WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After entering the season without a preseason honoree, the Big Ten conference coaches voted a program record-tying five Boilermakers to the All-Big Ten team, announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Three Boilermakers: Kenna Wollard, Taylor Anderson and Grace Heaney were tabbed All-Big Ten First Team, including a unanimous selection in Wollard, in addition to two All-Big Ten Second Team nods: Ryan McAleer and Akasha Anderson. The five honorees tied with Nebraska as the most representatives on the list. In addition, Bianka Lulic received the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
The five Boilermakers receiving honors matched 1987 as the most All-Big Ten awards in a season. The first team selection for Taylor Anderson was the highest honor of her career, having received second team a year ago. Meanwhile, it is the first postseason award for Wollard, Heaney, Akasha Anderson and McAleer.
After spending the last two seasons on the right side, Wollard returned to her natural playing position as a left side hitter this year, and spent her first season not only starting, but leading the Big Ten in kills through non-conference action and finished the regular-season ranked second in the league with 508. The junior was added to the AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List after non-conference play, going on to advance as a national semifinalist. Moreover, following her 33-kill performance to power the Boilermakers to a reverse sweep at #24 UCLA and a sweep at #17 USC, she was named National Player of the Week. Wollard produced eight matches hitting with a .300 efficiency, including two over .400%. Meanwhile, she posted at least 15 kills on 21 occasions, including eight 20+ kill matches.
Setter Taylor Anderson finished the regular-season leading the Big Ten in assists (1,236) while averaging 10.66 assists per set and 2.15 digs per set. As the only returning starter for the squad, Anderson guided Purdue to 29 sets with the team hitting at least .400%, 12 sets at .450% and five sets at .500% or better, all leading to the team’s .285 season attack %, the second-highest mark in program history. Anderson’s defensive efforts have led to 11 double-doubles and nearly had two triple-doubles vs. #15 Indiana and vs. Houston. The junior posted 14 matches with at least 40 assists, seven with at least 50 assists, and a career-high-tying 60-assist match.
After redshirting the 2024 season, redshirt sophomore Grace Heaney made a statement as one of the best opposites in the nation this season. Not only was she the only player to have multiple errorless 30-attack matches, but leads the nation by accomplishing the feat three times. A sound player across the board, Heaney has totaled six double-doubles this season, including an 18-dig, 15 kill performance at Michigan State. Leading the team in efficiency, she’s totaled 14 matches hitting above .300, nine matches above .400 and four matches while also having racked up 13 matches with two attack errors or less.
Transferring to Purdue for her final year of eligibility, senior Akasha Anderson was a spark for the team all season long, coming up time and time again in key moments. Not only did she give Purdue set point 11 times throughout the season, tying up the match in the final stretch of a set 11 times as well, and delivered the set-winning play 11 times, she was responsible for six of Purdue’s final 10 points in Set 5 of Purdue’s reverse sweep vs. #20 Minnesota. Averaging 2.68 kills per set and a .271 hitting clip, she has produced a block in all but one match this season and reached double-digit kills 17 times and hit at least .300% 10 times.
The youngest Boilermaker to don the libero jersey in eight years, McAleer was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the week (9/15 and 10/6). She set the tone early in the season, producing the rare back row double-double in the second match of the year with 11 digs, 11 assists in the win vs. Tennessee, becoming the youngest libero to accomplish the feat in over 14 years. Moreover, McAleer has been on the cusp of double-doubles six more times, with at least seven assists in the match. Coming up big when the stakes are highest, the sophomore posted a career-high 30-dig performance to power Purdue to victory over #15 Kansas, led all players with 23 digs at #18 Minnesota and set a career-high three service aces vs. #15 Indiana. In total, she’s guided Purdue to 14 matches holding opponents to under .200% including #10 SMU (.197), #15 Kansas (.180), #15 Indiana (.106) and #17 USC (.167).
Together, the group of Boilermakers led the program to one of its best records vs. AVCA top-25 teams with its 10 wins against teams ranked or receiving votes and a 19-3 record to start the year, including a 12-2 Big Ten mark, the best start in the last 39 years by the program, and a program record three reverse sweeps. As a team, Purdue enters postseason play with a 24-6 (15-5 Big Ten) record, the third-most regular season wins during the Shondell era.
Purdue, ranked No. 12 in the AVCA coaches poll, earned the No. 3 seed and hosting rights for the NCAA First & Second Rounds with the journey set to begin Thursday vs. Wright State at approximately 7 p.m. ET (30 minutes following the No. 6 seed Baylor vs. Arkansas State match in Holloway that begins at 4:30 p.m. ET). The winners will play in the second round at 6 p.m. ET on Friday.