Purdue Volleyball: Eva Hudson Names Midwest Region Player of the Year
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Purdue outside hitter Eva Hudson has received a prestigious honor after an outstanding junior campaign. She has been named the AVCA Midwest Region Player of the Year for 2024.
Hudson, who is one of the top outside hitters in the Big Ten, has helped lead Purdue to a 28-5 record, which included a 16-4 mark in Big Ten play. She also played a huge role in the Boilermakers' NCAA Tournament success in the first two rounds, leading to sweeps over Western Michigan and Loyola Chicago.
This season, Hudson has registered 557 kills and 4.84 kills per set. The junior outside hitter is also responsible for 282 digs and 64 blocks on the year.
In the first two matches of Purdue's NCAA Tournament run, Hudson had 41 total kills in wins over Western Michigan and Loyola Chicago. She only had three errors in those six sets, as well. Hudson had a hitting percentage better than .455 in both matches.
As a result, the Boilermakers advanced to the Sweet 16, and will play No. 1 seed Louisville with a chance to advance to the Elite Eight. Purdue would then need to defeat either No. 2 Stanford or No. 6 Florida to reach the Final Four.
Hudson was the Midwest Region Player of the Year, but she wasn't the only Boilermaker to receive attention. Three of her teammates were named to the Midwest All-Region Team. Outside hitter Chloe Chicoine, middle blocker Raven Colvin and Hudson were all first-team selections. Libero Ali Hornung was an honorable mention.
Related stories on Purdue volleyball
BOILERS ADVANCE TO SWEET 16: Purdue swept its first two opponents — Western Michigan and Loyola Chicago — to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. CLICK HERE
HORNUNG MAKES SPORTSCENTER TOP 10: Purdue libero Ali Hornung had an amazing save during Friday night's second round NCAA Tournament match, earning her the top play on SportsCenter's Top 10. CLICK HERE
5 BOILERS EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS: Five Purdue volleyball players received Big Ten honors on Wednesday, with Eva Hudson and Raven Colvin earning All-Big Ten first-team honors. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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