WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In the second reverse sweep of the season against a ranked opponent, the No. 11 Purdue volleyball squad came out victorious 3-2 (19-25, 17-25, 27-25, 25-21, 18-16) over No. 20 Minnesota in Holloway Gymnasium. The Boilers fought back after trailing 2-8 in the fifth set to win it, posting the largest fifth-set comeback in over five years.
With the victory, Purdue has won the last seven of eight matches and improve to 8-2 against teams ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA poll. In all, the Boilermakers close the week with a 17-3 (8-2 Big Ten) record while handing Minnesota its second loss of Big Ten play (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten).
No. 11 Purdue holds second-place of the Big Ten standings with 10 matches remaining in the regular-season.
This week, the Boilermakers will once again hit the road for the last back-to-back away matches of the season . First, Purdue will take on Michigan State on Friday at 7 p.m. ET followed by a Sunday afternoon 2 p.m. start at Michigan. Both matches will be streamed on B1G+.
Boiler Notes
- Akasha Anderson posted a tide-changing six kills in the final set with no errors for a .545 hitting %, including the match-winning kill and a run to take the Boilers from 8-10 to 12-12 in Set 5.
- In total, Akasha Anderson totaled 18 kills, a career-best while wearing the Purdue jersey, on a .417 clip
- Purdue trailed by as many as six points in the fifth set (score: 2-8).
- Purdue’s back row was led by Ryan McAleer’s 22 digs, a Big Ten match career-high for the sophomore and overall the second-most digs she’s produced in a match (most: 30 earlier this season vs. #15 Kansas).
- Meanwhile, as a team, Purdue’s 65 digs were the third-most in a match this season, including the most in a Big Ten match this year.
- Taylor Anderson had herself a match, nearly posting a double-double with 59 assists, eight digs, three blocks and five kills. Meanwhile, she set the team to a .438 clip in Set 1 and a .306 clip in Set 3. Her 59 assists marked a career-high in Big Ten action and was one shy of her overall career-high (last: 60 vs. Bowling Green, 9/4).
- Grace Heaney set a career-high 22 kills (previous: 19, which included an errorless eight kills on 11 attacks (.727%) in the first set. In total, she notched her third double-double of the season, adding 11 digs and two block assists.
- Serve/receive plagued the Boilermakers early, allowing nine Gopher aces in the first two sets alone
- Wollard, Heaney and Akasha Anderson combined for 63 kills.
- Kenna Wollard led the team with 23 kills, 10 digs, one ace, two block solos and a block assist. It was her first double-double in Big Ten play and the second match of her career with two block solos (last: at Indiana on 10/16).
- Purdue improves to 5-0 in five-set matches this season and 17-6 over the last four years.