Match Schedule:
Thursday, 10/2 | 10 p.m. ET | Los Angeles, Calif. | BTN
#13 Purdue at #24 UCLA
Saturday, 10/4 | 9:30 p.m. ET | Los Angeles, Calif. | BTN
#13 Purdue at #17 USC
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - No. 13 Purdue volleyball sets out for Los Angeles for a pair of Big Ten top-25 showdowns, beginning at #24 UCLA on Thursday, followed by #17 USC on Saturday. Both matches will air on the Big Ten Network.
THE NEED TO KNOW
- Purdue is 8-2 over the last 10 matches
- The Boilers are entering a stretch where six of its next eight opponents are ranked or recieving votes in the latest top-25 poll, including three top-17 teams. Only the Nebraska and Minnesota matches will be played on Purdue's home court.
- The team has two top-15 wins under their is coming off a 3-1 win vs. #10 SMU, their second top-15 win this season.
- It is the 11th consecutive year Purdue has notched at least one top-10 win.
Purdue's efficient offense has led to over a .350 team hitting % in three of the last six matches. - Taylor Anderson leads the Big Ten in assists (502) and 11th in the nation in assists/set (10.68).
- Kenna Wollard ranks second in the Big Ten in kills (212) and 20th in the nation in kills/set (4.51).
SET SUCCESS
- Over the last seven matches, Purdue ows a 19-4 record in sets won., 10/17/2007).
LAST WEEK'S LOOK-BACK
- Purdue went 1-1 in Mackey Arena during the Big Ten play opening weekend, sweeping Washington and falling in four to Illinois.
- The block was at a season-best against Illinois despite the loss, posting 14 blocks in the outing, double the Illini's block output.
CALIFORNINA STATE OF MIND
- The Boilers are making their first trip to California since 2016, where they also played a top-25 opponent in #9 Stanford on its home turf (W, 3-2 on 9/9/2016). The next day Purdue took on Cal Poly, also producing a 3-1 win.
PURDUE & UCLA
- Purdue has never played at UCLA. In fact, the teams have met just three times in its history: 2024, 1981, 1979.
- Two of the three meetings between the teams - including the last two - went to five sets.
PURDUE & USC
- Purdue has played at USC just once in the teams' history in 2006.
Purdue is looking for its first win at USC. - Only two matches in the seven-match series history have been decided in straight sets - with the last coming just a year ago in West Lafayette.