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Boilermakers Primed for NCAA TournamentBoilermakers Primed for NCAA Tournament

Boilermakers Primed for NCAA Tournament

The No. 9 nationally-ranked Purdue volleyball program (14-6) is slated to play is first match of the NCAA tournament Thursday in the second round.

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Thursday, April 15 | 3:30 p.m. ET
ESPN3 | WSHY 104.3
No. 7 seed Purdue vs. High Point

OMAHA, Neb. – The No. 9 nationally-ranked Purdue volleyball program (14-6) is slated to play is first match of the NCAA tournament Thursday in the second round.

Seeded 7th overall in the 48-team tournament, Purdue will face High Point at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3. The match will be played in CHI Health Center Omaha Convention Center with no general public fans.

The Boilermakers learned their opponent after High Point won a five-set thriller vs. UCF on Wednesday afternoon in Omaha.

Purdue & The NCAA Tournament
  • All-time record in the NCAA: 30-21 (.588)
  • It is the program's sixth consecutive and 22nd overall appearance.
  • Number of NCAA appearances under Dave Shondell: 15
  • Purdue's No. 7 seed is the highest since receiving No. 5 in 2011.
  • Purdue has never lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
  • Shondell is one of only nine head coaches to lead their team to 35 NCAA matches during the same time frame.
  • With Shondell at the helm, Purdue became one of 13 programs in the nation with at least eight Sweet 16 appearances in the last 16 seasons.

Schedule Notes
  • Exactly half (10 of 20) of Purdue's regular season matches came against top-25 opponents, including eight against top-10 programs.
  • The Boilermakers own a 5-5 record vs. top-25 opponents.
  • Purdue had a loaded start to the 2021 season with three top-25 opponents in the opening four weeks (including the No. 1 and No. 6 teams in the nation).


Scouting No. 9 Purdue (14-6, 14-6 Big Ten)

  • The Boilermakers notched its third (and second consecutive) 14-win season since 1987, joining 2019 and 2011 as the only other teams to accomplish the feat.
  • Over the last 45 sets, Purdue has forfeited just 10.
  • Purdue has gone 12-2 over its last 14 matches, including 5-1 against top-25 opponents.
  • For just the second time since 2007, three Boilermakers notched double-doubles in a single match (at No. 8 Ohio State, 3/26): Grace Cleveland (17 kills, 11 digs), Caitlyn Newton (13 kills, 11 digs) and Hayley Bush (49 assists, 11 digs).
  • Purdue owns the best defense in the Big Ten, ranking first with 0.86 opponent service aces allowed and 15.99 digs per set and second with 2.97 blocks per set.
  • Purdue committed no reception errors in the sweep vs. Indiana (2/28), marking the first perfect match since the 2019 NCAA First Round vs. Wright State (12/6/19) and the fifth time since the start of the 2018 season.
  • Two of the team's three 2019 All-Americans returned: Cleveland (third-team) and Caitlyn Newton (honorable mention).


Scouting High Point (16-0, 8-0 Big South)

  • Last Meeting: W, 3-0 on 11/30/17
  • The single meeting between Purdue and High Point came in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2017. In the match, Purdue
  • Seniors Caitlyn Newton and Jena Otec were freshmen in Purdue's matchup vs. High Point in 2017.
  • High Point has lost just seven sets total this season.
  • In addition to owning a .296 team hitting %, High Point has held opponents to just .090 this season.
  • Five players are hitting above .300, with Kaley Rammelsberg leading the pack with a .471 attack. Meanwhile, Annie Sullivan paces the team with a team-leading 169 kills.
  • Receiving the most balls in the back row is Abby Bottomley, who registers 5.18 digs per set.


Scouting UCF (16-1, 8-0 American Athletic)

  • Last meeting: W, 3-2 on 9/5/09
  • The last two Boilermaker matches vs. the Knights were both five setters, with Purdue walking away with the win in both outings.
  • The American Athletic Conference's Champion UCF's lone loss came to Florida State in five sets.
  • UCF is one of the best teams at the net, sitting eighth in the country with 2.85 blocks per set.
  • For the third straight year, McKenna Melville was named to the AVCA Southeast All-Region team after playing all 60 sets for UCF. The junior ranks 10th in points per set (5.17), 11th in kills per set (4.58 23rd in the nation in attacks per set (11.87).
  • Melville is on pace to break her own UCF single-season record for kills per set (4.51), which she set as a freshman in 2018.
  • With 35% of all sets sent to Melville, the six-rotation outside hitter leads the team with 4.58 kills per set, 5.18 points per set and 172 total attacks.