado (2.56) and Santana headline a group of five Gophers averaging more than two digs per set. Outside hitter Alyssa Goehner (2.52), Wilhite (2.37) and setter Katie Schau (2.37) round out the group. As a team, Minnesota is hitting at a .232 clip and has served 97 aces.
Among The Nation
The Boilermakers rank among the nation's top 25 in three different statistical categories. Purdue ranks 15th in hitting percentage (.275), 10th in kills per set (14.39), and 22nd in assists per set (13.16). The Boilers also rank 37th in blocks per set (2.54) and 49th in opponent hitting percentage at .167.
Individually, junior outside hitter Annie Drews ranks 44th in kills per set (4.06) and 59th in points per set (4.50). Senior middle blocker KiKi Jones ranks 58th in hitting percentage (.365) and senior setter Val Nichol ranks 59th in assists per set (10.69).
Poll Position
The Boilermakers held on to the No. 13 spot in this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll after moving into the position a week ago. 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 57 consecutive polls dating to Nov. 29, 2010. This week's ranking is Purdue's 154th all-time since the AVCA polls began in 1982, including preseason and postseason listings.
Records & Milestones
Senior middle blocker KiKi Jones is making her way up the Purdue career top 10 in block assists and total blocks. Jones entered the 2014 season ranked sixth in block assists (364) and ninth in total blocks (409). The Fishers, Ind., native has moved into second in block assists (439) and is in fifth on the total blocks list (491).
Junior Sam Epenesa (478) registered kill 400 against Maryland, while redshirt sophomore Faye Adelaja (283) tallied kill 200 against the Bulldogs and Jones recorded her 800th kill against Northwestern (817). Junior Annie Drews (761) recorded her 700th career kill against No. 7 Penn State. Senior Val Nichol (843) registered her 800th career kill against Morehead State. Freshman Azariah Stahl (122) recorded her 100th kill at Indiana, while redshirt freshman Ashley Evans (111) reached the milestone vs. Northwestern.
On the defensive front, junior Amanda Neill (714) recorded her 700th career dig against No. 10 Illinois. Nichol (257) recorded her 200th career block vs. KSU, while she posted her 500th career dig (554) against Indiana on Oct. 8. Jones (206) recorded her 200th dig vs. Northwestern. Epenesa (103) recorded her 100th block vs. Northwestern.
Several Boilermakers are approaching career milestones. Adelaja is 17 kills away from her 300th and 13 blocks away from 200. Epenesa is 22 kills away from 500 and just 14 digs away from 200. Redshirt sophomore Kate Workman is 28 digs away from 200.