3 Thoughts From No. 14 Purdue's Thrilling 5-Set Win Over Georgia
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Sometimes, all that matters is the final score. That was the case for Purdue on Wednesday night, finding a way to win an ugly match against Georgia to post a 2-0 record in this year's Big Ten-SEC Challenge.
The 14th-ranked Boilermakers needed five sets to defeat a pesky Georgia squad, ultimately finishing off the Bulldogs to improve to 2-1 on the season. Three sets were decided by two points, with Purdue winning the first 27-25, Georgia stealing the fourth 26-24 and the Boilers prevailing in the fifth 16-14.
It may not have been the type of performance Purdue had hoped for, but it still escaped Mackey Arena with a victory.
A sluggish start
Hitting in the first two sets was Purdue's worst of the season. Although the Boilers escaped with a 27-25 victory in the opening set, they finished with a .079 hitting percentage, totaling 14 kills and 11 errors on 38 swings. The second set wasn't much better, posting a .085 percentage in a 25-19 loss to the Bulldogs.
For the first time this season, head coach Dave Shondell turned to middle blocker Bianka Lulic and setter Isabelle Bardin to try to generate some momentum. It helped late in the set, but it wasn't enough.
Things turned around in the third set. Purdue blistered Georgia 25-10 and seemed to take complete control of the match. It ended the set with just two hitting errors and looked like the team that took the floor against Texas A&M on Tuesday night.
For the match, Purdue posted a .203 hitting percentage and ended with 33 errors. 20 of those came in the first two sets.
Ryan McAleer had an All-American night
One of the bright spots from start to finish on Wednesday night was the play of McAleer, who may have had her best night of the young season. The junior libero played well against Texas A&M, but was overshadowed by the performances of Addy Tindall, Taylor Anderson and Mimi Mambu.
McAleer wasn't overshadowed on Wednesday night. She made several big-time plays throughout the match, keeping points alive and putting Purdue in position to score.
The junior came up one assist shy of a double-double, ending her night with 27 digs and nine assists. Although she didn't have any aces, she also had an excellent night behind the service line.
McAleer also had some helps from MaryKate Scheumann and Elle Schara, as the duo combined for 20 digs.
Grace Heaney came alive
Heaney looked like a preseason National Player of the Year candidate on Wednesday, a good sign for the Boilermakers moving forward. The injury in the Creighton match slowed her down a bit, but she appeared to regain her footing against Georgia.
The redshirt junior was all over the floor. She totaled 15 kills on 35 swings, accounted for 16 digs, assisted on three blocks, had two assists and recorded a service ace. It was the most complete performance for the Boilers for the night.
Having Heaney playing at that level alongside fellow hitters Addy Tindall and Mimi Mambu is a huge asset for Purdue.
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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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