3 Thoughts From No. 16 Purdue Volleyball's Sweep of USC
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After going 0-2 on its West Coast trip and suffering three straight losses, Purdue was finally back in the win column on Friday night. The 16th-ranked Boilermakers swept USC (25-20, 25-17, 25-20) to get their second Big Ten victory of the season.
Purdue looked more comfortable back inside Holloway Gymnasium on Friday, setting the tone midway through the first set and never allowing the Trojans to make any substantial runs throughout the night. It was a nice victory for Dave Shondell's team, which needed a confidence booster after suffering a few setbacks.
What stood out from Friday's match against USC? A few quick thoughts.
A big night for the middles
Purdue's block was a real strength on Friday night. Both middle blockers, Dior Charles and Kate Hansen, helped fuel the Boilers at the net. Charles was dominant on the block, ending the match with seven to lead the match. She also had four kills on seven swings and accounted for a pair of digs.
Hansen only accounted for two blocks, but had five kills and was effective on the slide. She also had five digs and an ace for the Boilermakers.
Grace Heaney and Mimi Mambu also helped out on the block, both accounting for three on the night. As a team, the Boilers outblocked USC 10-4, a huge difference in the match.
Mimi Mambu's consistency
Mambu didn't play because of an illness in Purdue's 3-2 loss to Oregon last weekend. She took the floor against Washington, but struggled to find any consistency. In the Huskies' sweep of the Boilers, the transfer hitter had eight kills with three errors on 28 errors.
The sophomore was much more effective and efficient against USC. Mambu had a team-high 13 kills on 24 swings and accounted for only four errors. She hit .375 for the match, one of six Boilers to finished with a hitting percentage above .300.
Purdue is a better team when Mambu is finding kills and hitting at an efficient clip. She was able to provide that stability in the offense Friday night.
Better passing night
Where Purdue really struggled on the West Coast trip, especially in the match against Washington, was its passing. The Boilermakers were frequently out of system against the Huskies and finished that night with eight receiving errors.
That number was cut down drastically against USC. Purdue had just one receiving error. Plus, the Boilers were much more consistent in their passing from others not named Taylor Anderson and Ryan McAleer. Even when they were caught out of system, they were still able to capitalize on some opportunities.
Obviously, staying in system is a major key to success in the Big Ten. But Purdue must be able to score points when out of system, too. It was able to take advantage of some of those opportunities on Friday, which helped them take care of the Trojans in straight sets.
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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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