GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Xfinity Pavilion; College Park, Md. ~ St. John Arena; Columbus, Ohio
Game Notes
Purdue at Maryland
Wednesday, Nov. 23 / 7 p.m.
Live Video / Live Audio / Live Stats
Purdue at Ohio State
Friday, Nov. 25 / 7 p.m.
Live Video / Live Audio /
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. ââ'¬" The Boilermakers are playing for positioning in the Big Ten and to continue to add to their NCAA Tournament resume ahead of Sunday's selection show as they wrap up the regular season at Maryland and Ohio State. Head coach Dave Shondell also is in line for his 300th collegiate victory.
THE BOOK ON THE BOILERMAKERS
At First Glance: Purdue (17-12, 7-11 B1G) wraps up the regular season and a four-match road trip in College Park, Maryland, and Columbus, Ohio, this week. The Boilermakers are looking to make their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 13 seasons after going 23-10, finishing fifth in the Big Ten and advancing to the NCAA Second Round 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 on the road last week, topping instate foe Indiana in five sets Wednesday to sweep the season series and falling to No. 15 Penn State on 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 0.59 blocks per set. Outside hitter Azariah Stahl follows with 2.59 kills per set, 2.31 digs per set, 0.45 blocks per set and 17 aces. Middle blocker Faye Adelaja adds 2.30 kills per set and 0.86 blocks per stanza, while hitting at a team-best .363 clip. Outside hitter Sherridan Atkinson (2.04) and middle blocker Blake Mohler (1.44) also contribute offensively.
Mohler paces the Boilermakers at the net with 0.95 blocks per set. Adelaja follows with 0.86 blocks per set, while Atkinson has put up 0.59 blocks per set. In the back court, libero Natalie Haben leads the way with 3.10 digs per set to go with 21 aces. Stahl (2.31), defensive specialist Brooke Peters (2.29), setter Ashley Evans (2.04), and defensive specialist Carissa Damler (1.92) follow with nearly two digs per set. Evans also adds 10.77 assists per set and a team-best 28 aces, while Peters has served up 25 aces. As a team, Purdue is hitting at a .248 clip and has served up 113 aces.
SERIES INFORMATION
Maryland (Purdue leads the series 5-0): The Boilermakers swept the 2014 meetings to kick off the series, winning 3-1 in College Park, and via sweep in West Lafayette. Purdue swept the 2015 contests, winning both matches in four sets and most recently won the Nov. 2 meeting in four sets.
Ohio State (OSU leads the series 44-39): The teams split the first 14 matches in the series which began on Oct. 31, 1975. The last of those contests kicked off an eight-match streak for the Boilermakers. Purdue went on to win 17 of the next 20 in the series, including the eight straight victories from 1980 to 1983. Ohio State posted 29 wins in 32 attempts from 1990 to 2005. Purdue has won 12 of the last 15, including eight of the last 10. The Boilermakers won the lone 2014 meeting in five sets Oct. 18 in West Lafayette, but the Buckeyes took the lone meeting last season, winning in five sets Oct. 16 in Columbus.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WIN MAKES...
If the Boilermakers top Maryland on Wednesday:
- They will earn head coach Dave Shondell his 300th collegiate victory (300-163).
- They will move to 18-12 overall and improve to 8-11 in the Big Ten.
- They will move to 6-0 all-time in the series with the Terrapins.
- They will improve to 206-174 all-time when playing in the month of November, including a 5-3 mark when playing on Nov. 23. The Boilermakers last played on Nov. 21 in 2013, topping Iowa 3-1.
TALKING ABOUT THE TERRAPINS
At First Glance: The Maryland Terrapins (11-19, 3-15 B1G) wrap up the season at home, facing the Boilermakers on Wednesday and Indiana on Friday. The Terrapins return nine letterwinners, including five starters, from the 2015 team which went 15-19 and finished 12th in the Big Ten. Maryland is coached by Steve Aird, who is in his third season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Terrapins went 0-2 last weekend, dropping road matches at Illinois and Northwestern via sweep.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Gia Milana paces the Maryland offense with 4.00 kills per set, while also adding 2.34 digs per set and 17 aces to the team totals. Outside hitter Liz Twilley (2.26), opposite Angel Gaskin (1.91), middle blocker Hailey Murray (1.80) and middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor (1.42) follow with nearly two kills per set. MacGregor is hitting at a team-best .285 clip, has put up a team-leading 1.42 blocks per set and served up a team-best 25 aces. Gaskin adds 1.02 blocks per set.
In the backcourt, libero Kelsey Wicinski leads the way with 4.23 digs per set to go with a team-best 25 aces. Milana (2.34), setter Taylor Smith (1.90) and defensive specialist Sam Higginbothem (1.64) follow. Smith also adds 8.89 assists per set and 22 aces. As a team, Maryland is hitting at a .178 clip and has served up 138 aces.
AN OVERVIEW OF OHIO STATE
At First Glance: The Ohio State Buckeyes (18-12, 8-10 B1G) wrap the regular season with home matches against Purdue and Indiana. The Buckeyes return nine letterwinners, including four starters, from the 2015 team which went 25-10, finished sixth in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Ohio State is coached by Geoff Carlston, who is in his ninth season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Buckeyes went 1-1 on the road last weekend, topping Northwestern in four sets and falling to Illinois in four sets.
