No. 12 Volleyball to Face Pair of Top-10 Foes

Wednesday, Oct. 19 | 8 p.m. ET
No. 12 Purdue vs. No. 3 Nebraska
BTN | WSHY 104.3

Saturday, Oct. 22 | 9 p.m. ET
No. 12 Purdue at No. 9 Minnesota
BTN | WSHY 104.3
 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 12 Boilermaker volleyball team looks to bounce back with a pair of top-10 opponents vs. No. 3 Nebraska (16-1, 8-0 Big Ten)and at No. 9 Minnesota (10-6, 5-3 Big Ten).

Purdue will begin the split weekend with a midweek vs. No. 3 Nebraska, which remains undefeated in conference play. The match is set for an 8 p.m. ET first serve on Big Ten Network and the Hawaiian Night promotion will include a Purdue Hawaiian-themed cooler giveaway for the first fans in attendance.

Then, Purdue will travel to Minneapolis for a Saturday night matchup at No. 9 Minnesota. The Boilermakers will be closing out the season series against the Gophers after sweeping them at home to open the Big Ten season in September. The match will begin at 9 p.m. ET on BTN.
 
Schedule Notes

• Four of the team's next five matches will appear on Big Ten Network.
• Purdue has 12 matches remaining this season, with just five at home.
• The month of November will be the team's toughest stretch of the year, with six of the team's eight matches (75%) against programs receiving a nod in the AVCA poll. Moreover, the Boilermakers will be on the road most of the month, with five away contests.
• Purdue is 8-2 over its last 10 matches.
• Holloway Gymnasium is sold out for the remainder of the season. In fact, Purdue sold out every match this season except for its 10 a.m. win vs. Bradley on Sept. 2 - a match that came 315 tickets short of a sell-out.
• Holloway Gymnasium is sold out for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, the student section, the Block Party, sold out their season tickets in under two hours of going on sale.

 
A Look At The #3 Nebraska Cornhuskers
Series Record: 8-21 (NEB leads) | Last Meeting: Nov. 27, 2021 (L, 1-3 in West Lafayette)

• The Boilermakers most recent win against the Huskers came on Oct. 26, 2019, where they won 3-2 in West Lafayette.
• Nebraska and Wisconsin faced off in the 2021 NCAA Championship match, in which the Huskers fell 2-3 to the Badgers to finish runner-up in the tournament.
• Nebraska is arguably the best defensive team in the Big Ten and one of the best in the country.  They lead the conference in Opponent Hitting Percent, Opponent Assists, Opponent Kills, Opponent Service Aces, and Digs, while also ranking third in Blocks.
• The Huskers attack is led by Madi Kubik and Whitney Lauenstein, who are both averaging over 3.00 kills per set.
• 2021 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Rodriguez ranks second in the Big Ten in digs per set with 4.30. She is only behind Maddie Schermerhorn from Purdue who is averaging 4.37 digs per set.

 
A Look At The #9 Minnesota Golden Gophers
Series Record : 33-56 (MINN leads) | Last Meeting: Sep. 23, 2022 (W, 3-0 in West Lafayette)

• Purdue's most recent win at Minnesota came on Nov. 14, 2021, which broke a 19-match losing streak at Minnesota. It is the first time Purdue has won back-to-back matches against Minnesota since the 1998 season.
• The Golden Gophers offense is led by Taylor Landfair who is averaging 4.52 kills per set and ranks second in the Big Ten behind Eva Hudson.
• Melani Shaffmaster leads the team in assists per set and ranks second in the Big Ten with 10.50 assists per set.
• Carter Booth and Naya Gross both rank in the top ten of the Big Ten in blocks per set with averages of 1.29 and 1.28, respectively.

Defying Expectations

• Although the Boilermakers were picked to finish 8th in the Big Ten, they currently sit at 4th in the standings and with the second-highest overall win % (.833).
• The Boilermakers started Big Ten play 5-0, the best start in 37 years (last: 1985, started 5-0).
• The team's 6-2 start to Big Ten play is the best since 2015 (6-2). It also marks the fourth time this Boilermakers have started the season with six wins in the last 36 years (2015, 2014, 2006).
• For the seventh straight year, the Boilermakers entered Big Ten play with one non-conference loss or fewer.
• Purdue closed non-conference season with a 9-1 record, marking the most wins in non-conference play since 2018.

 
Among the Big Ten

• Purdue was the last team to remain undefeated at home this season, opening the season with an 8-0 record on Belin Court.
• The Boilers are fifth in the league in kills (13.36/set) and hitting % (.251). Meanwhile, they are second in opponents blocks (1.85/set).
• Libero Maddie Schermerhorn is recording a league-leading 4.37 digs per set this season.

 
Making an Immediate Impact: Eva Hudson

• As the Big Ten leader in points/set and kills/set, Hudson has set the standard for Big Ten freshmen.
• Hudson ranks in the nation's top-10 in kills/set (4.68) and points/set (5.21), despite her newcomer status. To put in perspective, the next highest-ranked freshman is Mimi Colyer (Oregon) at #56 with 4.46 points/set and #62 with 3.86 kills/set.
• The Fort Wayne, Indiana native has reached double-digit kills in every match this season.
• In conference play, Hudson is averaging 4.50 kills per set.
• Hudson has posted four double-doubles in the last six matches, including her career-high 24 kills and 17 digs at Illinois.
• Number of 20+ kill matches: 4
• Number of 15+ kill matches: 14
• Number of matches hitting above .300%: 9
• Number of matches hitting above .350%: 7
• Number of matches hitting above .400%: 4
• Matches hitting .500%: 1
• When reaching 20 kills in a match, Hudson has done so at some of her most efficient rates, including 21 kills with a .475% vs. Xavier (9/10) and 24 kills with a .380%, 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.