Taylor Anderson Shines as Purdue Beats Indiana, Sweeps Season Series
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Taylor Anderson decided to end the match in the fourth set on Saturday afternoon inside Mackey Arena. When Indiana made a run to close a 20-14 advantage to just one point, the junior setter decided to take over.
With Purdue owning a 2-1 set lead and having a 21-20 advantage in the fourth set, Anderson scored on back-to-back kills by dumping the ball over the net, extending the Boilermaker lead to 23-20. Then, the setter teamed up with middle blocker Dior Charles for a block to make the score 24-20.
Purdue closed out the win with a Rachel Williams serve, taking the match 3-1 and sweeping the season series. Anderson ended the night with 31 assists, 10 digs, seven kills, and six blocks. It was one of her most productive all-around performances of the season.
But it was Anderson's aggressiveness on offense that set the Boilermakers apart from the Hoosiers.
"Dave [Shondell] is always telling me to dump more. I don't do it often, but as the game went on, they weren't really blocking me," Anderson said. "It was an easy way to get some points and help our team out."
Purdue started the match out by winning the first two sets in convincing fashion. The Boilers defeated the Hoosiers 25-17 in the opening set and won the second set 25-19. It felt like they might sweep IU in front of 11,000 strong at Mackey Arena.
Things started to slip away from the Boilermakers in that third set, falling 26-24. But Purdue, and Anderson, responded well in the fourth.
"I would put a lot of that on us. I thought we were flat in that third set," Shondell said. "Give them credit, when you lose two in a row to your rival, you're going to come out and be ready to go. He made some changes ... but I just didn't think we played that well in the third. It was just one of those rivalry matches where nobody is relaxed."
Saturday's match was a fitting conclusion to Purdue's impressive year. The Boilermakers rounded out the regular season with a 24-6 record and a 15-5 mark in the Big Ten, finishing third in the league.
It's been an impressive year for the Boilers, who lost most of last season's production to the transfer portal and graduation. Although expectations remained high in West Lafayette, Shondell said his team exceeded any bar that was set.
"They exceeded anybody in the world's expectations," Shondell said. "They played with this genuine purpose, they had this camaraderie that a lot of teams don't have. They just really care and love each other. It's a unique and sometimes goofy group.
"I would say that we surpassed, without a doubt. I think Indiana surpassed, without a doubt, as well."
With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, Purdue awaits to see its seed for the NCAA Tournament. There's a good chance the Boilermakers will host the first two rounds, but it will be made official during the Selection Show, which airs on ESPN at 6 p.m. ET.
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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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