WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 6 seeded Purdue Boilermakers (24-6, 15-5 Big Ten) secured its 21st NCAA 2nd Round appearance with its sweep over Illinois St., 25-21, 25-17, 25-11.
With the Boilermakers' third-highest efficiency of the season at .424 and just eight errors on the night (best since 8 vs. Rutgers, 10/2), Purdue improved to 20-2 in the opening round of the tournament.
Just minutes into the match, Hayley Bush became just the second setter in Boilermaker history to record 1,000 career digs, a milestone shared only with setter Ashley Evans (2014-17). The accomplishment was paired with a 36-assist night and an errorless attack (3-0-4) and a trio of block assists.
Purdue's balanced attack included six Boilermakers with at least three kills, led by Caitlyn Newton's team-best 12 kills (12-2-29) and Raven Colvin's .700 attack % (8-1-10).
Newton's attack led to a .345 hitting clip, marking the sixth time this season the Terre Haute, Indiana, native has hit above .340. Meanwhile, her two errors tie for a season-best.
Colvin, a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, secured her third consecutive match with just one error while adding three total blocks (one solo, two assisted). Meanwhile, the middle blocker's attack % (.700) was the highest since her career-best of .900 was set on September 17.
The defensive effort was led by Jena Otec and Marissa Hornung. Otec led the team with 12 digs, while Hornung produced 11. Hornung also saw a team-high 18 receptions in the match and only allowed one error.
Meanwhile, Emma Ellis was a difference-maker off the bench, closing the night with her second-highest hitting % of the season at .545. The junior put down seven kills with one error on 11 swings, including a monstrous performance in the second set, where she went errorless with six kills for an .857 attack %.
Up Next
The NCAA 2nd Round will take place tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+. No. 6 seeded Purdue will take on the Dayton Flyers (26-5, 16-0 A10), who are currently riding a 21-match win streak.
With the Boilermakers' third-highest efficiency of the season at .424 and just eight errors on the night (best since 8 vs. Rutgers, 10/2), Purdue improved to 20-2 in the opening round of the tournament.
Just minutes into the match, Hayley Bush became just the second setter in Boilermaker history to record 1,000 career digs, a milestone shared only with setter Ashley Evans (2014-17). The accomplishment was paired with a 36-assist night and an errorless attack (3-0-4) and a trio of block assists.
Purdue's balanced attack included six Boilermakers with at least three kills, led by Caitlyn Newton's team-best 12 kills (12-2-29) and Raven Colvin's .700 attack % (8-1-10).
Newton's attack led to a .345 hitting clip, marking the sixth time this season the Terre Haute, Indiana, native has hit above .340. Meanwhile, her two errors tie for a season-best.
Colvin, a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, secured her third consecutive match with just one error while adding three total blocks (one solo, two assisted). Meanwhile, the middle blocker's attack % (.700) was the highest since her career-best of .900 was set on September 17.
The defensive effort was led by Jena Otec and Marissa Hornung. Otec led the team with 12 digs, while Hornung produced 11. Hornung also saw a team-high 18 receptions in the match and only allowed one error.
Meanwhile, Emma Ellis was a difference-maker off the bench, closing the night with her second-highest hitting % of the season at .545. The junior put down seven kills with one error on 11 swings, including a monstrous performance in the second set, where she went errorless with six kills for an .857 attack %.
Up Next
The NCAA 2nd Round will take place tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+. No. 6 seeded Purdue will take on the Dayton Flyers (26-5, 16-0 A10), who are currently riding a 21-match win streak.
Illinois State kept it close early in their First Round NCAA Tournament matchup against @PurdueVB, but ultimately the sixth-seeded Boilermakers pulled out a three set victory.#NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/qJC44ceMlD
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 3, 2021