WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 12 Purdue volleyball team wraps up the regular season with a road match at No. 4 Illinois on Saturday. The Big Ten finale is set for 6 p.m. ET at Huff Hall.
AT THE NET – Big Ten Action
No. 12 Purdue at No. 4 Illinois
Saturday, November 24 | 6 p.m. ET
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QUICK HITS
- The Boilermakers are 23-7 on the season and 12-7 in Big Ten action following a five-set victory against Indiana on Wednesday, November 21.
- With a pair of wins against Indiana and Iowa, the Boilermakers own two match winning streak. Purdue's five-set victory over Iowa snapped a three-match losing streak for the Boilermakers. Purdue previously lost to then-No. 8 Wisconsin, then-No.3 Minnesota and No. 6 Nebraska.
- Registering a .368 hitting percentage in Purdue's recent win against Indiana, sophomore Caitlyn Newton has now recorded a .300 or higher percentage in eight matches this season.
- Senior Sherridan Atkinson tallied 20 kills and 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season and of her career. She owns four double-doubles of Purdue's nine this season, while setter Hayley Bush delivered the other five.
- Purdue's 22-7 overall record and 11-7 Big Ten showing marks its 11th season of at least 20 wins and its 12th year of at least 10 conference victories under head coach Dave Shondell.
- Purdue stays at No. 12 in this week's AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week, while being ranked in all 14 polls this season. The Boilermakers are currently on a stretch of 30 listings and have made 221 overall appearances on the national poll. Purdue also boasts the nation's 16th-best RPI, after ranking 13th in last week's poll.
- The Boilermakers have played nine five-set matches this season, winning seven with victories over Louisville, Southern Miss, South Alabama, Iowa (2), then-No.4 Penn State and Indiana (2). Purdue's single five-set loss was to then-No.8 Wisconsin last Friday.
- The Boilermakers are led by senior Sherridan Atkinson, who is averaging 4.78 kills per set, fourth-most in the Big Ten. Atkinson, a unanimous preseason All-Big Ten selection, also has recorded match-high kills in 23 of 30 contests this season.
- Purdue has recorded 10 or more blocks in 12 matches this season. The effort is paced by redshirt junior Blake Mohler, who has tallied 128 blocks this season
Series History
Illinois owns a slim 46-41 advantage in the all-time series with Purdue. The conference foes opened their 2018 Big Ten slate with a four-set match in favor of the Illini at Holloway Gymnasium on September 21.
Purdue's last win against Illinois came in 2017, when the Boilermakers swept (25-23, 25-19, 25-19) the Illini in a packed Huff Hall. Jena Otec's serve was a game changer for the Boilermakers as she aced the Illini three times and Purdue won the point 12 of the 18 times she served. At the net, Blake Mohler turned in a complete performance in the middle as she finished with nine kills, a .375 hitting percentage and three blocks. Sherridan Atkinson was errorless in the contest with six kills on 16 attempts to match Mohler's .375 hitting percentage.
Scouting No.8 Illinois
Ranked in the top-5 of the AVCA poll for the first time since 2011, No. 4 Illinois owns a 23-7 overall record and a 12-7 conference mark, including nine wins against AVCA Top 25 teams. The Illini's victories against nationally ranked opponents include a quartet of top-10 wins with the Nittany Lions, No. 9 Nebraska on October 27, No. 8 Wisconsin on October 13 and No. 10 Creighton on September 15.
Illinois is paced by Jacqueline Quade with 451 kills on the season for a 4.14 kills per set average on a .256 hitting percentage. Quade ranks fourth in the Big Ten and is 36th in the nation in kills per set, while her kill total sits third in the league and 35th in the NCAA.
Defensively, the Illini are led by senior Jordyn Poulter, who is just 17 digs away from reaching a 1,000 career digs. She most recently reached her 400th career block with four blocks in Illinois' win at Michigan State this past Wednesday (November 21). Poulter currently ranks 14th all-time in career digs and 16th in career total blocks and would be the 13th Illini to reach the 1,000 digs mark and is the 15th to reach the 400-stuff mark.
Last Meeting vs. the Fighting Illini
Meeting earlier this season, the then-No. 8 Illini dealt Purdue its first loss of the season with a 3-1(19-25, 25-23, 23-25, 24-26) victory in their Big Ten openers. The Illinois victory snapped an 11-0 match winning streak for the Boilermakers, Purdue's best start since 2011. At the time, both Purdue and Illinois were two of only six undefeated teams in the country.
In the match redshirt 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 guided 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.