WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -There are rivalry games and then there is total domination. Head coach Dave Shondell has a 25-3 record against Indiana. The Boilermakers have won eight straight matches against IU and have taken 14 of 15 Monon Spike matches under Shondell, including the Sept. 24 contest.
Shondell's .892 winning percentage is the second-best among Purdue coaches all-time against the Hoosiers, trailing only women's basketball coach Lin Dunn (1.000, 18-0 from 1988 to 1996). Shondell's win total ranks fourth all-time among Purdue coaches. Ward Lambert leads with 42 victories (29 with men's basketball and 13 with baseball), followed by Carol Dewey (35 with volleyball) and Doug Schreiber (30 with baseball).
The Boilermakers wrap the regular season with a four-match road swing beginning in Bloomington on Wednesday. Purdue (16-11) is set to face Indiana on Wednesday and No. 15 Penn State on Saturday to kick off the stretch.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
University Gym; Bloomington, Ind.. ~ Rec Hall; University Park, Pa.
Game Notes
Purdue at Indiana
Wednesday, Nov. 16 / 7 p.m.
Live Stats / Live Audio / Live Video
Purdue at Penn State
Saturday, Nov. 19 / 7 p.m.
/ Live Audio / Live Video
THE BOOK ON THE BOILERMAKERS
At First Glance: Purdue (16-11, 6-10 B1G) begins a regular-season ending four-match road trip in Bloomington on Wednesday. The Boilermakers are coming off their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 12 seasons after going 23-10 and finishing fifth in the Big Ten in 2015. The Purdue 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 1-1 last week, falling to No. 15 Michigan State in three sets Wednesday in East Lansing, and topping Iowa at home Saturday.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Danielle Cuttino paces the Purdue offense with 4.06 kills per set, while hitting at a .265 clip and adding 0.62 blocks per set. Outside hitter Azariah Stahl follows with 2.63 kills per set, 2.30 digs per set, 0.46 blocks per set and 16 aces. Middle blocker Faye Adelaja adds 2.39 kills per set and 0.87 blocks per stanza, while hitting at a team-best .379 clip. Outside hitter Sherridan Atkinson (1.92) and middle blocker Blake Mohler (1.44) also contribute offensively.
Mohler paces the Boilermakers at the net with 0.99 blocks per set. Adelaja follows with 0.87 blocks per set, while Atkinson has put up 0.62 blocks per set. In the back court, libero Natalie Haben leads the way with 3.16 digs per set to go with 21 aces. Defensive specialist Brooke Peters (2.33), Stahl (2.30), setter Ashley Evans (2.09), and defensive specialist Carissa Damler (1.95) follow with nearly two digs per set. Evans also adds 10.83 assists per set and a team-best 26 aces, while Peters has served up 25 aces. As a team, Purdue is hitting at a .244 clip and has served up 108 aces.
SERIES INFORMATION
Indiana (Purdue leads the series 63-34): The Boilermakers won the first two meetings in the series with the Hoosiers, which began on Oct. 4, 1975, but Indiana took eight of the next nine. Purdue launched a 24-match win streak on Sept. 20, 1978, which lasted through the end of the 1985 season. The teams split the next 14 matches. The Hoosiers took 16 of the next 21 contests from 1992 to 2002. The Boilermakers swept the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons. An IU win in Bloomington snapped the streak, but Purdue has won 15 of the last 17, including season sweeps in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The Boilermakers have won eight straight, including a pair of 3-0 victories in 2015 and a sweep Sept. 24 in West Lafayette.
Penn State (PSU leads the series 53-6): The Boilermakers won five of the first six contests with the Nittany Lions in the series which began on Nov. 7, 1981. Penn State won 42 straight, including 36 in 3-0 sweeps, dating from 1988 until Purdue took a five-set decision on Oct 8, 2010 in West Lafayette. The win marked the first Purdue win over PSU since Dec. 4, 1987. PSU has won the last 10 contests, includinga 3-0 decision Oct. 14 in West Lafayette.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WIN MAKES...
If the Boilermakers top Indiana on Wednesday:
- They will move to 17-11 overall and improve to 7-10 in the Big Ten.
- They will win their ninth straight match in the series with the Hoosiers and sweep the season series for the fourth straight season.
- They will have won back to back conference matches for the first time since topping No. 22 Illinois and No. 13 Michigan Oct. 22 and Oct. 28.
- They will improve to 205-173 all-time when playing in the month of November, including a 12-7 mark when playing on Nov. 16. The Boilermakers last played on Nov. 16 in 2013, falling to No. 25 Illinois in Champaign.
