Boilermakers Head to Utah

STACEY CLARK CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 5
3 p.m. ET | #8 Purdue vs. California | ESPN+
 
Friday, September 6
9 p.m. ET | #8 Purdue at Utah | ESPN+
 
Saturday, September 7
7 p.m. ET | at Utah State | Mountain West Network
 

West Lafayette, Ind. – The No. 8 Purdue Boilermakers begin its eight-match road stretch as they ready to travel to Utah for a trio of matchups.
 

PURDUE IN WEEK ONE: HIGHLIGHTS

• Purdue earned the title of Stacey Clark Classic Champions after dropping just one set and winning nine in Week 1. 
• Eva Hudson (MVP) and Raven Colvin repped Purdue on the Stacey Clark Classic all-tournament team.
• The Boilermakers posted a .337 average hitting % over opening weekend, including a .450 hitting % vs. UC Davis, one of the most efficient matches by the Boilermakers in the last six years.
• Senior libero Ali Hornung led the back row, averaging a Big Ten-leading 4.90 digs per set.
• Purdue totaled 17 blocks in the season-opener vs. K-State, led by Raven Colvin's 10 (1-9).
• Taylor Anderson led the Big Ten with 122 total assists and posted the most assists in a three-setter (45 vs. UC Davis). Anderson also set a career-high 8 blocks (vs. K-State).

HUDSON NAMED AVCA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• The Stacey Clark Classic MVP led the league with 46 kills and 50.5 points.
• Averaged 4.60 kills per set 
• Hit over .430 in back-to-back matches (.467% vs. UMBC and .433 vs. UC Davis)
• Recorded just one attack error vs. UMBC (8/31)
• Posted a double-double in the season-opener vs. K-State, recording 16 kills, 12 digs and a career-high-tying 5 blocks, which were the most since her freshman season.
• Was one dig shy of her second double-double of the season with her 15-kill, 9 dig performance vs. UC Davis.

SCOUTING CAL

• The Golden Bears are off to a 3-0 start after the Rose City Showdown. 
• Sophomore outside hitter, Xuemeng (Maggie) Li was named ACC Offensive Player of the week, and Senior setter Annalea Maeder was named ACC Setter of the Week. 
• Li is coming off a strong freshman campaign, where she was awarded Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and was the only freshman to make the All-Pac-12 Team. 
• California is coached by first-year head coach Jen Malcom, who was previously the associate head coach at UCLA. 

SCOUTING UTAH

• Utah comes into the match 3-0 after a weekend of volleyball at the Utah Classic. 
• Sophomore outside hitter, Kamryn Gibadlo received Utah Classic MVP honors and fifth-year ibero, Vanessa Ramirez was awarded All-Classic Libero honors. 
• Last season, Gibadlo was an honoree for the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. 
• Utah returns 95% of their offense from last season, including all four kill leaders Lauren Jardine, Kamryn Gibadlo, Emrie Satuala, and Allie Olsen. 
• The Utes are led by head coach Beth Launiere who is in her 35th season with the program. 

SCOUTING UTAH STATE

• The Aggies are coming off a 1-2 opening weekend at the Utah Classic, with a win against Green Bay and losses to Utah and UTEP. 
• Utah State was voted second in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll after winning three-straight Mountain West titles. 
• Senior opposite, Adna Mehmedovic and Junior middle blocker, Tienrey Barlow were named to the all-MW preseason team. 
• The team has won 31 of its last 35 matches at home. 
• Head Coach Rob Neilson is now in his fifth season at Utah State and was highlighted as the 2023 Mountain West Coach of the Year. 

THE 2024 TEAM AT A GLANCE

• Purdue returns nearly its entire 2023 starting lineup with the exception of libero Maddie Schermerhorn, who led the Big Ten last season in digs per set.
• Three freshmen (DS Ryen McAlear, S Allie Shondell and DS Sienna Foster) and one senior transfer (OH/RS Raven Gray) join the team.
• The roster is one of the most talented and decorated in program history: returning all three 2023 All-America recognized players: Hudson, Chicoine, Colvin.
• Of Purdue's record-tying six Big Ten postseason honors, five are returning for the coming season.
• Hudson and Chicoine enter 2024 as the top-rated offensive duo in the nation, leading all of Division I (kills and points).
• For the last two consecutive seasons, All-America Honorable Mention and First Team All-Big Ten middle Raven Colvin has posted some of the most blocks in program history, ranking #2 for her 2022 season (151) and T-#3 in 2023 (148 blocks).
• One of the best freshman setters in Purdue history, Taylor Anderson led the entire Big Ten in five separate weeks and was the most productive blocker among all Big Ten setters (.89 blocks per set). Additionally, she guided Purdue to a pair of its best offensive productions in the last five years.

 
TOP OFFENSIVE DUO IN THE NATION: HUDSON & CHICOINE

• The Boilermakers' offensive arsenal includes the top-ranked offensive duo in the nation: Eva Hudson and Chloe Chicoine.
• No other program in the country has two players ranked as high in both kills and points last year.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

• The schedule features six non-conference matchups vs. 2023 NCAA Tournament teams.
• A total of 12 matches this fall will come against teams ranked or receiving votes in the 2023 AVCA final poll.
• For five consecutive matches in non-con play, Purdue will face teams ranked in the top-28 of last year's RPI: at No. 17 Utah State (9/7), vs. No. 28 Houston (9/13), at No. 24 SMU or vs. No. 7 Kentucky (9/14), at No. 14 Kansas (9/19) and vs. No. 9 Creighton (9/20).
• Purdue will play two matches in its historic Mackey Arena: vs. Indiana (10/19) for the Monon Spike trophy match and the following week vs. Wisconsin (10/26).
• The 2024 season will mark the most road matches in non-conference action since 2008, with Purdue at home for two matches in the month of September.
• For the first half of the season (August through mid-October), Purdue will have 12 away matches and five home matches.
• A rigorous end to the regular season will see three of the last four matches vs. top-25 teams: at No. 12 Penn State (11/21), vs. No. 24 USC (11/23) and at No. 7 Oregon (11/27).