#8 Purdue Travels to #4 Penn State To Open Week 13

Thursday, November 21
6 p.m. ET | #8 Purdue at #4 Penn State | BTN | WSHY 104.3 FM
 
Saturday, November 23
7 p.m. ET | #21 USC at #8 Purdue | B1G+ | WSHY 104.3 FM
 

West Lafayette, Ind. – In the penultimate week of the regular-season, No. 8 Purdue volleyball will begin at No. 4 Penn State on Thursday before hosting No. 21 USC for Senior Night on Saturday.

The Boilermakers (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) enter the week winning 13 of their last 15 matches and are set to tak eon a 25-2 (15-1 Big Ten) Nittany Lions team and an 18-8 (10-6 Big Ten) Trojans team.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Only four matches (two weeks) remain in the regular-season, with three on the road.
• Every match remaining will be vs. teams ranked or receiving votes, with three on the road: at #4 Penn State (11/21), vs. #23 USC (11/23), at #11 Oregon (11/27) and at receiving votes (RV) Washington (11/29).
• It is the toughest schedule to end the regular-season in Purdue volleyball history.
• Purdue had a stretch of five top-16 foes in six matches, which included three straight top-10 showdowns. 
• Not only are 100% of Purdue's losses to current top-11 teams, 60% (4 of 5) are to current top-6 teams.

PURDUE's 13-3 BIG TEN RECORD

• The team entered November with just three Big Ten losses, marking the second straight year and seventh time Purdue has had such few losses under Shondell that far into league play.
• In comparison with Purdue's seasons with the fewest Big Ten losses under Dave Shondell (2023's 15-5 record, 2021's 15-5 record and 2011's 16-4 record), the 2024 season and 2011 season are the only years the team has had three losses heading into its final four matches of the regular season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. PENN STATE AT A GLANCE

• In the last three years, Purdue owns a 3-3 record vs. Penn State. 
• Purdue swept the series vs. Penn State last year: W, 3-2 at home on 11/5/23 and W, 3-1 on 10/22/23.
• Last season, both teams reached the NCAA Regional Semifinals in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Penn State was #12 and Purdue #13 in the AVCA final poll.
• Penn State's sweep in Holloway earlier this season was the first 3-0 result between the two teams since 2016.

LAST WEEK'S NEED-TO-KNOW

• Purdue has improved to its sixth-straight win and 13-2 over its last 15 matches after sweeps vs. Rutgers (25-14, 25-14, 25-16) and vs. Illinois (2517, 25-20, 25-19).
• The Boilermakers had one of the best offenses last week in the league, leading the way in kills per set and assists per set, ranking second in hitting % and with three separate Boilermakers topping the charts on the individual side: Lizzie Carr (.600%), Ali Hornung (5.17 digs per set) and Taylor Anderson (13.17 assists per set).
• Raven Colvin reached her 600th career block, the second Boiler in program history to reach the benchmark.
• The Boilers allowed just one lead change total last week (Set 2 vs. Illinois).
• Purdue hit .370% vs. Rutgers, led by Chloe Chicoine's team-leading 16 kills on a .542 clip and just one dig away from a double-double.
• Taylor Anderson's 44 assists vs. Illinois was just the second time a setter has posted as many in a 3-setter in the last seven years (other: Hayley Bush, 45 vs. Washington, 9/3/21).

