GAMEDAY INFORMATION
2018 NCAA Tournament Central | Memorial Coliseum | Lexington, Kentucky
Game Notes (PDF)
Purdue vs. ETSU
Friday, November 30 | 5 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3.com
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 (Kentucky vs. Murray State)
Saturday, December 1 | 7 p.m. ET
WEST LAFAYATTE, Ind. - The No. 12 Purdue volleyball team (23-8) is set to begin the NCAA Tournament against East Tennessee State University (28-6) Friday, November 30, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. The match is the first meeting between the two programs since 2004 and their second-overall meeting.
Purdue is making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 13th under head coach Dave Shondell. The Boilermakers finished the regular season fifth in the Big Ten for a second consecutive year, claiming its 11th season with 20 or more wins and 10 or more wins with Shondell at the helm.
Overall, Purdue has never lost in the first match of the NCAA Tournament and boasts a 22-12 record in the postseason under Shondell. Under his guidance, the program has seen seven Sweet 16 appearances as well as two trips to the Elite Eight.
ETSU made program history by receiving its first at-large bid. This is the Bucs third overall NCAA appearance and their second straight . The match will stream on ESPN3 with the first serve scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
The winner will take on the victor between No. 10 Kentucky and Murray State on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. ET. The host Wildcats (24-4, 18-0 SEC) won the Southeastern Conference title, while the Racers (22-9, 13-3 OVC) won the Ohio Valley Conference.
QUICK HITS
At First Glance: Purdue (23-8, 12-8 B1G) is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 15 seasons after posting a 23-8 record and finishing fifth in Big Ten play. In 2017, the Boilermakers also finished fifth in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Second Round. The Purdue roster features nine returning student athletes from the 2017 roster, one redshirt freshman and six newcomers. Head coach Dave Shondell is in his 16th season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Boilermakers went 1-1 on the road last week, topping Indiana in five sets Wednesday in Bloomington, and falling to No.4 Illinois in four sets Saturday in Champaign.
Statistically Speaking: Right side hitter Sherridan Atkinson directs the Purdue offense with 4.23 kills per set, while hitting at a .298 clip and adding 0.56 blocks and 0.27 aces per set. Sophomore Caitlyn Newton follows with 2.56 kills per set and 0.39 blocks per set. Redshirt Blake Mohler adds 2.42 kills per set, while hitting a team-best .353 clip. Freshman Grace Cleveland also contributes 2.38 kills per set and a team-high 28 solo blocks.
Mohler paces the Boilermakers at the net with 1.06 blocks per set. Cleveland and redshirt junior Shavonna Cuttino follow with 0.79 and 0.77 blocks per set, respectively. In the back court, senior Brooke Peters leads the way with 4.18 digs per set to go with a squad-best 35 aces. Freshman Marissa Hornung follows with 2.96 digs per set, while sophomore Jena Otecs chips in 2.14 digs per set. As a team, Purdue is hitting at a .247 clip and has served up 154 aces.
SERIES INFORMATION
Purdue is 12-9 against this weekend's potential opponents.
ETSU | Purdue leads the series 1-0: The Boilermakers took the lone previous meeting with the Bucs, winning 3-0 at the Boilermaker Mortar Board Premier in West Lafayette on September 18, 2004.
Kentucky | Purdue leads the series 10-9: The Wildcats claimed the last meeting between the two programs 3-2 at the Mortar Board Premier in West Lafayette on September 27, 2016. In the matchup Blake Mohler was one of four Boilermakers to tally double-digit kills, while Brooke Peters served up two aces.
Purdue's last win against Kentucky came on December 3, 2010, when the Boilermakers defeated the Wildcats 3-1 in the opening round of NCAA Tournament. The match was played at Purdue's Holloway Gymnasium.
Murray State | Purdue leads the series 1-0: Purdue claimed the only meeting with the Racers, winning 3-1 at the Boilermaker Mortar Board Premier in West Lafayette on September 18, 1993.
