If you know anything at all about what happened last Wednesday, you won’t mind watching this again. If you missed it, then you really only need to watch this point to get a feel for the match. (What, you thought I’d bury the lede? Not this week!)

I counted eight attacks by Purdue, although I may have given them one extra - I’m not entirely sure if everything that isn’t a free ball is an attack. Anyway, the Boilers went into Wilkinson Hall for the first time and escaped with a narrow 3-2 win, then continued up to Evanston and swept the Wildcats. Purdue’s now 3-3 in conference play, tied for seventh with Michigan State, and 20th in Massey, sixth-best among Big Tenteen teams (Michigan is 29th but 5-1 in conference play).

Note that ranks are current and not as of last week, since I forgot to get them last week (whoops!).

#20 Purdue 3, #47 Indiana 2 (26-24, 16-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-13)

Steve Aird definitely has IU heading in the right direction. The Boilers headed south, played below their ability, and nearly lost the match … but also came through with pivotal set wins in difficult situations in the first and fifth sets. It probably shouldn’t have been this close, but winning close matches is a big deal, especially for a young team that got even younger last week.

Personnel notes

Good news: Blake Mohler looked to be close to 100%. Bad news: Caitlyn Newton did not make the trip, putting the Boilers down an OH. Emma Ellis and Maddie Koch filled the OH slots in the rotation, with Maddy Chinn getting some playing time in four sets and Maddie Schermerhorn appearing defensively in all five sets. Jael Johnson moved in front of Shavona Cuttino, playing in five sets to Cuttino’s two.

Match notes

(Apologies if I miss some things here. Somehow, the Purdue and Indiana PBPs are different, and both contain significant errors. Purdue’s has the opening set as 26-23, which it obviously can’t be, and 15-26 in the second set; IU has the score correct in both, but lists Kamryn Malloy as opening the set with an ace, which she didn’t. Purdue’s PBP has that as an IU point, which would be correct if it were true; it was actually a service error, so IU’s score is correct for set two. IU’s PBP doesn’t list any timeouts.)

Indiana jumped out to a 1-5 lead in the opening set; Purdue used a 3-1 run to cut the lead to 1, then after a Megan Sloan kill, a 4-1 run tied it at 8. The teams traded points through 9-10, when a 5-1 run put Purdue up 14-11 and drew an IU timeout right before the media timeout. The Hoosiers responded with three points, but a service error and a Mohler kill put the Good Gals back up by three. IU tied it, 17-17, but a 4-1 run canceled that out, and at 21-18, IU used their last timeout. Again, it sparked an 0-3 run, this time around a Purdue timeout, but a Grace Cleveland kill put the Boilers in front 22-21. Deyshia Lofton’s kill cut the lead in half, and a Jacqui Armer/Hayden Huybers block of Cleveland put the hosts up 22-23 and drew Purdue’s last timeout. Mohler and Koch returned the favor, blocking Armer, and another Cleveland kill put the Boilers on set point, but another Huybers kill leveled it at 24. Koch put down a Hayley Bush set for set point #2, and this time it held, as Cleveland did the honors for a 26-24 set win.

Purdue hopes for a second straight set seemed intact early on, as the Boilers took an early 5-4 lead, but Indiana runs of 0-4 and 1-4 put the Hoosiers up 7-12, and the Boilers were pretty much done. They’d close to 9-12 and 10-13, but three more points around a Purdue timeout made it 10-16, then another 0-4 run around the other Purdue timeout made it 11-20, and the teams effectively traded points the rest of the way, with a Breana Edwards kill sending them to the locker room tied at 1-1 after a 16-25 set.

Early in the third set, it looked like the first set was an aberration, and much like Purdue’s match at Wisconsin, the hosts would come storming back to take the match. After an even 5-5 start, three straight IU points got Dave Shondell to call an early timeout, and that may well have been the turning point of the match. A 4-0 run put the Boilers up one, and a 4-3 run extended the lead to two. IU ran off three straight to go back in front, 13-14, but Purdue responded with 4 around an IU timeout to lead 17-14, and after an Armer solo block of Bush, they added three more and burned the other IU timeout. A Malloy kill cut the lead to 20-16, but kills from Ellis and Cleveland extended it to six; a solo Lofton block of Koch and an Ellis attack error dropped it to 22-18, but Cleveland struck again, adding two kills and pairing with Johnson to block Malloy, as her final kill of the set put the Boilers on top 25-18, and at 2-1, things were looking good for the Old Gold and Black.

