Seniors Caitlyn Newton and Jena Otec insured the victory with their team-leading 17 kills and 19 digs, respectively. Newton's 19 kills mark the second-most this season, trailing only to her career-high 29, earned two weeks ago vs. No. 6 Minnesota.
In addition to the senior's success, Hayley Bush etched her name in the Purdue record book, owning 3,098 assists by the end of the night to rank No. 10 in program history. The redshirt junior surpassed Paula Harmon (3,066 from 1991-93) and is just 196 assists away from tying for ninth-most in Purdue's annals.
Middle blockers Jael Johnson and Taylor Trammell combined for 15 kills and eight blocks, with Trammell going errorless on her way to a .778 attack % (including a perfect 1.000 through the first three sets) and Johnson producing a solo block.
Meanwhile, Grace Cleveland added 15 kills in the win with just two errors for a .371 hitting clip and defensive specialist Maddie Schermerhorn notched her second double-digit effort of the season with 11 digs.
Set 1 (25-18)
Boilermakers get off to a 7-1 start, including Otec's first ace of the match, and never looked back. In the set, Johnson recorded three total stuffs (one solo, two assisted blocks) while Newton led the attack with five kills and no errors on her way to a .455 hitting clip.
Set 2 (22-25)
The set saw six tied scores and three lead changes to open, with Purdue leading 15-13, however a six-point unanswered run gave Northwestern the advantage. The Boilermakers cut the lead to 22-24, which included a pair of kills by Newton in the final effort. In the set, Cleveland tallied five kills on 10 attempts to lead Purdue.
Set 3 (25-15)
Trammell factored into the 7-2 Purdue run that helped the team pull away from the Wildcats by contributing all five of her set points the critical time to help the Boilermakers pull away and take a 14-8 lead. The effort included three kills and a pair of block assists during the run. Maddie Koch also entered the match for the first time, chipping two blocks and no errors on five swings (.400) to ensure the Purdue set win.
Set 4 (25-19)
Purdue led the entire set after getting off to a 6-1 start. Newton added in seven kills with just one error on 11 attempts (.545 hitting clip) to lead the team. Meanwhile, Cleveland went errorless with five kills on nine swings (.556 hitting clip). As a team, Purdue recorded just three errors in the set.
Up Next
The No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers are slated for a mid-week matchup at in-state rival Indiana on Tuesday evening, February 23. Fans can tune in to the Big Ten Network at 5 p.m. ET to watch. Then, Purdue will return home to host Indiana on Sunday, February 28 at 4:30 p.m. ET on BTN to close out the series. The Monon Spike will be awarded to the winner of Sunday's matchup.