 
PURDUE: QUICK HITS

• Eva Hudson was named an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist, one of 14 in the nation to receive the honor. Chicoine was also included on the watch list released in September.
• Purdue is 27-6 in sets won over the last 10 matches.
• The team is riding a six-match winning streak and has won 13 of its last 15 matches. This season, Purdue's only losses come to top-11 programs, with four in the top-6 in the nation.
• The team ranks in the top-14 in the nation in four different categories: kills/set, assists/set, hitting % and blocks/set.
• In seven of the last nine matches, Purdue has held opponents under a .200 attack %. In those matches, Purdue's hit above .300 in six and above .340 in three.
• Three Boilers are averaging more than 2.0 kills per set: Hudson (4.68), Chicoine (3.18) and Colvin (2.46).
• Purdue is 70-25 in sets won this season.
• Purdue's hitting % (.283) would rank as #3 in Purdue single-season history if things were to end today. It would be just the second time this century the Boilers have hit so efficiently.
• Since Big Ten play started, Purdue is averaging two more digs per set compared to their non-con action.
• Freshman DS Ryan McAleer has recorded a perfect reception % in 20 matches including the last nine straight. Moreover, she recorded six aces at then-#16 Minnesota, tying as the most-ever by a Purdue freshman.
• Eva Hudson has stepped up in the biggest matches of the season. She set a season-high 26 kills on a .349% at #2 Nebraska (and matched it with 26 kills on .350% at Indiana, 11/8), 17 kills vs. now-#7 Wisconsin and nearly had an errorless match at now-#12 Kansas, committing just one attack error in the final points of the match. This season, she is averaging 4.63 kills per set and 5.06 points per set this season.

 
HUDSON: IMPROVING AS THE SEASON GOES

• Like last year, Hudson is improving during Big Ten action. She has increased her kills per set (4.34 in non-con vs. 4.91 in Big Ten play), hitting % (.279 in non-con vs. .296 in Big Ten), digs per set (2.21 in non-con vs. 2.56 in Big Ten).
• In a head-to-head comparison of Hudson's first 10 matches of the season vs. the last 10, she has upped offensive production: 5.58 kills/set vs. 4.40, .324 hitting % vs. .272% and 198.0 total points vs. 169.5.

 
PURDUE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: 122 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS

• The program has been ranked for 122 consecutive weeks (since preseason 2017), the longest active streak in Purdue Athletics. 
• Since the 2021 spring season, Purdue has been ranked among the top-10 for 38 weeks.
• The Boilermakers' history of excellence includes 57 of the last 72 weeks ranked among the top-15 (79%).
• Purdue has spent the entirety of the 2024 season in the top-11 (includes preseason poll).

600 CAREER BLOCKS: RAVEN COLVIN

• Colvin reached her 600th career block vs. Rutgers.
• She is the second Boilermaker to ever reach the milestone, joining Purdue record-holder Stephanie (Lynch) Harpenau (660 TB, 2005-08).
• She is also 19 block assists away from tying Purdue's all -time leader Stephanie Lynch in career block assists. 
• She ranks #2 in program history with 607 career blocks and 1.39 blocks per set.

SCOUTING #4 PENN STATE 

• The Nittany Lions come into this rematch against Purdue with an overall record of 25-2, and 15-1 in the Big Ten.  
• Two-time All-American and 2024 AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist Jess Mruzik leads the team and is 4th in the Big Ten with 396 kills on the season, also averaging 4.35 kills per set. 
• Freshman setter Izzy Starck has adjusted quickly to the college game, leading the Big 10 in assists with 1054.  
• The Nittany Lions as a team are hitting at a clip of .290 and lead the Big Ten in kills per set with 14.56 
• Gillan Grimes leads the team from the service line, totaling 31 aces on the season. 
• The Nittany Lions are coached by Katie Schumacher-Cawley in her third season as the team's head coach. 

SCOUTING #21 USC 

• The #21-ranked USC Trojans come into this match with an 18-8 record and a 10-6 record in the Big Ten. They will play Northwestern on Thursday before facing the Boilermakers in Holloway Gymnasium on Saturday. 
• The Trojan offense is directed by Senior setter Mia Tuaniga who has 1003 assists on the season, notching her at 4th in the conference. 
• USC's defense up front has recorded 291.5 blocks, placing them first in the conference by 20 team blocks. 
• Middle blocker Leah Ford leads USC in hitting (.373) and ranks fourth in the Big Ten in blocks per set (1.35).
• Outside hitter Ally Batenhorst leads the Trojans in kills (380) and is 2nd in digs (213). Batenhorst previously played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers but transferred to USC for her final collegiate season. 
• The Trojans are coached by Brad Keller in his fifth season as head coach.