#3 Seed Purdue Prepped for Regional Semifinal

NCAA Regional Semifinals | Thursday, Dec. 11 | ESPN2
7 p.m. ET
#4 seed Minnesota at #1 seed Pittsburgh
30 minutes following Match 1
#3 seed Purdue vs. #2 seed SMU

NCAA Regional Finals | Saturday, Dec. 13 | TBA
TIME TBA
#4 Minnesota/#1 Pitt vs. #3 Purdue/#2 SMU

THE NEED TO KNOW

• Purdue finished third in the Big Ten standings for the fourth time in Shondell's 23 seasons with Purdue.
• A program record-tying five Boilers were named All-Big Ten after having no preseason honorees. The list includes Kenna Wollard (unanimous first team), Taylor Anderson (first team), Grace Heaney (first team), Akasha Anderson (second team) and Ryan McAleer (second team). McAleer is the youngest defensive specialist in program history to be honored on an All-Big Ten team.
• The Boilers' .291 season hitting % is the second-highest mark in program history (record: .301 in 2017).
• Purdue is 7-3 over the last 10 matches.
• The Boilers have pulled off three reverse sweeps (two against ranked opponents and two on the road), setting a program records for most in a season and most against ranked opponents.
• The team's nine wins vs. ranked opponents tie the program record for most in a single season in history (2021: 9).

NOTABLES FROM THE 1ST/2ND ROUNDS...

• In the 53 matches the Boilers have competed in this century, the three most efficient matches by the program has been dished out by setter Taylor Anderson's hands (see chart)
  Wollard hit .440 and .441 in the first and second rounds, respectively, for arguably two of her best back-to-back matches in her career (first hitting over .400 in back-to-back matches).
• Akasha Anderson had her best matches of her Boilermaker career, not only setting a career-high .552 hitting % in Round 1 vs. Wright State. In the match she became the first Purdue player this century to go errorless with as many attacks OR kills (16-0-29).
• Purdue allowed just seven blocks total over the first two rounds.

LAST FIVE MATCHES

• Over the last five matches, Taylor Anderson has led the Boilers to hitting with an efficiency far above the season average with a .319 clip while dishing out 11.89 assists per set.
• The middles have found their groove, with Dior Charles averaging a .448 clip and Lindsey Miller .369%.
• The Boilers are out-blocking opponents 51 to 30 (2.68 blocks/set vs. 1.58).
• Four Boilers are averaging at least two kills per set, including Akasha Anderson's 4.05 and Wollard's 4.00.
• The team has hit above .355% in three of the five matches: .405% vs. #21/6-seed Baylor, .381% vs. Wright State and .358% vs. Northwestern.

AVCA MIDWEST REGION AWARDS

• Five Boilermakers were honored in the AVCA All-Midwest Region Awards: Coach of the Year Dave Shondell, Player of the Year Kenna Wollard, All-Region team honorees Wollard, Taylor Anderson and Grace Heaney as well as Honorable Mention Ryan McAleer.
• With the honors, the Boilers move onto consideration by the AVCA All-America committee for consideration. All-America awards will be announced next Wednesday, December 17.
• The four players honored mark the fourth time in the last five years as many Boilermakers made the All-Region Team.
• None of the All-Region Team honorees were recognized a year ago.