Yet again in set four, Indiana took an early lead, going up 1-3, 4-6 and 5-8. At 7-10, Shondell called another early timeout, but this one didn’t work quite as well, as the Boilers managed just two points before a 1-3 IU run made it 10-13. They’d close to 12-13; Indiana got consecutive kills from Huybers and Armer to lead by three, but two IU errors and an Ellis kill tied it at 15 and drew a timeout by the Hoosiers. The teams traded points through 18-all; Indiana then posted three straight points around Purdue’s last timeout to lead 18-21. The Boilers stuck with it - at 19-22, a Cleveland kill and an attack error by Armer made it 21-22, and after an Edwards kill, another pair of Indiana errors tied the set at 23. Purdue was two points away from winning the match, but those points would not come, as they finished the set with three straight errors, scoring once on an Ellis kill but never getting a match point. Indiana took set four, 24-26, setting the stage for what you now know was a classic fifth set.

The Boilers started off hot, going up 3-1; Indiana responded with an Edwards kill, then used a Mohler attack error to tie it at 3. Two more errors plus an Ellis/Mohler block of Armer put Purdue up 6-3 and drew IU’s first timeout; a 2-4 run cut the lead to one, and after a Cleveland kill, a solo Malloy block of Cleveland and a Lofton kill tied it at 9. Purdue called timeout, then got a Chinn kill to lead 10-9; Edwards responded with a kill for 10-all. Cleveland made it 11-10, but another Edwards kill and a solo Edwards block of Mohler gave Indiana its first lead of the set, 11-12, and drew Purdue’s other timeout. Mohler and Bush combined to block Edwards, making it 12-all and setting up the epic point you saw above, starting the Emma Ellis show: kill for 13-12, kill for 14-12, and after an Armer/Edwards block on match point #1, one more kill for 15-12 and a thrilling 3-2 Purdue victory.

The box score was mostly even, but it had two interesting differences, one somewhat expected and one definitely not expected. Purdue held a slight edge in kills (63-61) but trailed in hitting percentage (.168-.175); the Boilers also led in assists (60-57) and digs (82-79), but saw one difference at the service line, where IU had 5 aces to Purdue’s 2 but were -4 at the line to -5 for the Boilers. The other difference was at the net, where Indiana had 8 solo blocks to 2 for Purdue, and 18.5 total to 13 for the Good Gals.

Purdue has now won 12 straight Monon Spike matches, the longest streak by either side in the trophy series, and leads the Spike series 34-12. They’ve now won 14 straight overall against the Hoosiers, their longest streak since winning 24 straight from 1978 through 1985, and lead the overall series 69-34, with a 28-18 advantage in Bloomington and a 1-0 record in Wilkinson Hall.

With Newton out, Cleveland became the primary attacker, recording a match-high 23 kills, but hitting only .188 with a match-high 10 errors. Ellis broke into double digits for the first time, with a career-high 13 kills at .205, and Mohler added 12 kills at .304. Bush led all players with 56 assists and tied her career high with 17 digs for another double-double; Jena Otec had a match-high 24 digs, while Marissa Hornung added 14 and Cleveland 8. Otec (even) had one of the two aces, with Mohler (-1) surprisingly getting the other (she’s improved quite a bit at the service line but has just four aces in the last three seasons). Ellis and Koch each had a solo block, with Ellis’ 2.5 total leading the Boilers.

Indiana’s attack was led by sophomore OH Breana Edwards, who had 15 kills but hit just .121; senior MB Deyshia Lofton and senior OH Megan Sloan (Zionsville, IN; Cathedral HS) were deadly teammates, posting 12 at .440 and 10 at .320 respectively. Senior setter Victoria Brisack (24) and freshman setter Emily Fitzner (23) split assists almost down the middle, with freshman libero Haley Armstrong adding 7. Junior OH Kamryn Malloy (+1) had 2 of IU’s five aces; Lofton and senior DS Meaghan Koors (Indianapolis; Cathedral HS) both served one and were even, and Fitzner had the other, but also had five service errors for -4 overall. Lofton also had 3 solo blocks, with Malloy recording 2 and Edwards, senior MB Jacqui Armer, and Sloan posting the others. Lofton’s 5.5 total was good for match honors. Armstrong’s 21 digs were tops on IU, with Malloy adding 17 (and just missing a double-double with 9 kills at .049) and Koors recording 12.

