LOUISVILLE, KY. – The No. 8 seeded Purdue volleyball squad is poised to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in the opening round of the NCAA tournament on Friday. The match will begin at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.
A LOOK AT THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Series History: 8-1 (PUR Leads) | Last Meeting: 8/27/22 (W, 3-1 in Knoxville)
- Tennessee is 7-3 over its last 10 matches and 0-6 this season vs. ranked opponents.
- Two Volunteers earned SEC postseason awards: senior Morgahn Fingall was All-SEC and named the league's scholar-athlete of the year while freshman Keondreya Granberry received all-freshman team.
- As a team, Tennessee is hitting .263 on the season while holding opponents to a .231 attack %. Fingall owns a .300 attack % as the their leading offensive weapon (4.36 kills per set).
- Erykah Lovett leads the back row with 300 digs while fellow DS Ashllyn King is averaging 3.19 per set.
- On Monday, Fingall was picked as SEC Player & Offensive Player of the Week, following a 6.00 kills per set average, 1 ace per set, 2 digs per set and 7.57 points per set last week vs. Alabama. The right side hit .405 on the weekend with 42 kills over seven sets of action. In the sweep Friday, she posted 23 kills with just two errors on a .656 hitting %.
- Tennessee has never lost in the first round under HC Eve Rackham Watt.
- Nine Lady Vols have tournament experience with Tennessee, including Kylie Robinson, who Purdue faced when she played for Oregon in the 2020 season and guided the team with 22 assists, 8 digs in Purdue's 3-1 win in the Sweet Sixteen.
LAST TIME OUT: VS. TENNESSEE
- Purdue and Tennessee met already this season, on Day Two of the 2022 season in Knoxville. Purdue took down the Lady Vols, 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-18, 29-19) to win the Tennessee Classic tournament.
- The difference-maker came in Purdue's efficiency, which the Boilers led, .327 vs. .256. As a team, Purdue committed only two errors in the first, second and third sets each.
- Tennessee out-dug Purdue, 61-67, while taking the slight edge in kills, 59-60 and assists, 54-56. Meanwhile, the Vols were out-blocked, 7-6 and aced 5-4.
- Four Boilermakers reached double-digit kills at Tennessee, including three who set or matched career-highs and a season-best .327 attack % and 61 digs.
- Eva Hudson led Purdue with 17 kills, while adding six digs. Madeline Koch recorded 12 kills, a then-career-high.
- UT's Morgahn Fingall and Erykah Lovett sourced Tennessee's offense, each tallying 20 kills. Paola Laborda led both teams with 19 digs.
- At the tournament, Eva Hudson was named MVP, while Madeline Koch and Maddie Schermerhorn also earned All-tournament team honors.
PURDUE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: THE 24TH APPEARANCE
- The Boilermakers have earned a bid for the past eight straight years.
- Dave Shondell has led Purdue to the tournament 17 times in his 20 years of coaching and owns a 30-16 record in the Big Dance (65%).
- Purdue is coming off back-to-back Regional Final berths.
- Purdue NCAA Tournament Record: 34-23 (.596%)
- Number of Second Round Appearances: 21
- Number of Regional Semifinal Appearances: 15
- Regional Semifinals record under Shondell: 4-6 (advanced in 2010, 2013, 2020 2021)
- Number of Regional Finals Appearances: 5 (1982, 2010, 2013, 2020, 2021)
- Only twice in Purdue history as Purdue not advanced to the second round (1990 and 1984).
BREAKING DOWN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT SEEDS 6-8
- Among the 12 teams seeded 6-8 in the tournament this year, Purdue has by far the most matches vs. a top-15 team this season (8) - that is six more matchups than any other 8-seed and three more than any 6 or 7-seed.
- When comparing seeding and RPI, not only is Purdue the only 8-seed with an RPI in the 20's, but it also holds a better RPI than Iowa State (6-seed, 31 RPI), Florida State (7-seed, 30 RPI), Washington State (7-seed, 34 RPI), Miami (FL) (7-seed, 35 RPI).
