Purdue Volleyball Looking to Regroup Quickly After Tough Loss to Illinois
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It had been a while since Purdue last suffered a loss on the volleyball court. On Sunday afternoon, though, the 10th-ranked Boilermakers dropped a four-set match to Illinois inside Mackey Arena. It was the first time the team had lost since Sept. 3.
Despite having a large Mackey Arena crowd behind them, the Boilermakers came up short against a balanced Illini squad.
"Not the way we drew it up," coach Dave Shondell said. "I don't think Illinois did anything that we weren't really expecting. They may have served the ball a little bit tougher than what we had seen."
Illinois was led by Taylor de Boer, who had 17 kills. Ashlyn Philpot had 12 kills and four blocks, along with a .429 hitting percentage. The Illini also had 11 kills each from Auburn Tomkinson and Alyssa Aguayo.
The Fighting Illini wasted no time in setting the tone in West Lafayette, winning the first set 25-21. The Boilermakers seemed to generate plenty of momentum in the second set, winning 25-12. But Illinois countered by closing out tight third and fourth sets, winning 25-23 and 26-24 to take the match.
As well as Illinois played, Shondell said Purdue is pointing the finger at itself.
"I think our team and our coaching staff recognize that loss was on all of us. We didn't play at the level we needed to play to beat a team like that," Shondell said. "This was on us. This was what we didn't do as opposed to what they did do, I think."
With Sunday's loss, Purdue falls to 10-2 on the season and 1-1 in Big Ten play. Illinois is 7-4 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
How does Purdue move forward?
Purdue was certainly frustrated with Sunday's outcome at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers believed they had an opportunity to start league play with a 2-0 record before a West Coast trip to Los Angeles to play No. 19 UCLA and No. 17 USC.
In the Big Ten, there isn't any time to sit around and sulk. Shondell and his team are going to have to put this match out of their mind and start moving forward. What's the first step in that process?
"Just being positive. It's not things we can't do that we didn't do, it was just one of those nights," Shondell said. "We've been really good. We've been beyond expectations and sometimes that adds a little pressure to a team. That's not an excuse at all, but it looked like we felt some pressure at times, especially down the stretch."
Outside hitter Kenna Wollard, who led the team with 16 kills to go along with eight digs and five blocks, said the loss to Illinois can be a distraction. That result is in the past, and now it's time to focus on what's ahead.
"We know we have two big games coming up," Wollard said. "When we get back in the gym, we have to be positive and put this one out of our mind. This is one we thought we could win and really, really wanted to get, but we can't let it affect how we play the next two games."
Related stories on Purdue volleyball
STARS SHOW UP AT MACKEY: Several big names showed up at Mackey Arena on Thursday night to support the Purdue volleyball team in its Big Ten opener against Washington. CLICK HERE
BOILERS TAKE DOWN WASHINGTON: Purdue got 16 kills from Kenna Wollard and 14 from Akasha Anderson in a sweep of Washington at Mackey Arena. Setter Taylor Anderson also had a big night. CLICK HERE
WOLLARD, ANDERSON BIG TEN'S TOP PLAYERS: 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
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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