WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 16 Boilermakers battled with No. 8 Illinois, before falling 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 23-25, 24-26) in Friday's Big Ten opener in front of a sold out crowd at Holloway Gymnasium. Purdue moves to 11-1 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten Conference, while the Illini improve to 12-0 and 1-0 in the league.
Senior Sherridan Atkinson led the way with a match-high 21 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, six blocks and nine digs, while redshirt junior Blake Mohler added 11 kills and a match-best blocks on the night.
Redshirt freshman Hayley Bush directed the Purdue offense with 40 assists and also turned in nine digs, three kills and two blocks.
Senior Brooke Peters led the Boilermaker defense with a match-high 21 digs. Overall, the Boilermakers led the Illini in digs, 67-60, while out blocking them, 12-7.
It was a fight from the start for both teams with 10 ties and five lead changes through the first 30 points. With the score knotted at 15, a kill by Jacqueline Quade sparked a 6-1 run for a 21-16 Illinois advantage. The teams traded points, before the Illini grabbed four of the last five points to claim the set, 25-19.
The Boilermakers bounced back in the second set as back-to-back Atkinson putaways pushed the home squad up, 4-0. Purdue extended its lead with a 5-1 run, but the Illini fought back to tie the set at 18. Purdue used three consecutive kills from Shavona Cuttino, Atkinson and Caitlyn Newton to take back its advantage, 21-18. An ace from Morgan O'Brien helped Illinois come within one at 24-23. Atkinson then responded with her 10th kill of the match, giving Purdue a 25-23 set win to tie the match.
It was all Purdue to start the third frame as four Illinois errors and two more kills from Atkinson put the Boilermakers ahead, 7-2. After Jena Otec delivered Purdue's second ace of the match to make it 9-3, Illinois used a pair of small runs to even the score at 11. The two teams then traded points, tying the match at 21 and 22 before a trio of kills from Beth Prince sealed the set for the Illini, 25-23.
It was a back-and-fourth start to the final set as the teams tied at six before a quartet of Illinois miscues and three-consecutive kills from Atkinson and Newton put the Boilermakers up 13-7. Three more Atkinson stuffs kept Purdue ahead, 17-13, but a 6-1 Illinois run then tied the frame at 20. Back-to-back kills from Grace Cleveland pushed the Boilermakers back in the lead, 23-21, but four Illinois kills stalled the rally as the Illini went on the win the fourth set, 26-24 and take the match, 3-1.
The Boilermakers continue play this weekend on Saturday as they face off against Northwestern at 7 p.m. at Holloway Gymnasium.