TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Shamrock Invitational
Sept. 2-3 / Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center / South Bend, Ind.
Game Notes / Tournament Central
Purdue vs. Howard
Friday, Sept. 2 , 2016 / 4:30 p.m.
/ Live Audio
Purdue vs. Coastal Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 3 / 10 a.m.
/ Live Audio
Purdue vs. Notre Dame
Saturday, Sept. 3 / 10 a.m. / 7 p.m.
/ Live Audio / Live Video
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The No. 24 Boilermakers head up the road to South Bend for a trio of matches this weekend at the Shamrock Invitational. Purdue will face Howard, Coastal Carolina and Notre Dame at the event, which brings junior outside hitter Azariah Stahl just 20 miles from home (Elkhart, Ind.).
THE BOOK ON THE BOILERMAKERS
At First Glance: No. 24 Purdue (2-1) is coming off its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 12 seasons after going 23-10 and finishing fifth in the Big Ten in 2015. The Boilermaker roster features seven returning players, two redshirts, a transfer and three newcomers. Head coach Dave Shondell is in his 14th season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Boilermakers went 2-1 at their home-opening Mortar Board Premier last weekend. Purdue topped Wyoming in three sets and Washington State in four sets on Friday, before falling to No. 24 Kentucky in five sets on Saturday.
Statistically Speaking: On opening weekend, outside hitter Azariah Stahl paced the Boilermaker offense with 4.50 kills per set, while hitting at a .294 clip and adding 2.08 digs per set. Outside hitter/middle blocker Danielle Cuttino chipped in 3.50 kills per set, while middle blocker Blake Mohler (1.67), outside hitter Sherridan Atkinson (1.58) and setter Ashley Evans (1.50) followed. Defensively, freshman libero Natalie Haben led the way with 3.67 digs per set, followed by Evans (2.33) and Stahl (2.08). At the net, redshirt freshman middle blocker Shavona Cuttino put up 1.00 blocks per set, followed by Mohler's 0.92 stuffs per stanza. Haben served up three of Purdue's 10 aces, leading a group of five players with perfect serves on the weekend. As a team, Purdue hit at a .244 clip.
Honorable mention All-American middle blockers Faye Adelaja (2.38) and Danielle Cuttino (2.04) and outside hitter Azariah Stahl (1.80) return after contributing nearly two kills per set in 2015. Adelaja hit at a team-best .397 clip and added 0.89 blocks per set, while Cuttino put up a team-leading 1.21 stuffs per stanza. The team must fill the gap left by All-American outside hitter Annie Drews, who tallied 4.25 kills and 1.72 digs per set and 17 aces. Defensively, the Boilermakers must replace libero Amanda Neill, who pulled up 4.02 digs per set and served up 29 aces. Setter Ashley Evans is back after posting 2.39 digs and 11.06 assists per set and 22 aces as is defensive specialist Brooke Peters, who chipped in 1.17 digs per set and served up a team-leading 30 aces. As a team, Purdue hit at a .262 clip and served up 145 aces.
SERIES INFORMATION
Howard: This is the first meeting between the Boilermakers and the Bison.
Coastal Carolina (Purdue leads the series 2-0): The Boilermakers have taken both previous meetings with the Chanticleers in the series which began on Sept. 10, 2005, at the GlaxoSmithKline Classic in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The most recent contest was an Aug. 29, 2009, match at Purdue's Mortar Board Premier.
Notre Dame (Purdue leads the series 14-7): The Boilermakers won each of the first nine matches with the Fighting Irish in the series which began Sept. 8, 1983 in West Lafayette. Notre Dame won six of the next seven from 1989 to 1996. Purdue has taken four of the last five since 2002, including three straight from 2013 to 2015. The Boilermakers took a 3-1 decision on Sept. 19, 2015, in Mackey Arena. Purdue is 4-5 all-time against the Irish when playing in South Bend.
What a Difference a Win Makes...
If the Boilermakers top Howard on Friday:
- They will move to 3-1 on the season.
- They will move to 1-0 in the series with Bison.
- They will improve to 295-151 all-time when playing in the month of September, including a 9-4 mark when playing on Sept. 2. The Boilermakers last played on Sept. 2 in 2011, sweeping Air Force to open the Denver Invitational.
HEARING ABOUT HOWARD
At First Glance: The Howard Bison (3-0) return 12 letterwinners, including six starters, from the 2015 team which finished 18-14, won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and advanced to the NCAA Tournament first round. The Bison are coached by Shaun Kupferberg, who is in his fifth season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Bison went 3-0 at the District of Columbia Volleyball Challenge last weekend, sweeping George Mason, topping Georgetown 3-1 and edging American in five sets.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Kahlia Donaldson, the MEAC's Preseason Player of the Year, led the team on opening weekend with 3.25 kills and 2.75 digs per set to with five aces. Outside hitter Jessica Young (2.25), middle blocker Olubunmi Okunade (2.17) and outside hitter Courtney Dalton (2.08) followed with more than two kills per set. Okunade also added a team-best 1.42 blocks per set, while Dalton chipped in 1.08 stuffs per stanza. Defensively, preseason All-MEAC libero Morgan Marlbrough led the way with 4.50 digs per set. Donaldson (2.75) and setter Tamia Dockery (2.42) followed. The Bison hit at a .210 clip and served up 22 aces, including eight by middle blocker Whitney Fields.