#20 Purdue 3, #75 Northwestern 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-18)

Those who were expecting a letdown after an emotional win would get … not that. What they got was another solid performance from Northwestern freshman Temi Thomas-Ailara, but not enough sustained play for the Wildcats to take a set at home. NU may not be that good, but sweeping them on the road is a good sign for the Boilers.

Personnel notes

Same deal as Wednesday - Newton did not make the trip. This time, Ellis and Chinn split the OH role, while Cuttino returned to start alongside Mohler at MB and Johnson came in off the bench in one set. Schermerhorn again made defensive appearances in all three sets (none of the freshman are ready for Big Tenteen-caliber six-rotation play yet), and Emma Terwilliger served in two sets.

Match notes

To no one’s surprise, Thomas-Ailara recorded the first kill of the match. The Wildcats took a quick 1-3 lead before Purdue warmed up, scoring three straight and trading points to lead 5-4. NU then went on a 1-5 run, and at 6-9, it looked a little like the Boilers had not quite recovered from the Monon Spike match. But Purdue managed to tie at at 10, and after a Chinn attack error and a Thomas-Ailara kill, a Cleveland kill and back-to-back aces by Otec drew a Northwestern timeout. The Wildcats scored three of the next four, but an attack error by Thomas-Ailara tied it at 15. Another 1-3 Northwestern run put the hosts up 16-18, drawing a Purdue timeout; after trading points, the Boilers went on a 6-0 run around a Northwestern timeout that basically put the set away. The Wildcats made a solid run, scoring three straight and forcing Purdue to use their final timeout, but Cleveland came through with a kill, and on set point, Cleveland and Mohler stuffed Thomas-Ailara, and the Boilers won the set 25-22, going up 1-0 in the match.

The second set got off to an inauspicious beginning: service error, service error, attack error. The Good Gals stopped that streak with a Cleveland kill and two Mohler kills; a solo block by Chinn of Alana Walker made it 5-2 Purdue, but a service error gave the hosts the ball, and two points later it was tied at 5. At 6-6, a 3-0 Purdue run put the Boilers up 9-6 and drew a Northwestern timeout; NU would later get three of their own to tie it at 12. The teams then traded one- and two-point runs through 16-all … when the bottom dropped out for Northwestern. A Cuttino kill and a Bush ace made it 18-16 and prompted the other Wildcat timeout, but it was to no avail, as kills from Cleveland and Ellis extended the run to 4 points, then three straight Northwestern attack errors pushed the Boilers up seven. Northwestern would get an 0-3 run and cause the Boilers to use a timeout, but that would be it, as a Nia Robinson service error put the visitors on set point, and once again, Thomas-Ailara was blocked, this time by Cuttino and Cleveland. At 25-19, Purdue had something of a comfortable win, and they had to feel good going to the locker room up 2-0.

The opening half of the third set was fairly even, as Purdue overcame an early 0-2 deficit to lead 7-4 and 8-5; an 0-3 Northwestern run tied it, and the teams would trade points through 11-all. A Chinn kill started a 4-0 run that prompted a Northwestern timeout; they’d get kills from Thomas-Ailara and Kiara McNulty, but each time, the kill was followed by a service error, and a Schermerhorn ace made it 18-13 Boilers. The hosts cut it to 18-15, but a 4-1 run gave the Good Gals some breathing room, and after a Thomas-Ailara kill, a Lexi Pitsas error and a Hornung ace put the Boilers on match point. One more Thomas-Ailara kill got the Wildcats the serve, but they couldn’t save match point #2, with a Cleveland kill giving Purdue a 25-18 set and a 3-0 match.

Once again, the Boilers’ attack wasn’t particularly effective, but this time, they had a distinct advantage, and ran it through almost all of the box score: NU had the edge in kills (35-36) and digs (46-52), but it was Purdue everywhere else, in hitting percentage (.210 to .123), assists (32-30), aces (8/+2 to 3/-5) and blocks (4-1 solo and 10.0-4.0 total). Yes, Purdue was +2 at the service line. I’m not tracking serves like I was last year, but any time a team is positive from the line, that’s a big deal.

