Volleyball to End Non-Conference Slate with the Stacey Clark Classic

STACEY CLARK CLASSIC SCHEDULE

Thursday, September 15 | 7 p.m. ET
#10 Purdue vs. Northern Kentucky
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Friday, September 16 | 4 p.m. ET
Ball State vs. Northern Kentucky
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Saturday, September 17 | 4 p.m. ET
#10 Purdue vs. Ball State
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue volleyball squad (7-1) is set to close out its non-conference schedule with the Stacey Clark Classic, beginning tonight at 7 p.m. vs. Northern Kentucky (1-8).

The three-day tournament hosted by the Boilermakers will feature the Northern Kentucky Norse and the Ball State Cardinals (8-2). In the round-robin-style weekend, one match will be played each day, with the Boilermakers closing out the tournament on Saturday at 4 p.m. vs. Ball State.
 
 A LOOK AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY NORSE
Series Record: 2-0 (PUR Leads) | Last Meeting: Sept. 21, 2013 (W, 3-1 in West Lafayette)

• The Norse are coming off a five set loss to Austin Peay and have taken on two top-25 opponents in then-#4 Louisville (L, 0-3) and then-#22 Western Kentucky (L, 0-3).
• Leading the team's offense is outside hitter Anna Brinkman with 3.42 points per set, 2.89 kills per set. The Norse gets the most touches by far, totaling 342 attempts this season, with Abby Kanarky receiving the next-highest with 264 attempts.
• Allie Siefke leads the defensive effort at the net with 1.21 blocks per set. Meanwhile, the back row is led by Anna Burke's 4.25 digs per set.

 
A LOOK AT BALL STATE CARDINALS
Series Record: 22-4 (PUR Leads) | Last Meeting: Sept. 3, 2019 (W, 3-1 in West Lafayette)

• The Boilermakers have won every match against the Cardinals since 1977.
• Ball State is averaging 13.4 kills per set and a .262 attack %. In comparison, they are limiting opponents to a .220 efficiency despite allowing more kills per set (13.6).
• The team's middle blockers are the Middle blocker Marie Plitt leads the team with 2.96 points per set, .78 blocks per set and a .385 attack %. Plitt was named MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week following a .484 attack % over the team's three matches in the tournament over the weekend.
• Defensively, Maggie Huber is averaging 3.90 digs per set.
• The Cardinals took Dayton, a team Purdue faced in the NCAA Second Round last December, to five sets before falling 12-15 in the fifth. In the match, Ball State totaled 89 digs and 10 total blocks (3-14). Setter Megan Wielons­ki recorded 49 assists in the loss.

 
STARTING THE SEASON STRONG

• Purdue's 6-0 start was the best since 2018. It is the eighth time under HC Dave Shondell.
• The Boilermakers are off to one of its most efficient non-conference starts, ranking third in the league with a .288 hitting %.
• Four Boilers that have started are hitting above .300: Raven Colvin (.393% with 73-14-150), Hannah Clayton (.350% with 55-14-117), Eva Hudson (.321% with 134-30-324), Emily Rastovski (.417% with 6-1-12)

 
RETURNING HOME: KELLI MILLER

• Purdue's all-time digs leader Kelli Miller returns to Holloway since playing for the Old Gold & Black from 2005-08, where she totaled 2,013 digs and 4.05 digs per set.
• In a program that is known for their defensive game, she averaged 4.63 digs per set in 2007, which still ranks as the second-most in Purdue history. In fact, Miller is one of six Boilermakers in program history to produce at least 4.04 digs per set in a single season - and she did so for three years (2006, 2007, 2008).
• Meanwhile, she is third all-time with 568 digs in 2008, and made the top-10 list in season digs for each of her final three seasons. Miller was Dave Shondell's first recruit to commit to the program after taking the helm.
• Kelly Miller was an assistant for the Shondell's brother, Steve Shondell at Ball State before taking over the program.

 
EFFICIENCY IS KEY

• Raven Colvin is one of the most efficient attackers in all of the Big Ten, ranking sixth in the league with a .393 hitting %.
• Produced a .500 attack % in each of the matches last weekend: 8 kills, 1 error, 14 attempts at #4 Louisville followed by 11 kills, 2 errors, 18 swings vs. Xavier.
• Colvin has hit above .400 in five matches.
• The 2021 Big Ten All-Freshman Team has not committed more than three errors in a match all season.

 
THE BIG TEN COMPARISON

• The Boilermakers continue the tradition of having one of the toughest defensive units in the Big Ten, ranking No. 4 in opponent service aces (0.82), No. 4 in digs (14.07) and No. 5 in blocks (69).
• Offensively, Purdue ranks No. 3 in hitting % (.288) and limits the opponent block to 1.54 per set, good for No. 4 in the league.

 
MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT: EVA HUDSON

• As the Big Ten leader with 5.30 points per set and 4.79 kills per set, Hudson has set the standard for Big Ten freshmen.
• Hudson ranks 12th nationally in points per set as a freshman. To put in perspective, the next freshman ranked is Angeles Alderete (East Carolina), who checks in at 40th with 4.68 points per set. Meanwhile, the next Power 5 freshman to rank after Hudson is Logan Lednicky (Texas A&M) at No. 72 with 4.39 per set.
• Hudson recorded a career-high 21 kills vs. Milwaukee and matched the mark vs. Xavier, and is the most by a Big Ten player in a three-set match this season.
• Hudson has recorded 21 kills on two occasions this season, she has done so at some of her most efficient performances of her young career: .475% vs. Xavier and .395% vs. Milwaukee, proof that when she gets going, she is even more difficult to stop. In the past seven years, only All-Americans Sherridan Atkinson, Grace Cleveland, Danielle Cuttino and Faye Adelaja have registered as efficient of a match while posting 20+ kills. Of those four Boilermakers, only Hudson has accomplished the feat as an underclass­man.
• Hudson was selected Big Ten Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week after Week 1, 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).
• She is the 11th student-athlete in Big Ten history to receive both Player and Freshman of the Week honors in the same week. 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 and a Louisville Invitational All-Tournament Team honoree.
• Posted 36 attempts in the season-opener, the most touches by a freshman since before 2014. A feat she has continued to best and current stands at a season-high of 54 which came vs. #RV Utah (9/2).
• Hudson posted an ace in the first seven straight matches.
• The freshman has been knocking on the door for her first double-double, most recently coming two digs shy at #4 Louisville (17 kills, 8 digs).

 
STEPPING UP: MADDIE SCHERMERHORN

• This season, Schermerhorn is averaging 4.46 digs per set, second in the Big Ten and 60th in the nation.
• The libero is coming off a 2021 season which she averaged 1.42.
• In the five-set victory vs. Utah (9/2) Schermerhorn recorded a career-best 26 digs, the most by a Big Ten player in a 5-set match.
• Schermerhorn led the Big Ten in Week 2 of play, recording 59 digs on her way to earning her first-ever Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week nod.