WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - In the 45th edition of the Monon Spike, the No. 13 Boilermakers continued their series domination over rival Indiana with a five-set win against the Hoosiers on Saturday. Purdue won the match 25-22, 22-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-12 for its 12th straight victory over IU and its 11th consecutive claim of the Monon Spike. Overall, the Boilermakers are 67-34 against the Hoosiers, while head coach Dave Shondell boasts a 28-3 record vs. Indiana.
With the win Purdue improves to 21-4 for the first time since 2011 and 10-4 in Big Ten play, while Indiana drops to 15-10 and 6-8 in league action.
Redshirt senior Sherridan Atkinson led the way with 23 kills, hitting .304. Sophomore Caitlyn Newton followed with 15 putaways while redshirt junior Blake Mohler posted 14 kills on a .357 hitting clip. Freshman Grace Cleveland rounded out Boilermakers in double-digit kills with 10.
Redshirt freshman Hayley Bush guided the offense with a match-high 58 assists, while adding 17 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Her performance marks Purdue's fifth double-double of the year and the first since Bush collected 37 assists and 14 digs against South Alabama on September 15.
In the back court, senior Brooke Peters led the way with 21 digs, while sophomore Jena Otec followed Peters and Bush with 15 of her own.
The Boilermakers outhit Indiana .273-.184, but hit a .300 or better clip in two sets (.441 in set 3 and .300 in set 5). Purdue outdug the Hoosiers 77-68 and the teams tied with 10 blocks apiece.
Purdue closed out the night with a 15-12 win in the decisive fifth set, hitting .300 to Indiana's .273 effort. Atkinson tallied four kills in the final stanza. The frame saw seven ties and five lead changes. With Purdue leading 13-12, an Indiana attack error and Atkinson putaway secured the set and the match for Purdue.
A 7-2 opening lead was enough to lift Purdue to a 25-22 set 1 victory, powered by four kills from Newton. Indiana responded with a 14-6 advantage and a 25-22 victory in the second set, overcoming six Atkinson kills and three Boilermaker aces.
The rivals battled for control in the third set with 10 ties. With the score knotted at 13, Purdue scored two straight points to go up 15-13 and never trailed the rest of the set as it won it to go up 2-1 in the match.
The fourth set saw 16 more ties, but a trio of Indiana attack errors pushed Purdue ahead, 23-21. The Hoosiers rallied to tie the set at 23 on a pair of kills and ultimately took the set on solo block and service ace.
The Boilermakers return to action next weekend with a pair of road matches at Wisconsin and Minnesota.