SCOUTING ETSU
ETSU enters the tournament with a 26-6 overall record with strong wins over Tennessee, Washington State, and Duke. SoCon Player of the Year Leah Clayton leads the Bucs in kills and averages more than four kills per set. Pacing ETSU's offensive effort is senior setter Alyssa Kyarta, who is averaging 10.82 assists per set. ETSU also has the back-to-back Libero of the Year in Marija Popovic. The Bucs blocking game is strong, averaging 2.38 blocks per set.
Clayton tops the Bucs with 492 kills and was second on the team behind Popovic with 337 digs. She added 52 blocks, 26 service aces and 23 assists in her impressive junior campaign. She also tallied 13 double-doubles, including four in a row in conference play from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2. Clayton was a First Team All-Conference Selection in 2017 and a 2018 Preseason All-SoCon selection. She was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week three time this season. Clayton is ETSU's seventh player of the year, tying Furman for the most in conference history, and the Bucs' first since Briana Allmon was honored in 2016.
Popovic, the 2017 Freshman of the Year and Libero of the Year, earned her second straight Libero of the Year honor. She totaled a league-best 587 digs and was named the September and October Defensive Player of the Month. Popovic tallied double-digit digs in all but two matches and had 20-plus digs in 14 contests.
LAST MEETING VS. THE BUCS
Purdue garnered its seventh victory of the 2004 season, when the Boilermakers made short work of ETSU, sweeping the Bucs 3-0, by scores of 30-12, 30-22, 30-16. In the match, Daren Poe reached a milestone in the match, tallying her 1,000th-career dig. Poe led the defensive players with eight digs, moving her career total to 1,001. Purdue hit .495 for the match, while holding ETSU to a .044 performance. The Boilermakers also outblocked the Buccaneers nine to one.
Offensively, Purdue was guided by Kim McConaha with 10 kills and a .667 hitting percentage.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WIN MAKES...
If the Boilermakers top ETSU on Friday:
Both, Purdue freshman Garrett Joiner and ETSU junior Kaela Massey call Brentwood, Tennessee home. They both also went to Brentwood High School. Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner played on the men's volleyball team at Ball State, graduating in 1993. Purdue head coach Dave Shondell and associate head coach John Shondell are also BSU Volleyball alumni. Skinner and John Shondell also served on staff at the Asics Muciana Volleyball club.
FAMILIAR FOES
The Boilermakers and two of their first and potential second round foes have some common opponents this season. ETSU played Tulsa a weekend after Purdue did, defeating the Golden Hurricane 3-0 in the Bruiser Showcase. Purdue also swept Tulsa in its Reamer Club Xtra Special Volleyball Premier
No. 10 Kentucky faced off with Purdue nonconference foes Louisville and Alabama. The Wildcats swept the Cardinals on September 14 and the Crimson Tide on November 11, while the Boilermakers topped Louisville 3-2 on September 8 and Alabama 3-0 on September 14.
Purdue and Murray State did not share any foes for the 2018 season.
DÉJÀ VU
The last time Purdue faced ETSU and Kentucky in the same weekend was in 2004, when the Boilermakers hosted the Bucs and the Wildcats in the Mortar Board Premier. After defeating Central Michigan in the opening round of the premier, Purdue defeated ETSU 3-0, before falling to Kentucky in five.
THE PREMIER CONFERENCE
The Big Ten Conference has had an NCAA champion in nine of the last 14 years, with eight teams (Purdue, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan) appearing in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
2018 NCAA Tournament Central | Memorial Coliseum | Lexington, Kentucky
Game Notes (PDF)
Purdue vs. ETSU
Friday, November 30 | 5 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3.com
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 (Kentucky vs. Murray State)
Saturday, December 1 | 7 p.m. ET
WEST LAFAYATTE, Ind. - The No. 12 Purdue volleyball team (23-8) is set to begin the NCAA Tournament against East Tennessee State University (28-6) Friday, November 30, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. The match is the first meeting between the two programs since 2004 and their second-overall meeting.
Purdue is making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 13th under head coach Dave Shondell. The Boilermakers finished the regular season fifth in the Big Ten for a second consecutive year, claiming its 11th season with 20 or more wins and 10 or more wins with Shondell at the helm.
