Purdue Volleyball: Boilers Advance to Sweet 16

For a second consecutive season, Purdue is heading to the Sweet 16. The Boilermakers clinched their spot in the regional semifinal round on Friday night, after defeating Loyola Chicago 3-0.

Purdue found itself in tough sets early, edging out Loyola Chicago 25-20, 25-21 to take a 2-0 advantage. The Boilers then cruised in their third set 25-12.

Outside hitter Eva Hudson had another sensational performance, recording 20 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Chicoine had nine kills and nine digs and middle blocker Raven Colvin had seven kills and six blocks.

After the match, Hudson said that Loyola Chicago's upset win over No. 5 BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament served as a bit of a wake-up call.

"I think us watching Loyola against BYU, we knew we had to come out with a lot of fire and a lot of grit," Hudson said. "During the tournament, that's all you can do. I just thought we came out as a unit and I'm really proud of these girls."

Purdue has been outstanding all season, sitting with a 27-6 record and finishing with a 16-4 mark in Big Ten play. Coach Dave Shondell says that the Boilermakers were able to take some adversity early in the season and use it as a benefit.

"When we lost three out of four matches to Kansas, Creighton and Penn State, we knew we had some problems," Shondell said. "It was great that we were hit in the face with it at that point in time, because it allowed us then to get the attention of our players. They're great competitors and they don't like getting beat."

Purdue now awaits its next opponent and the destination for the regional semifinal.

Related stories on Purdue volleyball