In 2015, Donaldson led the Bison offensively with 3.49 kills per set to go with 2.78 digs per set and 34 aces. Dalton added 2.30 kills per set. Outside hitter Dominique Cleggett hit at a team-best .296 clip and put up a team-best 0.95 blocks per set. In the backcourt, Marlbrough paced the team with 4.25 digs per set, followed by Donaldson (2.78) and Dockery (2.03). Setter Briana Jackson served up a team-best 42 aces. As a team, Howard hit at a .185 clip and served up 160 aces.
CHATTING ABOUT THE CHANTICLEERS
At First Glance: The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (3-0), which were picked to finish first in the Sun Belt East Division, return 10 letterwinners, including five starters, from the 2015 team which went 25-5, won the Big South title and tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Chanticleers are coached by Jozsef Forman, who is in his fifth season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Chanticleers opened the season with a 3-0 mark at the Florida International Invitational last weekend in Miami, sweeping Florida A&M, Florida International and host Miami.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Leah Hardeman, a Preseason All-Sun Belt selection, paced the Chanticleers on opening weekend with 3.33 kills per set, while also adding 2.44 digs per stanza. Outside hitter Natasa Svavic (2.89), outside hitter Tahleia Bishop (2.44) and middle blocker Annayka Legros (2.33) also added more than two kills per set. Legros hit at a .395 clip, while adding a team-best 1.56 blocks per set. Savovic served up four aces and added 2.44 digs per set. Middle blocker Dora Lulic hit a team-best .632 clip, while contributing 1.33 kills per set, six blocks and three aces.
In 2015, Hardeman posted 4.02 kills per set, followed by Legros (2.35) and Savovic (2.30). Savovic served up a team-best 34 aces, while Hardeman added 24. Defensive specialist Carla Cahill posted 25 aces, while leading the team with 3.87 digs per set. Hardeman (2.74) and Savovic (2.52) also aided the defense with more than two digs per set. As a team, Coastal Carolina hit at a .287 clip and served up 151 aces.
FACTS ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH
At First Glance: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish return 11 letterwinners, including six starters, from the 2015 team which posted a 7-25 record and finished 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Fighting Irish are coached by Jim McLaughlin, who is in his second season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Irish went 3-0 at their own Golden Dome Invitational last weekend, sweeping Seton Hall, Cleveland State and Western Michigan, for their best start in five years.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Maddie Plumlee (3.33) led a group of five players who managed more than 2.50 kills per set on opening weekend. Middle blocker Meg Morningstar (3.00), middle blocker Sam Fry (2.78), outside hitter Rebecca Nunge (2.78) and outside hitter Jemma Yeadon (2.67) rounded out the group. Morningstar hit at a .441 clip, while also adding one block per set, while Fry led the team at the net with 1.22 blocks per set and added a team-best six aces. Yeadon also contributed 3.50 digs per set to the team's tallies. Defensively, libero Ryann DeJarld paced the team with 4.33 digs per set, followed by setter Caroline Holt (3.56), defensive specialist Natalie Johnson (2.89) and outside hitter Sydney Kuhn (2.56). As a team, Notre Dame hit at a .233 clip and served up 18 aces.
In 2015, Fry paced the team with 2.92 kills and 1.04 blocks per set. Kuhn (2.22), Plumlee (1.99) and outside hitter Haley Bonneval (1.88) also managed nearly two kills per set. Defensively, DeJarld pulled up a team-best 4.04 digs per set, followed by Kuhn (2.40) and Johnson (2.15). Kuhn and DeJarld each served up 29 aces. The Irish hit at a .168 clip and managed 159 aces.
POLL POSITION
Purdue dropped four spots to No. 24 in this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll after entering the season ranked 20th in the Preseason Top 25 poll. The Boilermakers entered the top 25 at No. 24 in the August 31, 2015, poll and were ranked throughout the rest of the season, peaking at No. 14 and ending the year at No. 17.
Purdue has been ranked 176 times since the AVCA polls began in 1982, including preseason and postseason listings.
THE TIES THAT BIND
Junior outside hitter Azariah Stahl will be just over 20 miles from home when the Boilermakers play in South Bend this weekend. Stahl hails from Elkhart, Indiana, located just 21 miles east of Notre Dame.
TRIPLE THREAT
Redshirt junior setter Ashley Evans became the most recent addition to the Triple Threat club, posting her first career triple double against No.24 Kentucky on Aug. 27. Evans dished out 43 assists, while also tallying 10 kills of her own and 10 digs, marking the first triple double for a Boilermaker since Val Nichol recorded her fourth on Nov. 19, 2014. Evans is the 15th individual to record a triple double in program history and just the fourth setter to do so, joining Nichol (4), Jaclyn Hart and Renata Dargan.