GAMEDAY INFORMATION
2016 NCAA Tournament / Hearnes Center / Columbia, Missouri
Game Notes
Purdue vs. Iowa State
Thursday, Dec. 1 / 5:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3.com / Ben Arnet, Courtney Meek
Live Video / Live Audio /
Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 (Missouri/Northern Illinois)
Friday, Dec. 2 / 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - As a redshirt freshman, middle blocker Faye Adelaja was on the court as the Boilermakers won two matches in Columbia, Missouri, to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16. Setter Ashley Evans watched from the sidelines during her true freshman season. Now, things have come full circle as the duo will be on the court together to kick off another NCAA Tournament run with the goal of winning two matches in Columbia to advance to the regionals once again.
Purdue will face Iowa State on Thursday in the first round. With a win, the Boilermakers would face either Northern Illinois or the host No. 18 Missouri Tigers on Friday. The team is making the 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and 11th in the last 13 years. In the previous 10 appearances, Purdue has advanced to the second round each time, making the school one of 11 nationally to do so in 10 of the last 12 seasons.
THE BOOK ON THE BOILERMAKERS
At First Glance: Purdue (18-13, 8-12 B1G) is making its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 13 seasons after posting an 18-13 record and finishing 10th in Big Ten play. In 2015, the Boilermakers went 23-10, finishing fifth in the Big Ten and advancing to the NCAA Second Round. The Purdue roster features seven returning players, two redshirts, a transfer and three newcomers. Head coach Dave Shondell is in his 14th season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Boilermakers went 1-1 on the road last week, topping Maryland in five sets Wednesday in College Park, and falling to Ohio State in five sets Friday in Columbus.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Danielle Cuttino paces the Purdue offense with 4.03 kills per set, while hitting at a .264 clip and adding 0.61 blocks per set. Outside hitter Azariah Stahl follows with 2.52 kills per set, 2.35 digs per set and 17 aces. Middle blocker Faye Adelaja adds 2.26 kills per set and 0.87 blocks per stanza, while hitting at a team-best .365 clip. Outside hitter Sherridan Atkinson (2.07) and middle blocker Blake Mohler (1.46) also contribute offensively.
Mohler paces the Boilermakers at the net with 0.94 blocks per set. Adelaja follows with 0.87 blocks per set, while Atkinson has put up 0.59 blocks per set. In the back court, libero Natalie Haben leads the way with 3.09 digs per set to go with 24 aces. Stahl (2.35), defensive specialist Brooke Peters (2.31), setter Ashley Evans (2.04), and defensive specialist Carissa Damler (1.84) follow with nearly two digs per set. Evans also adds 10.77 assists per set and a team-best 28 aces, while Peters has served up 27 aces. As a team, Purdue is hitting at a .251 clip and has served up 119 aces.
SERIES INFORMATION
Iowa State (Purdue leads the series 1-0): The Boilermakers took the lone previous meeting with the Cyclones, winning 3-0 at the Boilermaker Fall Preview on Sept. 2, 1989.
Missouri (Purdue leads the series 3-0): The Boilermakers have won all three previous meetings in the series with the Tigers, which began Sept. 15, 1984 in Louisville, Kentucky. Purdue also topped the Tigers on Sept. 4, 2004 in Madison, Wisconsin, and, most recently, in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Dec. 7, 2013 in Columbia, Missouri.
Northern Illinois (Purdue leads the series 4-0): The Boilermakers have won all four previous meetings with the Huskies, which began with a 2-0 victory Oct. 1, 1977 in West Lafayette. Sweeps on Sept. 11, 1985, and Sept. 17, 1986, both in West Lafayette followed. Purdue took the most recent meeting in five sets Sept. 11, 1992 in Oxford, Ohio.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WIN MAKES...
If the Boilermakers top Iowa State on Thursday:
- They will move to 19-13 on the season.
- They will advance to the NCAA Second Round for the 11th time under in 11 appearances under Coach Shondell.
- They will move to 26-17 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches, including 20-10 under Shondell.
- They will move to 2-0 all-time against Iowa State.
