Purdue Volleyball Leaves Lasting Legacy as Dream Season Ends in Regional Final
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When Purdue stepped onto the volleyball court for the first time in 2025, some questioned whether it would finish in the top eight in the Big Ten. Yet on Saturday night, the third-seeded Boilermakers were standing tall with top-seeded Pitt on the opposite side of the net, one of the last eight teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament.
Purdue's dream season ended in the Regional Final of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Saturday night, falling 3-1 to Pitt. The Boilermakers would have loved to advance to Kansas City and have a chance to compete for a national championship.
But Saturday night's loss wasn't viewed as a disappointment inside Purdue's locker room. Instead, coach Dave Shondell and his group decided to reflect on everything the group achieved during an improbable 27-7 campaign.
"It's been a storybook season for Purdue volleyball. I've never been more proud of a team, 18 individuals for the commitment, the love, the selflessness that they displayed from last January until right now," Shondell said following Saturday's match.
"It was a meaningful season for Purdue ... I think teams and programs have to recognize that when people do decide to leave, you wish them well and you go find more players. And if your program truly is a positive program that develops athletes and provides great experiences, players will come into your program."
One of those players who took a chance on Purdue in the offseason was Akasha Anderson, a transfer from Michigan State. The senior played in her final match on Saturday night, but went out swinging ... literally.
Anderson ended Saturday night's match with 20 kills on 48 swings and a .250 hitting percentage. At times during the match, she carried Purdue's offense.
Emotional in the postgame press conference, Anderson spoke passionately about what Purdue accomplished during the 2025 season, and how the Boilers were able to make a run to the Elite Eight.
"I feel like we've said it so many times, but this team just loves each other so much," Anderson said. "When I got there in the spring, it felt like people we a little broken emotionally and mentally. I felt like this team just used the entire spring and summer and fall, to completely love each other. I think that's shown every single game we've won, every game we've lost. This team just loves each other."
The Boilers also had tremendous production from Kenna Wollard on Saturday, ending the match with 15 kills and 13 digs. She was the heartbeat of Purdue's offense this season, receiving All-Big Ten honors and being named a National Player of the Year semifinalist.
Purdue has experienced plenty of highs during her first three seasons in West Lafayette, but she said this year was particularly special.
"I will never forget this year," Wollard said. "It has been extremely special. Everything we've gone through, everything we've accomplished has been absolutely amazing. The girls that I played with this year are so special ... We did something that not a lot of people expected out of us."
Purdue fights, but falls short vs. Pitt
The star power of outside hitter Olivia Babcock and setter Brooke Mosher might intimidate some teams, but Purdue was ready for Saturday night's challenge against Pitt. Most of the night, the Boilermakers went punch-for-punch with one of the top teams in the country.
Purdue got out to an 8-5 advantage on Pitt to begin the night, but the Panthers put together an 8-3 run to take a 13-11 lead midway through the opening set. The Boilers stayed within reach, but Pitt maintained its lead and posted a 25-22 victory.
Thanks to a great run in the second set anchored by Akasha Anderson, Purdue had a 15-14 lead midway through the second set, but a flurry of blocks and kills from Babcock allowed Pitt to take a 21-16 advantage and eventually win the set 25-21.
Shondell's team responded late in the third set after some back-and-forth with Pitt. With the score tied 19-19, Dior Charles got two big blocks and Anderson recorded three kills to spark a 5-1 run. The Boilers would win the set 25-22 to force a fourth.
Pitt and Purdue again traded punches, but the game changer came when the Panthers owned a 12-10 lead. The Panthers won the longest rally of the match to take a three-point lead, which seemed to break the Boilers' spirit.
From that moment, Pitt cruised to a 25-17 win to close out the match and advance to its fifth Final Four in as many years.
Anderson led Purdue with 20 kills and Wollard had 15 kills and 13 digs. Dior Charles had five kills and six blocks, Grace Heaney had eight, and Lindsey Miller had seven. Taylor Anderson finished the match with 51 assists and Ryan McAleer had 14 digs and two assists.
For Pitt, Babcock led the way with 23 kills on 51 swings, and Marina Pezelj had 14. Brooke Mosher totaled 47 assists, seven digs, three aces, and four kills.
Purdue's season ends with a 27-7 record, a third-place finish in the Big Ten and a trip to the Elite Eight.
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PURDUE BEATS SMU IN 4 SETS: Purdue added another chapter to this storybook season with a 3-1 victory over SMU in the Regional Semifinal of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Thursday night. 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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