Cleveland had a much better night, tying for match honors with 15 kills and hitting .270. Bush added 28 assists and 9 digs, second only to Otec’s match-high 14. Jena also led all players with 3 aces (+1); Bush (2/+2), Hornung (2/even) and Schermerhorn (1/+1) had the others. Chinn had 3 solo blocks and 3.5 total, both good for match honors.

For Northwestern, it was once again freshman OH Temi Thomas-Ailara, tying Cleveland with 15 kills but this time hitting just .156 as Purdue’s defense was much more effective against her. Junior OH Nia Robinson (Indianapolis; Cathedral HS - yep, another one) added 9, but was held to .100. Sophomore setter Kiara McNulty had 24 assists and 9 digs, tied with Thomas-Ailara for second behind junior libero Lexi Pitsas, who had 11. Thomas-Aliara’s jump serve provided 2 aces but 2 errors as well for an even score at the line; McNulty (+1) had NU’s other ace. Junior MH Alana Walker had the lone solo block for the hosts, giving her a team-high 1.5 total.

Overall thoughts

Injuries would be a problem for any team, but they’re a significant problem for a young team. Purdue just doesn’t have the experience yet to replace a Mohler or a Newton, not even for one match. It’s true that the Boilers faced three of the best teams in the country in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois, hitting just .101, .149 and .141 in those matches, but Indiana probably isn’t the same caliber, and the Boilers hit just .168 against them; in two matches against Northwestern, the Good Gals hit .270 and .210.

Another problem is their lack of height. Cleveland is 6’3” and six players are 6’2”, but without an Atkinson or a Danielle Cuttino on the roster, those are your tallest players, not the secondary blockers, and it’s having an impact. The younger hitters will need to get up to speed more quickly to hit around and over blocks - eight solo blocks by IU is a bad sign - and the back row needs to be able to cover for the block better, since they’ll be seeing quite a few more attacks than they did the last couple of years.

It’s too bad that Mohler and Newton are banged up now, as the back end of the schedule is quite favorable to Purdue, especially if Michigan turns out to be more of a middle-of-the-pack team like Massey says - the only elite opponent in the Boilers’ final eight matches is Penn State. (It’s fair to point out that Purdue has a one-match winning streak in Rec Hall, but do we really expect them to extend it? It was amazing enough that they won last year!)

Conference roundup

Wisconsin is the lone remaining unbeaten, sweeping Northwestern and Minnesota (!) to move to 6-0. Minnesota and Michigan picked up their first conference losses, as Nebraska moved to 5-1 with a win over Michigan State and a sweep of the Wolverines; Minnesota notched a strong 3-1 win at Illinois before the loss at Wisconsin. Penn State made it four teams at 5-1 with a surprisingly close 3-2 win over Maryland and a sweep of Ohio State. Illinois is two back, sweeping IU after the Minnesota loss, while Purdue and Michigan State sit at .500.

Rutgers is still winless, although they took a set against Maryland; Northwestern was 0-6 on the weekend and the Wildcats, like the Scarlet Knights, have just two set wins in conference play. Iowa and Indiana fell to 1-5 after 0-2 weekends, while Maryland and Ohio State each picked up their second conference wins. (Thanks, Rutgers!)

Up next

Prime time awaits the Boilers yet again, as they’ll be on ESPNU against third-ranked Nebraska before heading to Columbus Saturday for the final match in their four-game road swing. Massey shows each as a 3-1 match, and you can guess which way each should go - keep in mind that his system can’t account for injuries, so a Newton-less Purdue team could well get swept at Nebraska, and if they’re not careful, the Boilers could go five at OSU. Then again, the Buckeyes haven’t taken a set off a top-50 team this year (sweeps by Pitt, Michigan twice, MSU and Penn State), so that may well be a four- or three-set Purdue win regardless of player health.

Wednesday, 9 PM: at #3 Nebraska (TV: ESPNU; stat tracker) sorry there’s no link for ESPNU, ESPN fired all their employees who understood anything about online marketing
Saturday, 7 PM: at #69 Ohio State (TV: BTN+; stat tracker)

Road matches = few pics. The feature pic is courtesy of Purdue Sports and the remaining pics are from the Northwestern/Illinois home matches, taken by Charles Jischke and David Wegiel and provided courtesy of Purdue Athletics