No. 13 Purdue Fights Up Four Match Points, Earns Gritty Win over No. 24 UCLA
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Purdue stared defeat in the face multiple times on Thursday night in Los Angeles but refused to blink. Despite dropping the first two sets to No. 24 UCLA and facing four match points, the 13th-ranked Boilermakers found a way to escape Pauley Pavilion with a win.
The Boilers were on the verge of being swept by the Bruins on Thursday night, but a late surge in the third set helped Dave Shondell's team survive with a 29-27 set to push the match to a fourth set.
Purdue carried that momentum into the third set and appeared to be on cruise control. UCLA made a late surge, but the Boilers were able to escape with a 25-23 win in set four. They then closed out the match with a 15-11 win in the final set to defeat UCLA 3-2.
It was the first reverse sweep for the Boilermakers since a road win over Oregon near the end of the 2024 season. Apparently, Purdue likes to save its reverse sweeps for the West Coast.
Comeback complete 🤩 @PurdueVB #B1GVBChallenge pic.twitter.com/dXUpwY6G7r
— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) October 3, 2025
Junior outside hitter Kenna Wollard had a monster night for Purdue, piling up 33 kills on 65 swings, hitting .369 for the night. Junior setter Taylor Anderson finished the game with a double-double, recording 50 assists and 10 digs. She also had four blocks and two kills in the match.
Grace Heaney had 11 kills, Akasha Anderson had nine, and Dior Charles had four kills to go along with five blocks. Libero Ryan McAleer closed out her night with 15 digs.
Thursday's performance was a huge bounce-back victory for Purdue, which suffered a four-set loss to Illinois at Mackey Arena on Sunday. To be able to fight off a gritty UCLA team despite facing four match points in the third set speaks to Purdue's mental toughness.
With Thursday night's win, Purdue improved to 11-2 on the season and is now 2-1 in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers have now defeated four ranked opponents during the 2025 season.
Purdue gets a full day to recover before closing out its West Coast trip over the weekend. The Boilermakers will stay in Los Angeles and play No. 17 USC on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET, and the match will air on the Big Ten Network.
Kenna Wollard is up to 29 kills tonight 💪@PurdueVB forces a fifth set!#B1GVBChallenge pic.twitter.com/PzMHCfOI57
— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) October 3, 2025
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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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