WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers (10-5, 3-3 Big Ten) win in a five-set thriller against the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten) in Holloway Gymnasium (22-25, 25-18, 14-25, 28-26, 15-12).
The Boilermakers came back from an 18-22 deficit in the fourth set, denying the Illini four times during the comeback to take it, 28-26 and force a fifth set. Purdue held Illinois to their lowest hitting % of the match (.105%) in the fifth set to defeat the Illini.
Dior Charles gave the Boilermakers a spark on offense, setting the highest mark in program history for hitting % in a five-set match with a minimum of 15 attempts (.706% with 13 kills, 1 error on 17 swings). Her 13 kills also marked a career-high and stuffed the Fighting Illini hitters seven times. She remained errorless on the attack through the first two frames, hitting at a .714% clip. With her performance, Charles now boasts the top hitting % in two of three categories for hitting % in a five-setter for Purdue, having also registered the program-best in a five-setter for 10-14 attempts a year ago (.846 vs. Bowling Green, 9/4/25) in addition to tonight’s record in the 15-19 attempt range.
Setter Taylor Anderson dished out 56 assists to guide Purdue’s offensive firepower. It marked the first time this season and 21st time in her career to hit 50+ assists in a match. She also set a career-high in digs with 19 to mark her fourth double-double of the year and 34th of her career.
Along with Anderson, Grace Heaney earned a double-double in the match. The Omaha, Nebraska native recorded 16 kills and 17 digs, both season-highs, to reach her third double-double of the season, coming just one dig shy of matching her career-best. Heaney also teamed up with Purdue blockers to stuff Illinois five times.
A competitive match between two elite Big Ten programs saw 43 tied scores, the most ties Purdue has seen this season. The first frame alone featured 18 tied scores, however the final saw the Boilermakers lead for its entirety.
For the third time this season and 17th time in her career, libero Ryan McAleer recorded 15+ digs in a match, ending the night with 19. McAleer was one of four Boilermakers to record double-digit digs in the showing, Anderson (19), Heaney (17), MaryKate Scheumann (11); the third time this year Purdue has had four players with 10+ digs (against Georgia on 9/2 and Oregon on 10/2).
Lameen Mambu’s explosive offense gave Purdue a boost in close moments, putting the ball down 15 times while hitting .205%. Mambu was one of four Boilermakers in double-digit kills; Heaney (16), Charles (13), Addy Tindall (13), the second match in a row to have that many Boilers hit 10+ kills.
The win marked Purdue's third top-25 victory of the year, including its second in West Lafayette and first in Holloway. Meanwhile, the tradition of top-25 takedowns in Holloway continues, as the Gymnasium has seen at least one ranked win in 13 of the last 15 seasons for a total of 31 ranked wins during the span.
The Boilermakers are now 22-20 against the Illini during the Shondell Era.
UP NEXT
The No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers head west for their second conference roadtrip of the year next week. The Boilers will face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday, October 15 at 9 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network in Iowa City, Iowa followed by at No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday, October 17. The match has been set for 5 p.m. ET on BTN.