Reamer Club Xtra Special Tournament on Deck

Reamer Club Xtra Special Tournament Schedule

Friday, September 2 | 10 a.m. ET
#11 Purdue vs. Bradley
B1G+ | WSHY 104.3 FM

Friday, September 2 | Noon ET
Utah vs. Milwaukee

Friday, September 2 | 4 p.m. ET
Milwaukee vs. Bradley

Friday, September 2 | 6:30 p.m. ET
#11 Purdue vs. Utah
BTN | WSHY 104.3 FM

Saturday, September 3 | Noon ET
Bradley vs. Utah

Saturday, September 3 | 3 p.m. ET
#11 Purdue vs. Milwaukee
B1G+ | WSHY 104.3 FM
 
 
 
West Lafayette, Ind. – After opening the season 3-0 at the Tennessee Classic, the No. 11 Purdue volleyball team is set to host its first home matches of the season this weekend as the Boilermakers host the Reamer Club Xtra Special. The tournament, taking place tomorrow and Saturday, will see six matches over the two days between No. 11 Purdue (3-0), Bradley (1-2), Milwaukee (0-3) and Utah (2-1).

No. 11 Purdue's home opener will begin the tournament at 10 a.m. tomorrow vs. Bradley on B1G+. Then, Utah and Milwaukee will face off at Noon, before Milwaukee will take on Bradley at 4 p.m. ET. Friday's matches will conclude with a 6:30 p.m. ET showdown between No. 11 Purdue and Utah, which is receiving votes in the AVCA poll. The primetime match will air on Big Ten Network and will be announced by Anne Marie Anderson and Emily Ehman.

The competition will wrap-up Saturday, beginning with Bradley vs. Utah at Noon and concluding at 3 p.m. ET as Purdue takes on Milwaukee.
 
 Schedule Notes

• Purdue will have 10 matches on linear TV this season, including one non-conference match (vs. Utah on 9/2). All home matches will be streamed on B1G+.
• Purdue is set to play Big Ten matches on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays.
• Purdue is set to take on seven AVCA top-25 opponents, five of which rank among the top-8 nationally.
• The non-conference slate includes 10 total matches with four opponents recognized in the 2021 AVCA final poll.
• For Big Ten play, Holloway is already sold out for all but three matches. Meanwhile, the student section, the Block Party, sold out their season tickets in under two hours of going on sale.

 
A Look at the Bradley Braves
Series Record: 2-0 (PUR Leads) | Last Meeting: Aug. 25, 2006 (W, 3-0 in West Lafayette, Ind.)

• Bradley is coming off its first win of the season, a hard-fought five-setter in which no team led by more than two points in the final frame.
• The team is out-blocking opponents 1.7 vs. 1.5 blocks per set, however opponents are out-hitting the Braves 11.4 vs. 13.0 kills per set and 12.8 vs. 14.3 digs per set.
• The team is led by #22 Kaitlynn Peterson (4.00 digs per set) and #14 Mai Bertens Deckart (3.35 kills per set).

 
A Look at the Utah Utes
Series Record: 1-2 (Utah Leads) | Last Meeting: Dec. 1, 2017 (L- 1-3 in Salt Lake City, Utah)

• Utah fell out of the AVCA top-25 poll following its loss to then-#23 Kansas (L, 1-3), moving from #22 to receiving the most votes at 102.
• 2021 Pacific South All-Region honoree #13 Madelyne Robinson leads the team with 3.90 kills per set and hits at an .286 efficiency, however a balanced Utes offense leads to six players averaging at least 2.22 points per set.
• In addition to returning eight letterwinners, 14 members of the Utes roster saw time on the court last weekend.

 
A Look at the Milwaukee Panthers
Series Record: 0-2 MIL Leads) | Last Meeting: Aug. 30, 2003 (L, 0-3 in St. Louis, Mo.)

• Milwaukee spent Week One at Notre Dame's Shamrock Invitational where the team closed the tournament with a 2-3 loss at Notre Dame, falling 13-15 in the fifth set.
• Three Panthers reached double-digit kills in the match at Notre Dame, including #14 Madi Malone's double-double with 26 kills on 56 swings with five errors (.375 attack %) and 16 digs.
• Malone is averaging 3.79 kills per set, followed by Ari Miller's 2.45 kills per set.