- They will improve to 27-22 all-time when playing in the month of December, including a 3-1 mark when playing on Dec. 1. The Boilermakers last played on Dec. 1 in 2012, when they knocked off No. 12 Florida State in five sets in Tallahassee to advance to the Sweet 16.
INFO ON IOWA STATE
At First Glance: The Iowa State Cyclones (18-10, 10-6 Big 12) are making their 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, earning an at-large berth after posting an 18-10 mark and finishing third in the Big 12. The Cyclones roster includes 11 letterwinners and six starters, from the 2015 team which went 19-11, finished third in the Big 12 and advanced to the NCAA second round. Iowa State is coached by Christy Johnson-Lynch, who is in her 12th season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Cyclones went 2-0 last week to close out the regular season, topping Baylor in five sets on the road and Oklahoma in three sets Saturday. Iowa State has won eight of its last nine matches, the lone exception being a five-set loss to No. 4 Kansas on Nov. 19.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Jess Schaben leads the Cyclone offense with 3.37 kills per set to go with 2.35 digs and 0.51 blocks per set. Six other players average nearly two kills per set: outside hitter Morgan Kuhrt (2.21), middle blocker Grace Lazard (2.12), outside hitter Genesis Miranda (2.08), middle blocker Samara West (2.08), middle blocker Alexis Conaway (1.90) and outside hitter Ciara Capezio (1.86). Conaway is hitting at a team-best .320 clip, while West is hitting .305. Lazard adds 0.93 blocks per set to lead the team at the net, while Capezio adds 2.37 digs per set and 18 aces.
In the back court, libero Hali Hillegas paces the team with 3.89 digs per set. Defensive specialist Abby Phillips (2.48), Capezio (2.37), Schaben (2.35) and setter Monique Harris (1.92) follow. As a team, Iowa State is hitting at a .241 clip and has served up 116 aces, including 21 by setter Suzanne Horner.
TALKING ABOUT THE TIGERS
At First Glance: The No. 18 Missouri Tigers (25-5, 16-2 SEC) are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the 13th in program history, earning an automatic berth after posting a 25-5 mark and tying Florida for the Southeastern Conference title. The Tigers' roster includes 11 letterwinners and six starters, from the 2015 team which went 27-6, finished second in the SEC and advanced to the NCAA second round. Missouri is coached by Wayne Kreklow, who is in his 17th season with the team and 12th as head coach.
Last Time Out: The Tigers went 2-0 last week to close out the regular season, sweeping Georgia on the road Wednesday and sweeping Tennessee at home Saturday to capture the SEC title. Missouri has won seven of its last eight matches.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Melanie Crow leads the Missouri hitters with 3.87 kills per set, while also adding 2.17 digs per set and a team-best 43 aces. Outside hitter Carly Kan (3.12), right side/middle blocker Kira Larson (2.14), middle blocker Alyssa Munlyn (1.93) and middle blocker Emily Thater (1.77) follow. Munlyn leads the team at the net with 1.28 blocks per set and is hitting at a team-best .430 clip, while Thater adds 0.94 stuffs per stanza. Kan adds 3.00 digs per set and 22 aces, while Larson chips in 27 aces.
In the backcourt, libero Alexa Ethridge leads the way with 3.70 digs per set and 12 aces. Kan (3.00), Crow (2.17) and setter Courtney Eckenrode (1.86) round out the defense. As a team, Missouri is hitting at a .274 clip and has served up 137 aces.
NEWS ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
At First Glance: The Northern Illinois Huskies (25-5, 15-1 MAC) are making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2011, earning an automatic berth after posting a 25-5 mark, winning a share of the Mid-American Conference regular season title and taking the MAC Tournament title. The Huskies' roster includes 11 letterwinners and five starters, from the 2015 team which went 19-11 and won the MAC regular season title. Northern Illinois is coached by Ray Gooden, who is in his 15th season with the team.
Last Time Out: The Huskies went 2-0 at the MAC Tournament, Nov. 19-20 at home in DeKalb, Illinois, sweeping Ohio and Miami (Ohio) for the tournament title.
Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Mary Grace Kelly and middle blocker Jenna Radtke lead the NIU offense with 3.11 and 2.71 kills per set respectively. Outside hitter Taylor Krage (1.89), middle blocker Meg Wolowicz (1.85) and middle blocker Lauren Zielinski (1.61) follow. Kelly has added 36 aces and 1.81 digs per set. Radtke has served up a team-best 37 aces and put up a team-leading 1.16 blocks per set, while hitting at a team-best .385 clip. Wolowicz has put up 1.10 blocks per set and Zielinski has turned in 0.83 stuffs per stanza.
Defensively, libero Anna Brereton paces the team with 4.06 digs per set and adds 34 aces. Setter Chandler Kinley (2.28), Krage (2.11) and Kelly (1.81) follow. Krage also adds 21 aces. As a team, Northern Illinois is hitting at a .263 clip and has served up 165 aces.
SHONDELL, STAFF EARN 300TH WIN
Head coach Dave Shondell and his staff (associate head coach John Shondell and assistant coach Kathy Jewell) garnered their 300th win at Maryland on Nov. 23. Shondell and his staff, the longest tenured complete staff in the Big Ten Conference, have posted a 300-164 record over the last 14 seasons, including a 153-127 mark in Big Ten play.
Under Shondell's watch, the program has become part of an elite group nationally. Including the 2015 season, Purdue is one of 11 schools nationally to make 10 NCAA second round appearances in the last 12 seasons. In addition, the Boilermakers have made seven Sweet 16 berths in the last 12 seasons, making the program one of just 12 in the nation that can boast the accomplishment. Purdue also claims elite status as one of only 12 Division I teams to reach the NCAA Sweet 16 four of the last six years. The Boilermakers also have excelled in the classroom, garnering the NCAA Public Recognition Award for 11 straight seasons, making them one of just three volleyball squads and one of 110 teams across NCAA sports to be honored each year of the program's existence.
Under Shondell, Purdue has posted eight 20-win seasons, including 23 victories in 2015, the program's sixth-straight 20-win campaign, and defeated 48 ranked foes. In 2011, the Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten, its best conference placing since 1987, and posted 29 wins, the most since 1985. Shondell has coached players to 15 All-American honors and four Academic All-America accolades. His charges also have earned 22 All-Big Ten and 84 Academic All-Big Ten accolades.
THE TIES THAT BIND
Purdue setter Ashley Evans played on the 2015 U.S. Collegiate National Program China Tour team with Iowa State outside hitter Morgan Kurht. Missouri freshman middle blocker Kayla Caffey is from Chicago, Illinois, as is Purdue defensive specialist Linnea Rohrsen. Northern Illinois assistant coach Matt Sprague played on the men's volleyball team at Ball State, graduating in 2010. Purdue head coach Dave Shondell and associate head coach John Shondell also are BSU volleyball alumni.
FAMILIAR FOES
The Boilermakers and their three potential first and second round foes have some common opponents. Iowa State played No. 1 Nebraska (L 0-3, Sept. 2), Iowa (W 3-0, Sept. 9) and No. 4 Kansas (L 1-3, Oct. 5; L 2-3, Nov. 19). The Boilermakers were swept by the Huskers Oct. 9, split contests with Iowa (L 2-3, Oct. 7; W 3-1, Nov. 12) and knocked off No. 4 Kansas (W 3-1, Sept. 16).
No. 22 Missouri faced off with Purdue foe Kentucky twice, topping the Wildcats in five sets Oct. 23 and in three Nov. 6. Purdue fell to the No. 24 Wildcats in five sets August 27.
Northern Illinois played Iowa opening weekend, falling to the Hawkeyes via sweep August 28.
AMONG THE NATION
As a team, the Boilermakers rank 43rd nationally in hitting percentage (.251).
Individually, outside hitter Danielle Cuttino ranks 24th in total kills (492), 29th in total points (538.5) and 47th in kills per set (4.03). Setter Ashley Evans ranks sixth in total assists (1,314) and 40th in assists per set (10.77). Middle blocker Faye Adelaja ranks 40th in hitting percentage (.365).