Wildcats, Hoosiers on Deck for Volleyball

Friday, October 28 | 9 p.m. ET
No. 12 Purdue at Northwestern
BTN | WSHY 104.3

Sunday, October 30 | 1 p.m. ET
No. 12 Purdue vs. Indiana
B1G+ | WSHY 104.3
Monon Spike Match | Halloween Match


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 12 Purdue volleyball squad is slated for a pair of competitive matches at Northwestern and vs. Indiana this weekend.

First, Purdue will take on Northwestern on Friday night inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. The 9 p.m. ET match will air on Big Ten Network.

Then, Purdue returns home to defend its rights to the Monon Spike trophy in a matinee battle against Indiana. The rivalry match, also the Halloween match, will begin at 1 p.m. ET on B1G+. Fans are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes.
 
 
Monon Spike Match: 2021 And its History

• This year's spike match will be hosted by Purdue on Sunday.
• Purdue retained the traveling trophy, the Monon Spike, last year with a sweep at Indiana for the 14th straight time.
• The History: The Monon Spike traveling trophy was created in 1981, presented to the winning Team after one of the two annual matches. The spike match alternates locations each season. The trophy idea was the brainchild of Donna Hardesty and Anne McMenamy, seniors on the 1981 Purdue team. They chose the Spike from the Monon Railroad, which originated in Indiana in the late 19th century, to be a reminder of the competition on the court as well as the tradition of the state of Indiana. As with its sibling trophies, the Old Oaken Bucket (football) and the Golden Boot (soccer), a "P" or "I" is added to the chain signifying the season's winner. The Spike currently has 35 "P" links and 12 "I" links.

Schedule Notes

• Three of Purdue's last five matches were against top-10 opponents.
• 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. Of those six, four are top-11 programs. Moreover, the Boilermakers will be on the road most of the month, with five away contests.
• 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 Northwestern Wildcats
Series Record : 61-28 (PUR leads) | Last Meeting: Nov. 21, 2021 (W, 3-1 in Evanston)

• Northwestern is 2-4 against ranked teams this season with wins against Pepperdine and Minnesota.
• The Wildcats are one of the most efficient offenses in the Big Ten and rank 1st in assists per set and 2nd in both hitting % and kills per set.
• The Northwestern attack is led by Temi Thomas-Ailara who ranks 3rd in the league with 4.08 kills per set on a .206%.
• The Wildcats' defensive effort is led by Megan Miller with an average of 4.12 digs per set which is 5th in the Big Ten.

 
A Look At The Indiana Hoosiers
Series Record: 73-34 (PUR leads) | Last Meeting: Oct. 14, 2022 (W, 3-2 in Bloomington)

• Indiana enters the week on a three-match win streak, the longest in Big Ten action since 2014 and includes a win at then-#25 Michigan.  They have an opportunity to extend the streak to 4 matches on Friday vs. Rutgers prior to the match against Purdue.
•  The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in kills per set with 12.30 and are led by Mady Saris (3.71).
• Savannah Kjolhede is coming off a career-high nine block performance at Michigan State.
• Indiana also brings one of the best serves in the Big Ten to Holloway Gymnasium. They average 1.80 service aces per set which is good for 2nd in the Big Ten behind Maryland.  Three players average over 0.30 aces per set.

Standout Performers

• Last week, Maddie Schermerhorn was one of the most reliable defensive specialists, totaling 5.00 digs per set ranking second in the Big Ten through the week.
• Raven Colvin had an outstanding individual effort from the service line averaging 0.57 aces per set, which was tied for third in the Big Ten last week.
• Hannah Clayton had a breakout week totaling 12 total blocks including 3 solos.  This ranks her fourth in the Big Ten last week with 1.71 blocks per set.
•  Eva Hudson continued her incredible freshmen season by ranking fifth in kills and sixth in points last week.  She averaged 4.00 kills per set and 4.29 points per set to cap off the week.

 
Recap: Purdue Outlasts IU in 5 Sets (24-26, 25-22, 15-25, 25-15, 15-10)

• Purdue's win at Indiana marked the 20th consecutive win over Indiana.
• Megan Renner recorded her first career double-double with 41 assists and career-high 12 digs.
• Emma Ellis came within one kill of her career-best, ending the night with a season-high 14 kills and a team-best .367 attack %.
• Purdue hit .520 in the fourth set, behind 14 kills and one attack error. Ellis recorded an errorless four kills on six swings.

 
The Anchor: Maddie Schermerhorn

• Libero Maddie Schermerhorn is the Big Ten leader with 4.44 digs per set this season.
• Number of 15+ dig matches: 7
• Number of 20+ dig matches: 4
• Schermerhorn set a career-high 26 digs vs. Utah (9/2).
• During Big Ten play, Schermerhorn is averaging 4.10 digs per set.
• Schermerhorn missed three straight matches this year due to injury: at Iowa (9/25), at Illinois and vs. Rutgers (10/2).
• The senior played in her 100th career match with the start at Indiana (10/14).

Recap: at #9 Minnesota

• The Boilermakers posted a Big Ten season-high 12 total blocks in the 3-1 loss in Minneapolis.
• Hannah Clayton had one of her strongest performances of her career, ending the match with a career-high-tying nine blocks, including a career-best three solo stuffs.
• Three Boilermakers reached double-digit kills: Eva Hudson (21), Madeline Koch (12) and Emma Ellis (10).
• Hudson totaled 66 attempts in the match, marking just the fourth time a Boilermaker has attacked as many times in the last four years and the only among them to do it outside of a five set match. She joins Caitlyn Newton (last: 75 attacks vs. Minnesota, 2/6/21) and Grace Cleveland (69 vs. Indiana, 10/9/19).

If the Season Were to End Today

• Hudson's 4.85 kills per set and 5.51 points per set are the most by a Boilermaker in non-con play for more than seven years. Annie Drews, who went on to win Olympic Gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was the next closest with 4.91 points per set during her 2015 senior campaign. 
• Maddie Schermerhorn's 4.44 digs per set would rank 5th-best in Purdue single-season history.

Stats to Watch

• Hannah Clayton is on track to eclipse 400 career blocks this season, entering the week with 394.