HEARING ABOUT THE HOOSIERS
At First Glance: The Indiana Hoosiers (16-13, 5-11 B1G) bring a three-match win streak into Saturday's match. The Hoosiers return eight letterwinners, including four starters, from the 2015 team which went 16-16 and finished 10th in the Big Ten. Indiana is coached by Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan, who is in her 11th season with the team.
Last Time Out: Indiana went 0-2 last week, falling to No. 17 Michigan in three sets on the road and to No. 1 Nebraska Saturday in Bloomington.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Allison Hammond headlines the Hoosiers offense, averaging 3.41 kills per set, while adding 27 aces. Outside hitter Kendall Beerman (2.77), middle blocker Jazzmine McDonald (2.03) and right side hitter Elizabeth Asdell (1.79) and middle blocker Deyshia Lofton (1.72) follow with nearly two kills per set. McDonald is hitting at a team-best .381 clip and has put up 0.84 blocks per set, while Lofton has put up a team-leading 0.97 stuffs per set.
Defensively, libero Taylor Lebo paces the team with 3.55 digs per set to go with a team-leading 34 aces. Setter Victoria Brisack (1.39), Hammond (1.36), defensive specialist Samantha Fogg (1.31) follow. As a team, Indiana is hitting at a .240 clip and has served up 155 aces.
NEWS ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONS
At First Glance: The No. 15 Penn State Nittany Lions (19-8, 11-5 B1G) continue a three-match road trip against No. 1 Nebraska in Lincoln on Wednesday, before playing their final three matches at home. The Nittany Lions return 14 letterwinners, including six starters, from the 2015 team which went 28-6 and finished fourth in the Big Ten. Penn State is coached by Russ Rose, who is in his 38th season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Nittany Lions went 1-1 last week, topping Maryland in four sets Friday and falling to Ohio State in five sets Saturday.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Simone Lee paces the Penn State offense with 4.23 kills per set, while hitting at a .272 clip and adding 1.55 digs per set and 15 aces. Middle blocker Haleigh Washington (2.46), outside hitter Ali Frantti (2.19) and middle blocker Heidi Thelen (1.80) follow. Washington is hitting at a team-best .450 clip and has managed a team-leading 1.20 blocks per set and 22 aces. Middle blocker Tori Gorrell adds 1.02 blocks per set to go with 1.66 kills per set and a .350 hitting percentage.
Defensively, libero Kendall White leads the way with 4.01 digs per set, followed by setter Abby Detering (1.81), Frantti (1.79) and defensive specialist Keeton Holcomb (1.71). Detering also adds 9.82 assists per set and a team-best 26 aces. As a team, Penn State is hitting at a .291 clip and has served up 118 aces.
THE GOVERNOR'S CUP
The two yearly matches between the Purdue and Indiana volleyball teams are part of a larger all-sports rivalry between the two schools. The Governor's Cup, sponsored by the Indiana National Guard, awards points to the winning team in each of the schools' 20 shared sports. If the two teams do not meet during the regular season, the higher finisher at the Big Ten Championships is the point winner. In the case of ties, both teams get one-half point. In sports like baseball where the teams play a three-game series, the winner of the series receives the point.
The all-sports competition, which began in 2001-02 was previously known as the Titan Series and the Crimson and Gold Cup. It was renamed in the fall of 2013. In 14 years of competition, Indiana has captured the title seven times and Purdue six times. Two years have ended in a tie. Purdue won the 2013-14 Governor's Cup by a 12-8 margin for its first title since 2006-07 and made it back-to-back-to-back titles with a 10-9 verdict in 2014-15 and 12.5-7.5 in 2015-16.
AMONG THE NATION
Individually, middle blocker Faye Adelaja ranks 29th nationally in hitting percentage (.379), while setter Ashley Evans ranks 37th in assists per set (10.83). Outside hitter Danielle Cuttino ranks 40th in total kills (422), 44th in kills per set (4.06) and 50th in total points (463).
RECORDS/MILESTONES
Redshirt senior Faye Adelaja has managed 376 total blocks as a Boilermaker, just 20 out of the Top 10 in that category.
In addition, several Boilermakers recently reached or are approaching milestones. Junior Danielle Cuttino is eight blocks away from 300. Adelaja is 10 kills away from 800. Redshirt sophomore Sherridan Atkinson is two kills from 200, while junior Azariah Stahl is three digs away from her 300th.
Redshirt sophomore Carissa Damler tallied her 200th dig Wednesday vs. Michigan State. Freshman Blake Mohler recorded her 100th block Saturday against Iowa (101). Junior Danielle Cuttino posted her 800th career kill Saturday. Freshman Natalie Haben posted her 300th dig Saturday.