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#13 Boilermakers to Close Regular-Season in Michigan#13 Boilermakers to Close Regular-Season in Michigan

#13 Boilermakers to Close Regular-Season in Michigan

The volleyball regular season is slated to close this week in Michigan, as the No. 13 Purdue squad set to take on Michigan on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET on BTN, followed by a match at Michigan State less than 24 hours later at 6 p.m. ET on B1G+.

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The volleyball regular season is slated to close this week in Michigan, as the No. 13 Purdue squad set to take on Michigan on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET on BTN, followed by a match at Michigan State less than 24 hours later at 6 p.m. ET on B1G+.


PURDUE AT A GLANCE
  • Only two matches remain in the regular season, with Purdue closing out the season in Michigan.
  • Purdue is on a five-match winning streak, dating back to Nov. 5 and are 11-3 over the last 14 matches.
  • The Boilermakers have risen to their highest rankings this season at #10 in the RPI and #13 in the AVCA/Taraflex poll. 
  • Eight of the team's last 10 matches came vs. an opponent ranked or receiving votes. The Boilermakers have gone 7-1 in those matches.
  • Purdue was named NCAA Team of the Week following its victory vs. #3 Wisconsin and vs. Maryland.
  • Maddie Schermerhorn leads the Big Ten with 4.46 digs per set and Raven Colvin leads the league with 149 total blocks. 
  • Meanwhile, Eva Hudson and Chloe Chicoine are the most efficient offensive duo in the conference, ranking in the top-7 in both kills per set and points per set.

SCOUTING THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
  • Michigan owns the toughest serve in the Big Ten, averaging 1.75 aces per set as a team.
  • Two Wolverines: Valentina Vaulet (5th) and Kendall Murray (7th) are among the toughest servers in the league, checking in with .36 and .34 per set, respectively.
  • Wins include 3-1 victories vs. Ohio State and vs. Northwestern.
  • Michigan is averaging a .172 attack % while opponents average a .246.

SCOUTING THE MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
  • Tayla Holdem leads the team with 3.48 kills per set (and ranks ninth in the Big Ten), followed by Aliyah Moore's 2.28 per set.
  • The team holds opponents to some of the lowest dig per set numbers, second only to Nebraska with an opponent average of 12.28.
  • Amani McArthur leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference in hitting % (.362) and ninth in blocks (1.12 per set).
  • Jayhlin Murray has one of the toughest serves in the league, serving up .35 aces per set, sixth-highest in the Big Ten. 
  • Wins include a 3-2 victory vs. #13 Penn State.

LAST TIME OUT VS MICHIGAN STATE: W, 3-1 (23-25, 30-28, 25-23, 25-18)
  • It was a game of runs early on, with teams trading large runs to shift momentum – including an 8-0 run by Michigan State that was enough to eventually take Set 1. Meanwhile, the Boilermakers responded in Set 2 with a 9-1 run of their own to snag a 23-21 lead. The momentum carried over, as a gritty Purdue team then denied three Michigan State set points and took the game on its on third attempt.
  • The Boilers tallied a season-high-tying 16 blocks in the match, including a career-high-tying nine by Lourdes Myers.
  • Purdue's 30-28 set score was the highest-scoring set the Boilers have won this season.
  • Lorrin Poulter came off the bench to post a 34 assist, eight dig and two block performance, the most assists the transfer has produced since the season-opener vs. Duke.
  • Maddie Schermerhorn and Ali Hornung combined for 37 digs, with Schermerhorn posting 20 and Hornung 17.
  • Eva Hudson and Chloe Chicoine each came one dig shy of a double-double. Chicoine led the day with 18 kills, nine digs, while tying career-bests in aces (four) and blocks (three). Meanwhile, Hudson totaled 16 kills.

ON THE LINE
  • With a pair of wins this weekend, Purdue will likely finish 3rd in the Big Ten standings, the highest finish since 2011 and the 12th time in Purdue's history.
  • The Boilers are looking to solidify a top-16 host seed, which a pair of wins this weekend should create compelling enough evidence for the NCAA Selection Committee.
  • The next win will mark Purdue's 20th win, the 15th 20-win season under Dave Shondell.

PURDUE VS. AVCA TOP-25 OPPONENTS
  • The Boilermakers won matches against two teams ranked above them in the latest AVCA poll: #10 Kentucky (W, 3-2) and #5 Wisconsin (W, 3-2). Meanwhile they came three points shy of beating #1 Nebraska.
  • This year, Purdue is 6-3 vs. top-25 teams and 11-4 vs. teams ranked or receiving votes. Two of the losses come against the #1 and #2 teams in the nation.

7 RPI TOP-25 WINS
  • Purdue, #10 in the RPI, hold a 7-3 record vs. top-25 RPI teams. The Boilers are one of four teams in the nation with as many wins. They are joined by #1 Nebraska (9-0), #2 Stanford (7-3), #3 Pittsburgh (7-3).