WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - In front of its eighth sold-out crowd at Holloway Gymnasium this year, the No. 12 Purdue volleyball team earned the season sweep of Iowa in a 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 15-11) win on Senior Night.
The Boilermakers (22-7, 11-7 Big Ten) earned their 22nd victory with redshirt senior Sherridan Atkinson and redshirt junior Blake Mohler pacing the way. Atkinson tallied a match-high 19 kills on a .340 hitting percentage, while Mohler dished out 17 kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Mohler also guided Purdue with four assisted blocks.
Freshman Grace Cleveland added to the offensive effort with 14 kills while sophomore Caitlyn Newton pitched in nine.
Redshirt freshman Hayley Bush directed Purdue's offense with 54 assists while freshman Marissa Hornung guided the Boilermaker defense with a career-best 26 digs. Sophomore Jena Otec delivered her career-best performance with 19 digs of her own.
Purdue was first on the board with a kill from senior Erin Williams, but a pair of Boilermaker miscues allowed Iowa to tie the set 5-5 and eventually improve to an 11-9 lead. Purdue battled back with a five-point run, highlighted by a duo of William putaways. With Purdue leading 15-11, Iowa capitalized on six more Purdue errors to tie the set at 19 and eventually secure the win 25-22.
Relentless, Purdue jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the second set. Fueled by seven kills from Atkinson and a .308 team hitting percentage, Purdue maintained control of the set for a 25-23 victory.
With the match tied at one, the two teams battled point-for-point in the third set. Tying the set 14 times, Purdue and Iowa found themselves locked at 20, before the Boilermakers scored three of the next four points and led 22-20. A trio of Hawkeye attacking errors helped Purdue maintain control and take the set 25-20.
Guided by five kills from senior Taylor Louis, the Hawkeyes jumped out to a small lead in the fourth set. Earning four kills from Atkinson and Mohler, Purdue battled to tie the set at 18 and take a 19-18 lead, but miscues would ultimately plague the Boilermakers once more as Iowa took the set 25-22.
With the match knotted at two, Purdue was the first to eight points in the final set, but two more Boilermaker errors brought Iowa within one at 10-9. With the match on the line, an Atkinson kill sparked a 5-2 run for a 15-11 Purdue win.
After the match, Purdue honored its three seniors, Atkinson, Peters and Williams in a farewell presentation. Together, the trio guided the Boilermakers to consecutive 20+ win seasons throughout their careers.
The Boilermakers now turn to their attention to their last road series of the regular season with trips to Indiana and Illinois next week.
The Boilermakers (22-7, 11-7 Big Ten) earned their 22nd victory with redshirt senior Sherridan Atkinson and redshirt junior Blake Mohler pacing the way. Atkinson tallied a match-high 19 kills on a .340 hitting percentage, while Mohler dished out 17 kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Mohler also guided Purdue with four assisted blocks.
Freshman Grace Cleveland added to the offensive effort with 14 kills while sophomore Caitlyn Newton pitched in nine.
Redshirt freshman Hayley Bush directed Purdue's offense with 54 assists while freshman Marissa Hornung guided the Boilermaker defense with a career-best 26 digs. Sophomore Jena Otec delivered her career-best performance with 19 digs of her own.
Purdue was first on the board with a kill from senior Erin Williams, but a pair of Boilermaker miscues allowed Iowa to tie the set 5-5 and eventually improve to an 11-9 lead. Purdue battled back with a five-point run, highlighted by a duo of William putaways. With Purdue leading 15-11, Iowa capitalized on six more Purdue errors to tie the set at 19 and eventually secure the win 25-22.
Relentless, Purdue jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the second set. Fueled by seven kills from Atkinson and a .308 team hitting percentage, Purdue maintained control of the set for a 25-23 victory.
With the match tied at one, the two teams battled point-for-point in the third set. Tying the set 14 times, Purdue and Iowa found themselves locked at 20, before the Boilermakers scored three of the next four points and led 22-20. A trio of Hawkeye attacking errors helped Purdue maintain control and take the set 25-20.
Guided by five kills from senior Taylor Louis, the Hawkeyes jumped out to a small lead in the fourth set. Earning four kills from Atkinson and Mohler, Purdue battled to tie the set at 18 and take a 19-18 lead, but miscues would ultimately plague the Boilermakers once more as Iowa took the set 25-22.
With the match knotted at two, Purdue was the first to eight points in the final set, but two more Boilermaker errors brought Iowa within one at 10-9. With the match on the line, an Atkinson kill sparked a 5-2 run for a 15-11 Purdue win.
After the match, Purdue honored its three seniors, Atkinson, Peters and Williams in a farewell presentation. Together, the trio guided the Boilermakers to consecutive 20+ win seasons throughout their careers.
The Boilermakers now turn to their attention to their last road series of the regular season with trips to Indiana and Illinois next week.