IOWA CITY, Iowa – Fueled by four Boilermakers with double-digit kill performances, the No. 17 Purdue volleyball team fought its way to a five-set (25-18, 20-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-10) victory over Iowa on Saturday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
With the win, the Boilermakers improve to 15-4 on the season and 4-4 in the Big Ten conference, while the Hawkeyes drop to 12-7 and 4-4 in league play.
Freshman Grace Cleveland was impressive in the contest, posting a career-best and match-high 19 kills, while notching a match-best five assisted blocks. Redshirt senior Sherridan Atkinson also played big for the Boilermakers, hitting .359 with 17 kills on 39 swings. Sophomore Caitlyn Newton followed with 14 kills and redshirt junior Blake Mohler added 12.
Redshirt freshman Hayley Bush was just two digs away from a double-double as she guided the Boilermakers with a match-high 60 assists.
The back row was led by Brooke Peters with a match-high 26 digs. Freshman Marissa Hornung and sophomore Jena Otec strengthened the defensive effort with 15 and 12 digs, respectively.
Purdue and Iowa opened the match by trading points until a kill from Cleveland, an attack error by Iowa and a Peters' ace gave the Boilermakers a three-point lead. Utilizing a .441 hitting clip, Purdue maintained control and claimed the set, 25-18, on an Atkinson kill.
The Boilermakers extended their momentum into the second frame as they jumped out to 2-1 lead off kills from Cleveland and redshirt junior Shavona Cuttino. However, a Purdue attacking error sparked a 5-0 run for the Hawkeyes, giving Iowa a 7-3 lead. The Boilermakers fought to regain the lead, registering 15 kills to Iowa's 12, but four more Purdue miscues ultimately pushed the frame in favor of Iowa, 25-20.
After tying the match at one, Iowa limited Purdue to a .059 hitting clip in the third frame for a 25-19-set victory and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The fourth set looked much like the opening frame as the teams traded through the first 22 points. With the score knotted at 11, a kill from Mohler and a pair of Iowa errors gave Purdue the needed momentum to break the back-and-forth. Leading 14-11, Purdue utilized six kills from Atkinson and five from both Cleveland and Newton to secure the set, 25-22, and tie the match at two apiece.
Opening the final frame with a 5-1 lead, Purdue secured the final set, 15-10, and the victory ,3-2, with the help of five kills on nine swings from Atkinson
The Boilermakers will look to continue their momentum next weekend at home as they host Maryland on Friday, October 19 and Ohio State on Sunday, October, 21.
With the win, the Boilermakers improve to 15-4 on the season and 4-4 in the Big Ten conference, while the Hawkeyes drop to 12-7 and 4-4 in league play.
Freshman Grace Cleveland was impressive in the contest, posting a career-best and match-high 19 kills, while notching a match-best five assisted blocks. Redshirt senior Sherridan Atkinson also played big for the Boilermakers, hitting .359 with 17 kills on 39 swings. Sophomore Caitlyn Newton followed with 14 kills and redshirt junior Blake Mohler added 12.
Redshirt freshman Hayley Bush was just two digs away from a double-double as she guided the Boilermakers with a match-high 60 assists.
The back row was led by Brooke Peters with a match-high 26 digs. Freshman Marissa Hornung and sophomore Jena Otec strengthened the defensive effort with 15 and 12 digs, respectively.
Purdue and Iowa opened the match by trading points until a kill from Cleveland, an attack error by Iowa and a Peters' ace gave the Boilermakers a three-point lead. Utilizing a .441 hitting clip, Purdue maintained control and claimed the set, 25-18, on an Atkinson kill.
The Boilermakers extended their momentum into the second frame as they jumped out to 2-1 lead off kills from Cleveland and redshirt junior Shavona Cuttino. However, a Purdue attacking error sparked a 5-0 run for the Hawkeyes, giving Iowa a 7-3 lead. The Boilermakers fought to regain the lead, registering 15 kills to Iowa's 12, but four more Purdue miscues ultimately pushed the frame in favor of Iowa, 25-20.
After tying the match at one, Iowa limited Purdue to a .059 hitting clip in the third frame for a 25-19-set victory and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The fourth set looked much like the opening frame as the teams traded through the first 22 points. With the score knotted at 11, a kill from Mohler and a pair of Iowa errors gave Purdue the needed momentum to break the back-and-forth. Leading 14-11, Purdue utilized six kills from Atkinson and five from both Cleveland and Newton to secure the set, 25-22, and tie the match at two apiece.
Opening the final frame with a 5-1 lead, Purdue secured the final set, 15-10, and the victory ,3-2, with the help of five kills on nine swings from Atkinson
The Boilermakers will look to continue their momentum next weekend at home as they host Maryland on Friday, October 19 and Ohio State on Sunday, October, 21.