Overall, Purdue has never lost in the first match of the NCAA Tournament and boasts a 22-12 record in the postseason under Shondell. Under his guidance, the program has seen seven Sweet 16 appearances as well as two trips to the Elite Eight.
ETSU made program history by receiving its first at-large bid. This is the Bucs third overall NCAA appearance and their second straight . The match will stream on ESPN3 with the first serve scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
The winner will take on the victor between No. 10 Kentucky and Murray State on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. ET. The host Wildcats (24-4, 18-0 SEC) won the Southeastern Conference title, while the Racers (22-9, 13-3 OVC) won the Ohio Valley Conference.
QUICK HITS
- The Boilermakers are 23-8 on the season and 12-8 in Big Ten action following a four-set loss to No. 4 Illinois to close out the regular season on Saturday, November 24.
- Purdue's loss to the Illini cut short a two-match winning streak for the Boilermakers. Prior to facing Illinois, Purdue defeated Indiana and Iowa in back-to-back five-set victories. The Big Ten 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.
- Purdue's 23-8 overall record and 12-8 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.
- Senior Sherridan Atkinson closed out the regular season with back-to-back double-doubles after tallying 20 kills and 11 digs against Indiana and 26 kills with 11 digs against No.4 Illinois. She owns five of Purdue's 10 double-doubles this season, while setter Hayley Bush delivered the other five.
- Atkinson, a unanimous All-Big Ten selection, also has recorded match-high kills in 24 of 31 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 131 blocks this season
- Senior Brooke Peters guides the Boilermakers with 35 aces this year. She is the first Boilermaker to reach 35 aces in a season since Carly Cramer recorded 36 aces in 2012.
- Purdue stays at No. 12 in this week's AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll for the fourth consecutive week, while being ranked in all 15 polls this season. The Boilermakers are currently on a stretch of 31 listings and have made 222 overall appearances on the national poll. Purdue also boasts the nation's 20th-best RPI, after ranking 16th 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. Purdue's 124 total sets played are the most in the BIG Ten this year.
At First Glance: Purdue (23-8, 12-8 B1G) is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 15 seasons after posting a 23-8 record and finishing fifth in Big Ten play. In 2017, the Boilermakers also finished fifth in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Second Round. The Purdue roster features nine returning student athletes from the 2017 roster, one redshirt freshman and six newcomers. Head coach Dave Shondell is in his 16th season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Boilermakers went 1-1 on the road last week, topping Indiana in five sets Wednesday in Bloomington, and falling to No.4 Illinois in four sets Saturday in Champaign.
Statistically Speaking: Right side hitter Sherridan Atkinson directs the Purdue offense with 4.23 kills per set, while hitting at a .298 clip and adding 0.56 blocks and 0.27 aces per set. Sophomore Caitlyn Newton follows with 2.56 kills per set and 0.39 blocks per set. Redshirt Blake Mohler adds 2.42 kills per set, while hitting a team-best .353 clip. Freshman Grace Cleveland also contributes 2.38 kills per set and a team-high 28 solo blocks.
Mohler paces the Boilermakers at the net with 1.06 blocks per set. Cleveland and redshirt junior Shavonna Cuttino follow with 0.79 and 0.77 blocks per set, respectively. In the back court, senior Brooke Peters leads the way with 4.18 digs per set to go with a squad-best 35 aces. Freshman Marissa Hornung follows with 2.96 digs per set, while sophomore Jena Otecs chips in 2.14 digs per set. As a team, Purdue is hitting at a .247 clip and has served up 154 aces.
SERIES INFORMATION
Purdue is 12-9 against this weekend's potential opponents.
ETSU | Purdue leads the series 1-0: The Boilermakers took the lone previous meeting with the Bucs, winning 3-0 at the Boilermaker Mortar Board Premier in West Lafayette on September 18, 2004.
Kentucky | Purdue leads the series 10-9: The Wildcats claimed the last meeting between the two programs 3-2 at the Mortar Board Premier in West Lafayette on September 27, 2016. In the matchup Blake Mohler was one of four Boilermakers to tally double-digit kills, while Brooke Peters served up two aces.
