#16 Volleyball Primed for Season-Opener

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, August 25
#18 Creighton vs. Loyola Chicago
4 p.m. ET | B1G+

Duke at #16 Purdue
7 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Radio: WSHY 104.3
 
Saturday, August 26
#18 Creighton at #16 Purdue
3:30 p.m. ET | BTN | Radio: WSHY 104.3

Loyola Chicago vs. Duke
6 p.m. ET

Sunday, August 27
Duke vs. #18 Creighton
Noon | B1G+

Loyola Chicago at #16 Purdue
3 p.m. ET | B1G+ | WSHY 104.3
 
Schedule Breakdown

• Purdue is set to play its toughest non-conference schedule during the Shondell era, headlined by six opponents ranked or receiving votes in the final 2022 AVCA poll. Purdue will host four of those six opponents in Holloway Gymnasium.
• Nine opponents are featured in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, including four confirmed top-10 opponents (potentially five if Purdue plays #10 Kentucky in the Stacey Clark Classic). An additional three opponents received votes in the poll, bringing Purdue's opponent total to 12 opponents ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA preseason poll.
• Three of the team's four weeks of non-conference action will be at home.
• The Boilermakers will see at least one 2022 AVCA final poll ranked opponent each week.
• The first home match of conference action is slated for Friday, September 29 vs. Nebraska. In addition to serving as Purdue's Big Ten home-opener, the match kicks off a four-match homestand, the longest stretch of matches the Boilermakers will host for the remainder of the year.

 
Preseason All-Big Ten

• Eva Hudson garnered unanimous preseason All-Big Ten honors after leading the league last season in points (570.5) and kills (503).
• She is one of three players in the league to receive the unanimous selection and the only underclassman.
• In the last nine years, there have only been five underclassmen, including Hudson, to earn the unanimous status (Hudson is joined by Ohio State's Emily Londot in 2021, Wisconsin's Dana Rettke in 2018, Minnesota's Stephanie Samedy in 2018 and Penn State's Haleigh Washington in 2015).
• Purdue's last unanimous preseason selection was Grace Cleveland (2021). 

The Roster at a Glance

• Eleven of the 17 members of the team are underclassmen (64%).
• Purdue picked up one transfer in graduate setter Lorrin Poulter.
• Class breakdown: eight freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors, one senior, two graduate students.
• Eight members are the team are from the state of Indiana.
• States represented on the roster: Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas.
• Tallest member of the team: 6'6" middle blocker Lizzie Carr.
• Shortest member of the Team: 5'7" defensive specialists Emily Brown and Rachel Williams.
• The Boilermakers lose seven players: defensive specialist Ava Torrance, setter Grace Balensiefer, outside hitter Maddy Chinn, outside hitter Emma Ellis, outside hitter Madeline Koch, middle blocker Hannah Clayton and setter Megan Renner.

 
Joining the Team: The #3-Ranked Recruiting Class

• Six freshmen join the team for the upcoming 2023 season: Chloe Chicoine, Grace Heaney, Taylor Anderson, Rachel Williams, Kenna Wollard and Julia Kane.
• Purdue landed its first No. 1 recruit in the nation in Chloe Chicoine.
• The class ties 2014 as the highest-ranked recruiting class during the Shondell era.
• The class is made up of one setter (Anderson), two outside hitters (Chicoine and Wollard), one opposite/right side (Heaney) and two defensive specialists (Kane and Williams).
• The incoming class includes four players ranked among the top-63 in the nation, including Indiana Miss Volleyball Chicoine. Heaney checks in at No. 17 overall, followed by Anderson at No. 38 and Wollard at No. 6.