Statistically Speaking: Middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe paces the OSU offense with 3.86 kills per set, while hitting at a .318 clip and adding a team-best 1.08 blocks per set and 30 aces. Outside hitter Audra Appold (3.22), outside hitter Luisa Schirmer (2.71), setter Taylor Hughes (1.61) and middle blocker Madison Smeather (1.41) follow with nearly two kills per set. Hughes is hitting at a team-leading .328 clip and has served up a team-leading 38 aces, while Smeather follows with a .308 hitting efficiency. Schirmer chips in 27 aces as well as 2.40 digs per set.
Defensively, libero Valeria Leon leads the way with 4.06 digs per set. Schirmer (2.40), Appold (2.35) and Hughes (1.83) follow. As a team, the Buckeyes are hitting at a .254 clip and have served up 147 aces.
THE TIES THAT BIND
Maryland setter Taylor Smith hails from Garrett, Indiana.
Ohio State middle blocker Madison Smeather hails from Bargersville, Indiana, while defensive speciliast Kalisha Goree is from Columbia City, Indiana. Purdue setter Ashley Evans is from Liberty Township, Ohio. Five OSU players also call the buckeye state home.
AMONG THE NATION
As a team, the Boilermakers rank 51st nationally in hitting percentage (.248).
Individually, outside hitter Danielle Cuttino ranks 39th in total kills (455), 46th in total points (496.5) and 47th in kills per set (4.06). Setter Ashley Evans ranks 41st in assists per set (10.83), while middle blocker Faye Adelaja ranks 46th nationally in hitting percentage (.363).
RECORDS AND MILESTONES
Redshirt senior Faye Adelaja has managed 382 total blocks as a Boilermaker, just 14 out of the Top 10 in that category.
In addition, several Boilermakers recently reached or are approaching milestones. Junior Danielle Cuttino is seven blocks away from 300. Sophomore Brooke Peters is 14 digs from 400.
Redshirt sophomore Carissa Damler tallied her 200th dig Nov. 9 vs. Michigan State. Freshman Blake Mohler recorded her 100th block Nov. 12 against Iowa. Junior Danielle Cuttino posted her 800th career kill Saturday. Freshman Natalie Haben posted her 300th dig against the Hawkeyes. Redshirt sophomore Sherridan Atkinson tallied her 200th kill at Indiana on Wednesday (216), while junior Azariah Stahl managed her 300th dig (310). Adelaja recorded her 800th kill against No. 15 Penn State on Saturday.
THE SLATE
In the Oct. 10 listings, the Boilermakers' schedule was ranked as the toughest in the country in terms of strength of schedule, one of the pillars of the RPI system. In the most recent rankings, released Nov. 21, Purdue is listed at No. 3.
Purdue was slated to play 11 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll, and three more against teams that were receiving votes outside of the Top 25. In reality, the Boilermakers have faced 11 ranked teams thus far: No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 3 Wisconsin twice, No. 4 Kansas, No. 9 Stanford, No. 10 Penn State twice, No. 13 Michigan, No. 15 Michigan State twice, No. 22 Illinois twice and No. 24 Kentucky.
IN THE RPI
The first NCAA rating percentage index report was released on Oct. 3 and the Boilermakers checked in at No. 7. In the Nov. 21 listing, Purdue checked in at No. 22 in RPI. Eleven teams Purdue has already played in 2016 were listed among the initial Top 50: No. 1 Wisconsin twice, No. 2 Minnesota, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Stanford, No. 9 Washington State, No. 12 Michigan, No. 18 Kentucky, No. 19 Michigan State twice, No. 24 Coastal Carolina, No. 30 Penn State twice, No. 35 Notre Dame, No. 39 Kansas, No. 40 Indiana twice and No. 50 Cal Poly. One more - No. 31 Ohio State - is still ahead on the slate.
RPI rankings are based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. It is comprised of a team's winning percentage (25%), its opponents' winning percentage (50%) and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents (25%). Opponent winning percentage and the winning percentage of opponents' opponents make us the strength of schedule portion of the formula.
DID YOU KNOW?
- ... that junior outside hitter Danielle Cuttino has posted double-digit kills in 28 of the team's 29 matches in 2016.
- ... that redshirt senior middle blocker Faye Adelaja has hit at a .500 or better clip in six matches this season, including .889 twice and .875 once.
- .,. that the Boilermakers have hit .250 or better as a team in 16 matches in 2016, including .300 or better 10 times and .500 or better once.
- ... that the 2016 season marks the 42nd in Purdue volleyball history.
- ... that the Boilermakers have finished in the top half of the Big Ten each of the last six years and 11 of the last 12 seasons, including 2015 (fifth).
- ... that Purdue is one of just 12 schools to make four of the last six NCAA Sweet 16s.
- ... that Purdue volleyball has ranked among the Top 20 in national attendance average every year since 2003 (12th in 2015 with 2,524).
- ... that Purdue is one of just three schools among the 334 in Division I volleyball to score a perfect 1000 on the NCAA APR for 11 straight years.