COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After a slow start to its first conference road match, the No. 16 Purdue volleyball team rebounded to earn a 3-1 (15-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-21) win against Maryland at the Xfinity Pavilion on Wednesday night. Freshmen guided the Purdue triumph as rookies Grace Cleveland, Marissa Hornung and Hayley Bush led Purdue in kills, digs and assists, respectively.
The Boilermakers improve to 14-1 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten action, while the Terrapins fall to 10-5 on the season and 1-2 in league play.
Cleveland powered the offense with a career-high 15 kills on 32 swings for a .312 hitting clip. Senior Sherridan Atkinson followed with 11 kills and also tallied a match-high three service aces. Sophomore Caitlyn Newton rounded out the Boilermakers in double-digit kills with 10 putaways, while redshirt junior Blake Mohler pitched in nine.
Bush propelled the offensive efforts with a match-high 43 assists, registering her seventh match of 40 or more assists. The redshirt freshman also chipped in eight digs and two assisted blocks.
Defensively, the Boilermakers were paced by Hornung's career-best 16 digs. The back court was strengthened with 12 digs from senior Brooke Peters, nine from sophomore Jena Otec and eight from Atkinson.
At the net, Purdue saw five blocks from Atkinson, including two solo blocks.Overall, the Boilermakers out blocked Maryland, 12-10.
It was all Maryland in the opening set as the Terrapins raced out to an 8-5 advantage on a pair of kills from Emma Schriner. The Boilermakers closed within one at 12-11 on a Cleveland kill, but a 5-1 run for Maryland pushed the lead to 17-12. The Terps utilized a .438 hitting percentage to maintain control and close the set, 25-15.
The Boilermakers responded in the second set as a kill from Cleveland boosted Purdue to a 5-1 edge. A pair of kills from Nicole Alfred tied the set at six, but consecutive kills from Newton put the Boilermakers back in the lead. Igniting for a 7-1 run, Purdue went ahead, 18-11, before a quartet of Erika Pritchard kills brought Maryland within three at 22-19. The Boilermakers kept the Terps at bay with kills from Atkinson and Mohler, winning the frame 25-21.
Much like the second set, Purdue jumped out to an early lead (8-3), this time powered by a trio of Atkinson putaways. Three Maryland attack errors and a Peter's ace grew Purdue's lead, before an 8-1 Terrapin run tied the set at 18. Four Maryland miscues put the frame back in Purdue's favor, before an Atkinson putaway gave the set to the Boilermakers, 25-23.
The two teams traded points in what would be the final frame, with neither team leading by more than two points the whole set. The Boilermakers notched 15 kills in the stanza, led by Cleveland, Mohler and Newton with four apiece. With the score knotted at 21, a pair of Cleveland putaways and a kill from Mohler down the middle helped Purdue secure the last four points for a 25-21 victory.
The Boilermakers now turn their attention to a top-25 matchup against No. 5 Wisconsin at Holloway Gymnasium on Saturday. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
The Boilermakers improve to 14-1 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten action, while the Terrapins fall to 10-5 on the season and 1-2 in league play.
Cleveland powered the offense with a career-high 15 kills on 32 swings for a .312 hitting clip. Senior Sherridan Atkinson followed with 11 kills and also tallied a match-high three service aces. Sophomore Caitlyn Newton rounded out the Boilermakers in double-digit kills with 10 putaways, while redshirt junior Blake Mohler pitched in nine.
Bush propelled the offensive efforts with a match-high 43 assists, registering her seventh match of 40 or more assists. The redshirt freshman also chipped in eight digs and two assisted blocks.
Defensively, the Boilermakers were paced by Hornung's career-best 16 digs. The back court was strengthened with 12 digs from senior Brooke Peters, nine from sophomore Jena Otec and eight from Atkinson.
At the net, Purdue saw five blocks from Atkinson, including two solo blocks.Overall, the Boilermakers out blocked Maryland, 12-10.
It was all Maryland in the opening set as the Terrapins raced out to an 8-5 advantage on a pair of kills from Emma Schriner. The Boilermakers closed within one at 12-11 on a Cleveland kill, but a 5-1 run for Maryland pushed the lead to 17-12. The Terps utilized a .438 hitting percentage to maintain control and close the set, 25-15.
The Boilermakers responded in the second set as a kill from Cleveland boosted Purdue to a 5-1 edge. A pair of kills from Nicole Alfred tied the set at six, but consecutive kills from Newton put the Boilermakers back in the lead. Igniting for a 7-1 run, Purdue went ahead, 18-11, before a quartet of Erika Pritchard kills brought Maryland within three at 22-19. The Boilermakers kept the Terps at bay with kills from Atkinson and Mohler, winning the frame 25-21.
Much like the second set, Purdue jumped out to an early lead (8-3), this time powered by a trio of Atkinson putaways. Three Maryland attack errors and a Peter's ace grew Purdue's lead, before an 8-1 Terrapin run tied the set at 18. Four Maryland miscues put the frame back in Purdue's favor, before an Atkinson putaway gave the set to the Boilermakers, 25-23.
The two teams traded points in what would be the final frame, with neither team leading by more than two points the whole set. The Boilermakers notched 15 kills in the stanza, led by Cleveland, Mohler and Newton with four apiece. With the score knotted at 21, a pair of Cleveland putaways and a kill from Mohler down the middle helped Purdue secure the last four points for a 25-21 victory.
The Boilermakers now turn their attention to a top-25 matchup against No. 5 Wisconsin at Holloway Gymnasium on Saturday. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. ET.