TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 15 Boilermaker volleyball team started a season 11-0 for the first time since 2011 with a 3-2 triumph against South Alabama on Saturday. Purdue won the match 24-26, 25-13, 23-25, 25-14, 15-7 as redshirt freshman Hayley Bush paced the Boilermakers with a 37-assist, 14-dig double-double.
Offensively, senior Sherridan Atkinson led the way with 17 kills, while also chipping in four digs and three blocks. Freshman Grace Cleveland followed with a career-best 14 and redshirt junior Blake Mohler added eight.
Defensively, Purdue was guided by senior Brooke Peters with a career-best 38 digs while the Boilermakers banded together for 16 blocks, including 11 in the last two sets.
Overall, Purdue outhit South Alabama .265-.098 and outdug the Jaguars 64-57 to claim the 2018 Crimson and White tilte. Mohler was named the tournament's MVP while Atkinson and Cleveland were selected to the all-tournament team.
Capitalizing on at trio of Boilermaker miscues, the Jaguars took a 12-10 lead in the opening frame, forcing a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers battled back with a 4-1 run, including kills from redshirt junior Shavona Cuttino and sophomore Caitlyn Newtown, to go ahead 21-20. A pair of Atkinson putaways put Purdue on top, 24-23, but back-to-back kills from South Alabama's Kelley Hartman and Hannah Harris and a Jaguar ace closed out the set in favor of South Alabama, 26-24.
Set two saw Purdue turn the page and fire right back to even the match. Sophomore Julianna Reisinger put up consecutive aces in the early going of the frame, en route to a 6-4 Purdue advantage. Five-consecutive Jaguars errors kept the Boilermakers in the lead. Standing at 12-5, sophomore Jena Otec kept the Purdue run alive with back-to-back aces. The Boilermakers tallied 11 of the last 19 points as kills from Atkinson and Cleveland capped the set at 25-15.
Relentless, South Alabama reclaimed the lead with a slim fourth-set victory of 25-23. Despite the Boilermakers opening the frame with an 8-4 lead and owning a .259 hitting clip to South Alabama's .229 mark, the Jaguars kept Purdue at bay and won the set on a Boilermaker service error.
Fueled by three kills and a block from Atkinson, Purdue bounced back with a 10-0 run midway through set four. A pair of Jaguar attack errors and a ball-handling error pushed Purdue to an 18-8 advantage. The Boilermakers later earned set point at 24-13 on a block by Newton, and clinched the set 25-14 on a Jaguar service error to even the match at two sets apiece. Overall, the Boilermakers tallied six of their 16 blocks in the fourth frame.
By the fifth set, Purdue had found the right pieces and was firing on all cylinders. Down 3-1, the Boilermakers rattled off six of the next seven points, aided by a pair of service aces and three blocks, to take a 7-4 lead. Purdue cushioned its advantage with a block from freshman Jael Johnson and a Jaguar attack error. Leading 10-6, the Boilermakers closed the set with a 5-0 scoring run, clinching the set 15-7 and the match at 3-2 on a service ace by freshman Marissa Hornung.
The Boilermakers (11-0) return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they take on Illinois at Holloways Gymnasium to kick off conference play.
Offensively, senior Sherridan Atkinson led the way with 17 kills, while also chipping in four digs and three blocks. Freshman Grace Cleveland followed with a career-best 14 and redshirt junior Blake Mohler added eight.
Defensively, Purdue was guided by senior Brooke Peters with a career-best 38 digs while the Boilermakers banded together for 16 blocks, including 11 in the last two sets.
Overall, Purdue outhit South Alabama .265-.098 and outdug the Jaguars 64-57 to claim the 2018 Crimson and White tilte. Mohler was named the tournament's MVP while Atkinson and Cleveland were selected to the all-tournament team.
Capitalizing on at trio of Boilermaker miscues, the Jaguars took a 12-10 lead in the opening frame, forcing a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers battled back with a 4-1 run, including kills from redshirt junior Shavona Cuttino and sophomore Caitlyn Newtown, to go ahead 21-20. A pair of Atkinson putaways put Purdue on top, 24-23, but back-to-back kills from South Alabama's Kelley Hartman and Hannah Harris and a Jaguar ace closed out the set in favor of South Alabama, 26-24.
Set two saw Purdue turn the page and fire right back to even the match. Sophomore Julianna Reisinger put up consecutive aces in the early going of the frame, en route to a 6-4 Purdue advantage. Five-consecutive Jaguars errors kept the Boilermakers in the lead. Standing at 12-5, sophomore Jena Otec kept the Purdue run alive with back-to-back aces. The Boilermakers tallied 11 of the last 19 points as kills from Atkinson and Cleveland capped the set at 25-15.
Relentless, South Alabama reclaimed the lead with a slim fourth-set victory of 25-23. Despite the Boilermakers opening the frame with an 8-4 lead and owning a .259 hitting clip to South Alabama's .229 mark, the Jaguars kept Purdue at bay and won the set on a Boilermaker service error.
Fueled by three kills and a block from Atkinson, Purdue bounced back with a 10-0 run midway through set four. A pair of Jaguar attack errors and a ball-handling error pushed Purdue to an 18-8 advantage. The Boilermakers later earned set point at 24-13 on a block by Newton, and clinched the set 25-14 on a Jaguar service error to even the match at two sets apiece. Overall, the Boilermakers tallied six of their 16 blocks in the fourth frame.
By the fifth set, Purdue had found the right pieces and was firing on all cylinders. Down 3-1, the Boilermakers rattled off six of the next seven points, aided by a pair of service aces and three blocks, to take a 7-4 lead. Purdue cushioned its advantage with a block from freshman Jael Johnson and a Jaguar attack error. Leading 10-6, the Boilermakers closed the set with a 5-0 scoring run, clinching the set 15-7 and the match at 3-2 on a service ace by freshman Marissa Hornung.
The Boilermakers (11-0) return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they take on Illinois at Holloways Gymnasium to kick off conference play.