No. 10 Purdue Volleyball Opens Big Ten Play With Win Over Washington at Mackey Arena
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It didn't come easy, but 10th-ranked Purdue opened up Big Ten play with a victory on Thursday night inside Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers swept Washington (25-21, 29-27, 25-22) to start the conference season off with a 1-0 record.
Purdue got a combined 30 kills between outside hitters Kenna Wollard and Akasha Anderson, leading the charge for the offense. Wollard led the way with 16 kills, with Akasha finishing the match with 14, including some critical points late in the match.
Setter Taylor Anderson had another tremendous all-around performance, totaling 39 assists, seven digs, five blocks, and a kill in the three-set win. Opposite Grace Heaney also played well, finishing the match with 12 digs and nine kills.
The Boilermakers were in a back-and-forth match with the Huskies in the first set, trailing 18-17 late. Purdue won the first long rally of the match to tie it up at 18-18 and generate some momentum. It closed out the set by winning nine of the final 12 points.
Washington was in complete control early in the second set, jumping out to a 10-2 lead. But Dave Shondell's team never quit, slowly chipping away at the lead and trimming the deficit to just one point at 15-14. The two teams continued to trade jabs, but the Huskies had the upper hand late, taking a 24-23 lead.
But the Boilers fought off four straight set points and were eventually able to take the second set.
Purdue was the one to take an early lead in the third set, taking a 15-9 advantage and appearing to cruise to a three-set victory. But Washington put itself in a position to force a fourth set. Purdue's offense was too much, and the Boilermakers prevailed to take their first Big Ten match at Mackey Arena.
Purdue has won eight straight matches
The Boilermakers are on a roll right now. With Thursday's win over Washington, the Boilermakers are now 10-1 on the season and have won eight straight matches. Without question, Shondell's team is playing as well as any in the country at the moment.
During that stretch, Purdue has knocked off three ranked opponents and was able to start conference play with a victory.
Purdue returns to Mackey Arena on Sunday, hosting Illinois at 2 p.m. ET. Can the Boilermakers secure another win and make it nine straight victories and start Big Ten play 2-0?
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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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