No. 6 Purdue Set for Xavier Tournament

XAVIER TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, 9/10 | 9 p.m. ET
#6 Purdue vs, #10 Louisville
FloVolleyball ($) | WSHY 104.3 FM
 
Saturday, 9/11 | 3 or 6:30 p.m. ET
#6 Purdue vs. Lipscomb or Xavier
FloVolleyball ($) | WSHY 104.3 FM

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The No. 6 Purdue volleyball program (4-0) is headed to Cincinnati for the Xavier Tournament, which will feature No. 10 Louisville (6-0), Xavier (3-3) and Lipscomb (1-4).

Fresh off their first top-25 win of the season, the Boilermakers will take on the Cardinals on Friday afternoon before playing either Lipscomb or Xavier the following day.

FULL STEAM AHEAD

• Purdue's 4-0 start includes sweeps of three AVCA recognized programs in RV Kansas, RV UNLV and No. 25 Washington State.
• The Boilermakers have hit above .300 for four consecutive matches, its longest streak since the 2017 season.
• Purdue has not lost a set since its season-opener, going 12-1 over its first 13 sets.

PURDUE IN THE AVCA RANKINGS

• The No. 6 ranking is the highest in program history (previous: No. 7 most recently in the 2020-21 final poll).
• The program is currently in its longest streak among the AVCA top-10 at nine straight weeks (dates back to March 8, 2021).
• Purdue's No. 8 preseason ranking matches the highest in program history (2014), coming on the heels of the program's highest final ranking with its No. 7 nod in the spring.
• The program has been ranked for 64 consecutive weeks (Preseason 2017-2021), the longest active streak by a Purdue team. 

EFFICIENT FROM THE START

• During preseason, HC Dave Shondell said his focus for the 2021 season would be on hitting efficiency after finishing the spring with a .243 clip (6th in the Big Ten).
• Seven Boilermakers averaged a .300 attack % or better after the opening weekend, leading the Big Ten: Hayley Bush with .857 (6-0-6), Taylor Trammell .414 (14-2-29), Raven Colvin .364 (5-1-11), Caitlyn Newton .339 (25-5-59), Maddie Koch .333 (6-2-12), Grace Cleveland .320 (20-4-50) and Emma Ellis .300 (4-1-10).
• Currently, Purdue averages a .329 hitting clip, good for third in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation.

#10 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Series History: 13-1 (PUR Leads) | Last Meeting: September 13, 2019 (W, 3-1 in Nashville)

• Louisville is one of just four teams nationally that rank higher than Purdue in hitting %, currently attacking at a .338 clip.
• The last and only time Louisville had the edge vs. Purdue was September 7, 2012 when the teams were last in Cincinatti.
• The Cardinals rank in the top 25 in hitting % (No. 3), blocks per set (No. 10, 3.17) and 

 
XAVIER MUSKETEERS
Series History: 4-0 | Purdue Leads | Last Meeting on September 7, 2018 (W, 3-1 at Purdue)

• In last weekend's Loyola Tournament, Xavier outside hitter Kelly Franzman (34 kills, .388 hitting %) and middle blocker Delaney Hogan (13 total blocks, 20 kills, .314 hitting %) were named to the all-tournament team.
• Moriah Hopkins leads the offense with 67.5 points and a team-best 60 kills to go alongside a .299 attack %.
• Stevie Wolf anchors the back row with 4.86 digs per set (107 total).

LIPSCOMB BISON
Series History: 2-0 | Purdue Leads | Last Meeting on September 7, 2018 (W, 3-0 at Purdue)

• Lipscomb's notable win this season include a 3-1 victory at Oklahoma.
• Sophomore outside hitter Kamryn Bacus leads the team with 3.75 kills/set.
• Like Purdue, the team also faced Kansas, but lost in straight sets to the Jayhawks on 9/2.
• The Bisons are coming off an NCAA tournament appearance this spring after going 17-3.
• The Boilermakers will see a familiar face in outside hitter Garrett Joiner, who transferred from Purdue.