5 Thoughts From No. 14 Purdue's Sweep of Defending National Champion Texas A&M
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More than 10,000 fans packed Mackey Arena on Tuesday night to watch 14th-ranked Purdue battle No. 12 Texas A&M, the reigning national champions. The only thing hotter than the conditions inside the iconic venue was the volleyball coming off the hands of the Boilermaker hitters.
Purdue swept Texas A&M in three hard-fought sets, earning its first victory of the 2026 campaign. That win was significant for head coach Dave Shondell, who became the winningest coach across all sports at the university.
The Boilers found themselves in some tough situations throughout the night, but squeaked out victories 27-25, 25-23 and 25-20 to take down the defending champs. What did we learn from that performance in the team's first match of the Big Ten-SEC Challenge?
Closing out tight sets
Last season, Purdue earned a reputation as a team that refused to quit. That has carried over into the 2026 season, and it became clear on Tuesday night. The Boilermakers trailed Texas A&M 15-11 at the first media timeout of the opening set, but battled back to earn a 27-25 victory.
In the second game, Purdue found itself in a similar predicament, trailing 20-17 before storming back and stealing the second set, 25-23. The Boilers were never in any danger of dropping the third set, though a late run from the Aggies made the score closer than necessary.
For a team that has become dependent on freshman Addy Tindall and sophomore Mimi Mambu at the outside hitter positions, it was impressive to see the fight across all three matches, especially against the defending champs.
Taylor Anderson showed her aggressive side
Shondell has spoken frequently about Anderson being more aggressive offensively. She delivered in a big way for the Boilermakers on Tuesday night. She finished the match with 36 assists and four digs, but it was her work on the block and her attacks that really stood out.
Anderson tallied five kills on seven attacks with no errors. She also accounted for seven total blocks against the Aggies, showing her range as more than a setter.
"The first match against Creighton, I thought Taylor was just OK," Shondell said. "But tonight, she was the Taylor that we need. She was fabulous."
Anderson helped Purdue win the first set with great service placement on the 27th point, closing it out to give the Boilers a 1-0 advantage. When the Boilers trailed 20-18 in the second set, the senior accounted for a block and a kill, pulling Purdue to within one point at 21-20. She closed out that set with a kill to give her team a two-set lead.
"I definitely like to set them because they're great, but I think over my years here I've gotten more comfortable with it," Anderson said. "Now, knowing the game and knowing our opponents really well, I l know when I score it takes the load off them, and it opens them up later."
High hitting percentages all night
Purdue got off to a bit of a sluggish start hitting the ball, but just like the temperature inside Mackey Arena, the swings started to heat up. The Boilermakers hit .333 or higher in each of the three sets, finishing the match with a .388 hitting percentage and a .480 kill percentage.
Tindall was the most impressive, hitting .536 on 28 swings. Kate Hansen finished at .545 and Anderson hit .714. Mimi Mambu and Dior Charles were both at .333 hitting percentages for the night.
Texas A&M lost a lot from last year's championship team, but it built a reputation as a talented blocking squad at the net. It didn't bother the Boilers on Tuesday.
Transfers stepping up
Hansen and Mambu both made some big plays throughout the night. Mambu totaled 12 kills on 30 attacks. She seemed to be in more control than she was on Friday night when Purdue dropped the five-setter to Creighton.
Hansen was a monster at the net alongside Anderson. She also had some timely kills, closing out the night with seven kills and six blocks. She had just two total errors, one on the block and one attacking.
"She's just a very mature person who has a competitive edge to her," Shondell said of Hansen. "It feels like she's reborn to be here ... she gets to come here and play in front of that kind of crowd against this level of competition and prove what she's capable of doing. She's someone you can just count on. She's in the right spot all the time."
Addy Tindall looks like the Freshman of the Year
We're only two matches into Purdue's season, but it's not too early to make this type of prediction. Tindall has been stellar through the first two matches against tremendous competition. If she's not the best freshman in the conference, she's close.
"She has grown beyond expectations this early. I mean, she's playing like a third-year outside hitter," Shondell said. "She's passing, she's playing defense, she's blocking. I think she had one hitting error all night ... That's quite an accomplishment."
Through two matches, Tindall has accounted for 38 kills and just four errors, maintaining a .493 hitting percentage. She's only going to improve as the season continues, too.
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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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