How to Watch No. 10 Purdue Volleyball's Big Ten Opener vs. Washington at Mackey Arena
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The non-conference season is in the books, and it's time to shift the focus ahead to Big Ten play. No. 10 Purdue and Washington will play in West Lafayette on Thursday, the first conference match of the season for both teams.
It will be a major match for both programs, as Purdue's Mackey Arena is the site of the Big Ten match. Last year, the Boilermakers set conference attendance records by selling out both matches in the venue, which holds 14,876 fans.
Here's what you need to know about Thursday's match between the Boilermakers and Huskies.
No. 10 Purdue (9-1, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Washington (5-5, 0-0 Big Ten)
- What: Big Ten Conference match
- When: Thursday, Sept. 25
- Where: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. (14,876)
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV: Big Ten Network
- All-time series: Washington leads the all-time series vs. Purdue 5-2
- Last meeting: Purdue swept Washington 3-0 on Nov. 29, 2024 in Seattle
- Washington coach: Leslie Gabriel, 3rd season at Washington (40-32)
- Purdue coach: Dave Shondell, 23rd season at Purdue (494-234)
Key players
Washington Huskies
- Kierstyn Barton, outside hitter — Barton has been the top outside hitter for the Huskies through the first 10 matches. She's piled up 140 kills and is averaging 3.78 kills per set. She also showed the ability to be a solid defensive player, totaling 52 blocks and 11 blocks.
- Alexa Markley, outside hitter — Another big-time player at outside hitter, Markley has racked up 125 kills with a .244 hit percentage. She's another do-it-all type of player with 51 digs and 17 blocks for Washington.
- Zoria Heard, libero — Heard has been excellent at the libero spot this season, averaging 3.65 digs per set and accounting for 37 assists on the year. She has also been a hit-or-miss server, totaling 12 aces and 15 service errors so far.
Purdue Boilermakers
- Kenna Wollard, outside hitter — Wollard hasn't just played well for the Boilermakers this season; she's been one of the Big Ten's top outside hitters this year. She leads the conference with 180 kills. She really improved as a defensive player over the last year, accounting for 78 digs on the year.
- Taylor Anderson, setter — Through 10 matches, Anderson is the Big Ten's assist leader, totaling an impressive 425 assists in non-conference play. She's also been incredibly effective in other areas, adding 86 digs, 41 kills, and 21 blocks to her stat line.
- Ryan McAleer, libero — McAleer has already earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors once this season. She's one of the top liberos in the league and is logging 3.6 digs per set. She has recorded at least 10 digs in nine of Purdue's first 10 matches.
Related stories on Purdue volleyball
ANDERSON, WOLLARD AMONG BIG TEN LEADERS: Through the first month of the volleyball season, Purdue setter Taylor Anderson and outside hitter Kenna Wollard have been among the Big Ten's top players. CLICK HERE
HOLLOWAY AMONG LOUDEST BIG TEN VENUES: Purdue's Holloway Gymnasium is one of the best environments in college volleyball. How many said it was the loudest venue in the Big Ten? CLICK HERE
PURDUE VOLLEYBALL IN AVCA POLL: Purdue finished off the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 9-1 record. Have the Boilermakers finally cracked the top 10 in the AVCA poll? 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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