- Among the 6-8 seeded teams, Purdue ranks second in blocks per set and digs per set.
- Decisive, 3-0 victories seem to be a difference for Purdue compared to the rest of the 6-8 seeds, having only swept opponents eight times this year (third-lowest in the group).
MEETING OLD FOES AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
- Purdue is set to meet Tennessee in the first round after having faced the team in Week 1 of the season. This marks just the third time in the last 34 years and eighth overall time Purdue has met a regular-season foe in the first or second rounds that same year.
- In 2010, Purdue met Louisville in the second round after playing the Cards earlier in the season. It also happened in 2009 in the first round.
DEFYING EXPECTATIONS
- Purdue finished 6th in the Big Ten standings after being picked to finish 8th in the Big Ten after graduating all but one member of their 2021 starting lineup.
- While no Boilermakers were recognized on the preseason All-Big Ten awards, three were selected: Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten and unanimous All-Freshman Team Eva Hudson, Second Team All-Big Ten Raven Colvin and Second Team All-Big Ten Maddie Schermerhorn.
- The Boilermakers started Big Ten play 5-0, the best start in 37 years (last: 1985, started 5-0).
- Purdue finished in the top-6 of the Big Ten standings for the 12th time in the last 13 years.
- For the seventh straight year, the Boilermakers entered Big Ten play with one non-conference loss or fewer (9-1 record). Moreover, the team's nine wins were the most in non-conference play since 2018.
- In four of the last seven years, Purdue has limited non-conference opponents to a .166 hitting % or lower.
MAKING HISTORY: RAVEN COLVIN SETS THE BIG TEN RALLY-SCORING ERA RECORD
- Sophomore middle Raven Colvin had the performance of her career at Maryland, posting 16 total blocks (5-11) in the four-set win.
- The mark sets a Big Ten and Purdue rally scoring era record.
- Her 16 blocks also set the Purdue four-set match record while also tying the overall Purdue record, both of which was held by Donna Gill in 1991.
- The last Big Ten player to crack the Big Ten record book for a single match in total blocks was also a Boilermaker - Stephanie Lynch (2007) when she notched 15 (4-11) vs. Utah.
- While Colvin's mark sets the rally-scoring era record for the Big Ten, it ties as the second-most all-time. She is one of seven Big Ten players to ever reach the mark. In fact, of those seven players, three are Boilermakers (Colvin, Amy Warner, Donna Gill) and four are Badgers (Tracy Tiffany, Arlisa Hagan, Connie Venzke, Heather Dodaro).
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
- Purdue's overall defensive showing last week was the best among all Power Five Teams.
- Purdue ranked No. 2 in the Power 5 in both total blocks (33) and total digs (152). No other team ranked in the top-5 in both categories.
- Defensive specialist Ali Hornung and libero Maddie Schermerhorn combined for 72 digs last week, averaging 8.0 digs per set.
- As a team, Purdue averaged 16.89 digs per set.
- With last week's performance, Purdue jumped from 40th in the nation to 13th in total blocks (303).
IF THE SEASON WERE TO END TODAY
- If the season were to end today, Maddie Schermerhorn would finish No. 3 in Purdue single-season history with 4.62 digs per set, surpassing Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Jena Otec (4.56 in 2020). In fact, she will have the highest digs/set in 15 years (Kelli Miller, #2 with 4.63 in 2007).
- Raven Colvin would rank No. 3 in block assists with 147 this season. With her next block assist, she will tie for No. 2's Debbie Leeman (1986). The record is 174 by Stephanie Lynch in 2008).
- Hudson would rank No. 9 in total attempts with 1,332. She has more attempts in a single-season than any freshman in Purdue history.
- Schermerhorn is on the cusp of cracking the top-10 in single-season digs, needing 18 more (currently at 471) to tie Kelli Miller's 10th-place spot with 489 in 2006. Schermerhorn would be the first defensive specialist to make the top-10 in seven years (last: Amanda Neil, 2015).
- Hudson's 4.52 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.