Road Trips to Indiana, Ohio State on Deck

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Coming off a pair of victories, the No.15 Purdue volleyball squad is set to travel to Indiana and Ohio State for Week 8.
 
The Boilermakers (10-5, 4-2 Big Ten) open the week with the Monon Spike match at Indiana (13-6, 3-3 Big Ten) tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The Boilermakers have won the Monon Spike trophy match for the last 15 consecutive years and will look to extend the streak to 16. The rivalry match will be the first of two, with the team down south slated to play at Holloway Gymnasium next Wednesday.
 
Then, Purdue will travel to Ohio State for the first time since 2021 to take on the Buckeyes (6-9, 3-3 Big Ten) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed on B1G+.


THE MONON SPIKE: BY THE NUMBERS:

• Purdue has won the Monon Spike for 15 straight years and is looking for its 16th Wednesday night.
• All-Time Record in Monon Spike Matches: 36-12.
• Monon Spike Record under Dave Shondell: 19-1

MONON SPIKE MATCH: 2021 AND ITS HISTORY

• The Monon Spike traveling trophy was created in 1981 and is presented to the winning team after one of the two annual matches, alternating location each season between venues.
• The trophy idea was the brainchild of Purdue's Donna Hardesty and Anne McMenamy, seniors on the 1981 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 36 "P" links and 12 "I" links.

SCOUTING THE INDIANA HOOSIERS

• Last week, Indiana pushed #14 Penn State to five sets before falling, 11-15 in the fifth set.
• Setter Camryn Haworth is one of the top setters in the league, averaging 9.80 assists per set, good for third-most, while leading all Big Ten players with 44 service aces (.68 per set).
• Meanwhile, freshman Ramsey Gary is third in the Big Ten with 260 total digs.
• Indiana has lost just one match at home, which came vs. #2 Nebraska. The Hoosiers lost, 1-3 after taking the first set.
• A fairly spread-out Hoosier offense has led to five players with more than 120 kills this season. Leading the charge is Mady Saris (2.44 per set) and Kaley Rammelsberg (2.53). Middle Savannah Kjolhede leads the attack with a .364 hitting %.

SCOUTING THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

• The Buckeyes fell out of the top-25 after splitting Week 7 at Rutgers (W, 3-1) and at #14 Penn State (L, 2-3).
• Although Ohio State is 3-9 over the last 12 matches, every loss came against a ranked opponent, eight of which were top-11 teams.
• Emily Londot leads the way for the Buckeyes, ranking 8th in the nation in attacks per set (12.04) and 15th in points per set (5.01). The senior totaled 16 kills at #14 Penn State to lead the team despite the five-set loss.
• Middle Rylee Rader is averaging a .357 attack %.

PURDUE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

• Purdue currently ranks 15th in the nation in the AVCA/Taraflex poll. This comes after checking in at #19 last week. The four-point rise marks the largest jump of the season for Purdue.
• The last time Purdue ranked so high was Nov. 7, 2022 (#15).
• Although it is the first week Purdue has re-entered the top-15 since last season, the Boilermakers' history of excellence includes 42 of the last 53 weeks in the top-15.
• Purdue is #19 in the latest NCAA RPI.
• The program has been ranked for 99 consecutive weeks (since preseason 2017), the longest active streak by any Purdue team.
• Purdue's highest final ranking in program history came in 2021 at #6.
• Last year, the squad was ranked as high as 5th in the nation - its second-highest ranking in program history. The record was set in 2021, ranking 4th following the take-down of #3 Ohio State inside Holloway Gymnasium, 3-2 (9/24/21).

RISING TO THE OCCASION: EVA HUDSON IN BIG TEN PLAY

• Eva Hudson has risen to the occasion in Big Ten matches, with increased production in virtually every offensive category compared to non-conference play.
• The sophomore is averaging 4.35 kills per set, up from her 3.63 during non-con action.
• Since Big Ten play has started, Hudson has risen in the Big Ten standings, ranking #5 in kills per set (3.90) and #5 in points per set (4.30).
• Hit .257% or better in seven of the last eight matches.
• Hudson began Big Ten play by averaging 5.00 kills per set in the first week of action.
• Recorded a season-high hitting % with a .394 mark vs. Illinois (16-3-33).

ON THE SCENE: CHLOE CHICOINE

• Chicoine has one Player of the Week and three Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards under her belt.
• The Boilermaker earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday after leading the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC in points per set (5.63
• Chicoine not only leads all Big Ten freshmen, but is one of four freshmen in the nation to post as many kills per set (3.93).
• She made an entrance to the collegiate scene, as one of only 10 players in the nation, regardless of class, to produce as many attacks in the first weekend of competition.
• In her first weekend of play, Chicoine was second overall in the Big Ten in total points (53) and kills (48) in Week One of play, leading all freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
• Meanwhile, her 19 kills vs. Duke edged Eva Hudson's 18 kills to set Purdue's record for most kills by a Purdue freshman in the season-opener this century.
• Chicoine hit .359% vs. #2 Nebraska with 18 kills and just four errors on 39 swings.
• Number of matches with 15+ kills: 10
• Number of matches with 20+ kills: 3
• Number of matches with 10+ digs: 6
• Number of errorless sets this season: 18