Purdue's last win against Kentucky came on December 3, 2010, when the Boilermakers defeated the Wildcats 3-1 in the opening round of NCAA Tournament. The match was played at Purdue's Holloway Gymnasium.
Murray State | Purdue leads the series 1-0: Purdue claimed the only meeting with the Racers, winning 3-1 at the Boilermaker Mortar Board Premier in West Lafayette on September 18, 1993.
SCOUTING ETSU
ETSU enters the tournament with a 26-6 overall record with strong wins over Tennessee, Washington State, and Duke. SoCon Player of the Year Leah Clayton leads the Bucs in kills and averages more than four kills per set. Pacing ETSU's offensive effort is senior setter Alyssa Kyarta, who is averaging 10.82 assists per set. ETSU also has the back-to-back Libero of the Year in Marija Popovic. The Bucs blocking game is strong, averaging 2.38 blocks per set.
Clayton tops the Bucs with 492 kills and was second on the team behind Popovic with 337 digs. She added 52 blocks, 26 service aces and 23 assists in her impressive junior campaign. She also tallied 13 double-doubles, including four in a row in conference play from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2. Clayton was a First Team All-Conference Selection in 2017 and a 2018 Preseason All-SoCon selection. She was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week three time this season. Clayton is ETSU's seventh player of the year, tying Furman for the most in conference history, and the Bucs' first since Briana Allmon was honored in 2016.
Popovic, the 2017 Freshman of the Year and Libero of the Year, earned her second straight Libero of the Year honor. She totaled a league-best 587 digs and was named the September and October Defensive Player of the Month. Popovic tallied double-digit digs in all but two matches and had 20-plus digs in 14 contests.
LAST MEETING VS. THE BUCS
Purdue garnered its seventh victory of the 2004 season, when the Boilermakers made short work of ETSU, sweeping the Bucs 3-0, by scores of 30-12, 30-22, 30-16. In the match, Daren Poe reached a milestone in the match, tallying her 1,000th-career dig. Poe led the defensive players with eight digs, moving her career total to 1,001. Purdue hit .495 for the match, while holding ETSU to a .044 performance. The Boilermakers also outblocked the Buccaneers nine to one.
Offensively, Purdue was guided by Kim McConaha with 10 kills and a .667 hitting percentage.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WIN MAKES...
If the Boilermakers top ETSU on Friday:
- They will move to 24-8 on the season.
- They will advance to the NCAA Second Round for the 13th time under in 13 appearances under Coach Shondell.
- They will move to 29-19 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches, including 23-12 under Shondell.
- They will move to 2-0 all-time against ETSU.
Both, Purdue freshman Garrett Joiner and ETSU junior Kaela Massey call Brentwood, Tennessee home. They both also went to Brentwood High School. Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner played on the men's volleyball team at Ball State, graduating in 1993. Purdue head coach Dave Shondell and associate head coach John Shondell are also BSU Volleyball alumni. Skinner and John Shondell also served on staff at the Asics Muciana Volleyball club.
FAMILIAR FOES
The Boilermakers and two of their first and potential second round foes have some common opponents this season. ETSU played Tulsa a weekend after Purdue did, defeating the Golden Hurricane 3-0 in the Bruiser Showcase. Purdue also swept Tulsa in its Reamer Club Xtra Special Volleyball Premier
No. 10 Kentucky faced off with Purdue nonconference foes Louisville and Alabama. The Wildcats swept the Cardinals on September 14 and the Crimson Tide on November 11, while the Boilermakers topped Louisville 3-2 on September 8 and Alabama 3-0 on September 14.
Purdue and Murray State did not share any foes for the 2018 season.
DÉJÀ VU
The last time Purdue faced ETSU and Kentucky in the same weekend was in 2004, when the Boilermakers hosted the Bucs and the Wildcats in the Mortar Board Premier. After defeating Central Michigan in the opening round of the premier, Purdue defeated ETSU 3-0, before falling to Kentucky in five.
THE PREMIER CONFERENCE
The Big Ten Conference has had an NCAA champion in nine of the last 14 years, with eight teams (Purdue, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan) appearing in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.