Tennessee Classic Look-Back

• Purdue went 3-0 over the opening weekend in Knoxville, averaging a .299 hitting % while holding opponents to .175.
• Four Boilemakers reached double-digit kills in the four-setter at Tennessee, marking the most balanced offensive effort Purdue has seen outside postseason play since the 2020 season.
• Six returners set or matched career-bests in at least one category: Raven Colvin, Ali Hornung, Madeline Koch, Megan Renner, Maddie Schermerhorn, Ava Torrance.
• Purdue kept the same starters all weekend: #3 Renner (S), #17 Hudson (OH), #16 Koch (OH), #7 Colvin (MB), #8 Schermerhorn (L), #10 Hornung (DS), #20 Clayton (MB).
• Four hitters in addition to both setters (Megan Renner and Grace Balensiefer) averaged a .333 attack % or better.

 
Purdue in the AVCA Rankings

• It is Purdue's third straight season ranked at least #13 in the preseason poll.
• Purdue is ranked in the AVCA top-15 for 24 straight weeks (begins: March 8, 2021), a program-record.
• The program has been ranked for 78 consecutive weeks (begins: preseason 2017), the longest active streak by any Purdue team, including men's basketball.
• Purdue is coming off its highest final ranking in program history at #6, besting the team's previous record, #7 which was season the season before.
• The Boilermakers set their highest-ever ranking last year, checking in at #3 following the take-down of #3 Ohio State inside Holloway Gymnasium, 3-2 (9/24/21).

 
Making an Immediate Impact: Eva Hudson

• In her collegiate debut, freshman outside hitter Eva Hudson led not just the team, but the entire Big Ten with 4.70 kills per set (good for #24 in the nation) and 51 total points.
• Hudson's 4.70 kills per set rank #25 in the nation and is one of just two freshmen nationally to post as good of numbers in Week One (joined by Central Arkansas's Laci Bohannan with 4.77 kills/set).
• Hudson was selected Big Ten Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, marking the first time in program history a Boilermaker has won both awards (excludes Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honor, of which three Purdue freshmen have garnered, including current teammate Raven Colvin).
• Ranking #25 in the nation with 4.70 points per set,
• She is the 11th student-athlete in Big Ten history to receive both Player and Freshman of the Week honors. All but one those players went on to be named All-Americans during their career and/or Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• Hudson was named MVP of the Tennessee Classic.
• Opened her collegiate career with a weekend's best 18 kills vs. Bowling Green, which including the MAC Player of the Year and MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
• Posted 36 attempts in the season-opener, the most touches by a freshman since before 2014. A feat she then bested at #RV Tennessee the next day, tallying 44.

 
Defense Lives Here

• Purdue led the nation in total blocks last year with 372.5.
• The Boilermaker block has gotten better year over year, not only ranking first or second in the Big Ten in total blocks the past three straight seasons, but among the top seven in the nation: (#1 in 2021, #5 in 2020, #7 in 2019).
• The team's 631 block assists in 2021 not only led the nation, but broke a 35-year-old program record.
• Purdue has out-blocked opponents 1.4 blocks per set last season, the largest margin for the program in 17 years.
• The Boilermakers averaged 15.17 digs per last season, a mark only reached four times in the program's last 17 seasons.

 
Madeline Koch: Primed for Breakout Year

• Koch set career-bests in the Tennessee Classic including: 12 kills and 30 attacks at Tennessee (8/27) six blocks vs. Bowling Green (8/26) in the season-opener. The six blocks count as the most block assists and total blocks the senior has recorded in a single match.
• Was named strongest upperclassmen in the team awards after the 2021 season.
• In 2021, Koch started just one match and averaged 1.84 kills per set and 0.34 blocks per set. Although early, Koch has started all three matches, is averaging 2.40 kills per set and 1.20 blocks per set.
• Koch's next block will bring her to 13 on the year, which will tie her 2021 season total.