Purdue Carrying Confidence Into Big Ten Play After Successful Non-Conference Season
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A lot of mystery swarmed over Holloway Gymnasium as Purdue prepared for the 2025 season. After a tumultuous offseason, nobody really knew what to expect out of West Lafayette. But the Boilermakers have proven through the non-conference schedule that they're still a force to be reckoned with.
Purdue closed out its non-conference schedule on Sunday afternoon, defeating IU-Indy 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-17) to improve to 9-1 on the season. The Boilermakers have now won seven straight matches, which includes a pair of wins over ranked opponents.
In their last five matches, Purdue has lost just two sets.
It's an incredible start for a program that welcomed 10 new faces into the program since last December. Although coach Dave Shondell will tell you there is still plenty of room for improvement, the start to the 2025 campaign is as strong as Purdue could have imagined.
The Boilermakers now prepare for two huge matches this week, playing two conference foes inside Mackey Arena. Purdue will play Washington on Thursday, Sept. 25 and Illinois on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Purdue gets three signature victories
It was fair to question how quickly Purdue would jell in the 2025 season. Clearly, team chemistry wasn't much of an issue to start the year.
Not only are the Boilers 9-1 entering Big Ten play, they have wins over three ranked opponents: No. 24 Tennessee, No. 17 Kansas, and No. 10 SMU. The only loss thus far as a four-set defeat at the hands of No. 23 Georgia Tech on the first night of the Stacey Clark Classic.
Ever since that loss, the Boilermakers have been on a mission. They have seven straight victories, which includes wins over Bowling Green, No. 17 Kansas, Butler, Houston, No. 10 SMU, Ball State, and IU Indy.
Would Purdue like to be 10-0? Obviously. But both libero Ryan McAleer and outside hitter Kenna Wollard said that the team learned a lot from that loss to Georgia Tech.
"That was our first loss together with this new team," McAleer told Purdue Boilermakers on SI after wins over Bowling Green and Kansas in the Stacey Clark Classic. "I think people forget that losing is a great learning opportunity. So, for us to come back and get two really gritty five-set wins, it's a huge deal for us."
"We learned that we don't like to lose," Wollard said. "These last two matches, we gave it our all, put it all out there, and came out with wins."
That attitude continued through the remainder of the non-conference schedule. Now, it's time to see if the Boilers can carry that confidence and momentum into Big Ten play.
Related stories on Purdue volleyball
MCALEER EARNS BIG TEN HONORS: After helping Purdue to a 3-0 record last week, sophomore libero Ryan McAleer earned special honors from the Big Ten Conference. CLICK HERE
PURDUE CLIMBS IN AVCA POLL: The latest AVCA volleyball rankings have been released. Although Purdue defeated a top-10 team over the weekend, the Boilers are left just outside this week. CLICK HERE
BOILERS TAKE DOWN NO. 10 SMU: Purdue went 3-0 this week, highlighted by a four-set victory over SMU in Lexington on Sunday. The Boilermakers are now 7-1 on the season. 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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