WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Junior outside hitter Grace Cleveland became just the fifth Boilermaker in program history to be named AVCA National Player of the Week, following the pair of weekend victories at No. 9 Ohio State.
Cleveland is the first Boilermaker nationally recognized since 2018 and joins the ranks of Purdue greats Sherridan Atkinson (2018), Ariel Turner (2012 and 2011), Rachel Davis (2011) and Stephanie Lynch (2006) to receive the honor.
The Bloomington, Illinois, product averaged 3.63 kills per set in Columbus, recording 29 kills and just five errors on 85 attempts for a .282 hitting clip.
Night one saw 17 kills with four errors on 45 attempts for a .289 hitting clip, while her second offensive performance registered just one error in 12 kills and 40 attempts (.275). In Saturday's match, the 6-3 hitter sealed the victory with five kills and four block assists in the fourth set alone.
Cleveland had a stunning defensive performance to match, tying career-highs in each outing. On Friday, Cleveland recorded a double-double, which included matching a career-high 11 digs, before turning around and tying a career-best nine block assists the following day (just one shy of a double-double).
In addition to her 29 kills, Cleveland totaled 15.0 blocks and 37.5 points over the pair of 3-1 victories to help Purdue to its first series sweep of a top-10 program since 2013.
Cleveland enters the final week of the regular season ranked 17th in the nation in blocks per set (1.44) and was selected as Big Ten Player of the Week on March 30 and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on March 8.
Up Next
No. 8 Purdue (13-5) concludes the regular season at home Friday and Saturday against Illinois (6-10). Fans can watch the matches on Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The NCAA Selection show is slated for Sunday, April 4 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Cleveland is the first Boilermaker nationally recognized since 2018 and joins the ranks of Purdue greats Sherridan Atkinson (2018), Ariel Turner (2012 and 2011), Rachel Davis (2011) and Stephanie Lynch (2006) to receive the honor.
The Bloomington, Illinois, product averaged 3.63 kills per set in Columbus, recording 29 kills and just five errors on 85 attempts for a .282 hitting clip.
Night one saw 17 kills with four errors on 45 attempts for a .289 hitting clip, while her second offensive performance registered just one error in 12 kills and 40 attempts (.275). In Saturday's match, the 6-3 hitter sealed the victory with five kills and four block assists in the fourth set alone.
Cleveland had a stunning defensive performance to match, tying career-highs in each outing. On Friday, Cleveland recorded a double-double, which included matching a career-high 11 digs, before turning around and tying a career-best nine block assists the following day (just one shy of a double-double).
In addition to her 29 kills, Cleveland totaled 15.0 blocks and 37.5 points over the pair of 3-1 victories to help Purdue to its first series sweep of a top-10 program since 2013.
Cleveland enters the final week of the regular season ranked 17th in the nation in blocks per set (1.44) and was selected as Big Ten Player of the Week on March 30 and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on March 8.
Up Next
No. 8 Purdue (13-5) concludes the regular season at home Friday and Saturday against Illinois (6-10). Fans can watch the matches on Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The NCAA Selection show is slated for Sunday, April 4 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU.