I just got back from a three-day conference in Vegas - almost literally. My flight got in at 1:35 AM, and there was actually a flight that was scheduled to leave before ours that would have arrived at 3:35 AM, or maybe later, who knows? So instead of my usual details, we’ll have to go with a quick post before I head north for tonight’s match.

The Boilers continue to hold steady, dropping just one spot to #21 in Massey and now the 5th-best conference team, as Illinois’ rough schedule pushes them to 23rd.

#20 Purdue 1, #3 Nebraska 3 (21-25, 16-25, 25-23, 15-25)

Purdue started the all-time series with a four-match winning streak; the last time they won back-to-back matches against the Huskers was in 2013, when they had a season sweep of Nebraska. The Boilers haven’t beaten them since.

Personnel notes

Caitlyn Newton returned to action after missing two matches due to a concussion: naturally, she ended up smacking her face on a Nebraska fan’s knee chasing an errant dig into the stands at courtside. Maddie Schermerhorn and Emma Terwilliger appeared in all four matches as DS and serving specialist, respectively. Emma Ellis moved back to the other OH slot behind Newton; no one else made an appearance.

There was a significant change, though. Jena Otec was struggling at libero, so Shondell moved Marissa Hornung back to libero for sets three and four; Hornung’s play helped the Boilers take set three.

Match stats

Purdue managed to stay close in set one through Nebraska errors, then held the Huskers to just .077 in the third set to win, despite hitting .091 themselves. The hosts hit .391 and .536 in the other two sets, and you can guess how they went. Nebraska led in most categories: hitting (42 kills at .099 to 59 at .284), assists (41-58), and digs (49-57). Purdue managed to stay level in aces, 5-5, but were even to Nebraska’s surprising -4, and the Boilers also outblocked Nebraska, 10.0-8.0.

Purdue leaders

Kills: Newton (17 at .120)
Assists: Hayley Bush (35)
Aces: 5 players with 1
Blocks: Shavona Cuttino (3.0)
Digs: Hornung (14), Otec (10)

Nebraska leaders

Kills: Madi Kubik (22 at .314), Lexi Sun (11 at .321), Lauren Stivrins (10 at .375)
Assists: Nicklin Hames (48)
Aces: 5 players with 1
Blocks: Callie Schwarzenbach (1 solo, 3.0 total)
Digs: Sun (15), Kenzie Knuckles (14), Hames (11)

#20 Purdue 3, #69 Ohio State 2 (25-17, 23-25, 26-24, 22-25, 15-13)

Purdue’s young players learned another lesson about road matches in the Big Tenteen, as they went from being just a couple of points short of a sweep to just a couple of points short of losing the match. They did hold on to win, and those road wins shouldn’t be underestimated, but at the same time, a full-strength Boiler team should probably be playing better than they have been against second-tier teams on the road.

Personnel notes

Full roster with no subs - Hornung as libero, Schermerhorn as DS, Terwilliger to serve and play some DS, Ellis at OH, no bit parts for anyone. Ohio State played 15 players (!).

Match stats

Lack of accuracy kept Purdue from a sweep, as they had 31 attack errors but Ohio State had only 11 total blocks. Take away half of those errant attacks and this is a sweep. Purdue led in kills, 65-60, but were outhit by OSU .192-.202; the hosts also had an edge in digs (64-68), but the Boilers led in assists (60-57), aces (3/-6 to 3/-11), and blocks (3/16.5 to 5/11.0).

Purdue leaders

Kills: Newton (19 at .185), Blake Mohler (15 at .286), Cuttino (11 at .429)
Assists: Bush (55)
Aces: Newton (2/+1)
Solo blocks: 3 players with 1
Blocks: Mohler (4.5)
Digs: Hornung (24), Otec (11)

Ohio State leaders

Kills: Gabby Gonzales (20 at .326), Jenaisya Moore (16 at .190)
Assists: Becca Mauer (50)
Aces: Mauer (2/-2)
Solo blocks: Moore (4), two short of tying the Purdue opponent record held by three players
Blocks: Moore (5.5)
Digs: Kylie Murr (20), Gonzales (14)

Overall thoughts

The set win at Nebraska was solid, especially after the close loss in the first set and a blowout loss in the second; younger teams typically fold in that situation. Purdue’s shown flashes of greater performance at times this season, and we saw that in Lincoln.

The Ohio State match was notable in that Purdue did play to the level of their competition, but won a close match on the road. Those wins can be the difference between an early season exit and an NCAA bid; the Boilers are solidly on track for the latter.

Injuries are starting to be a concern. Mohler appeared to be 100%, but without knowing what happened, it’s hard to say for sure that she won’t have a recurrence. Unfortunately, we already know from players like Carly Cramer and Natalie Haben that concussions can be a real problem even in volleyball; hopefully Caitlyn will be symptom-free. I can’t imagine fighting concussion symptoms and having to do classwork.

Conference roundup

Wisconsin remains the lone unbeaten after holding off Illinois and sweeping the Wildcats; Penn State stayed a game back with wins at Michigan and Michigan State, then matched Wisconsin’s 3-2 home win over Illinois on Wednesday. Nebraska is a game back today after sweeping Maryland, with Minnesota also one back after sweeping Northwestern and taking out Illinois in four. Michigan entered their first difficult stretch with that PSU loss; after sweeping Rutgers, they’ve got Minnesota and Wisconsin this week at home.

Michigan State split to keep pace with the Boilers; Illinois dropped into the .500 group, then lost to Penn State (that OSU match is Saturday), while Ohio State moved up from 3-5 after a sweep of Iowa and beat Rutgers to move to 4-5; Maryland did the same thing, beating IU in five, then holding on to beat the Wildcats in 5 Wednesday. (One of these three 4-5 teams is not like the others.) Iowa managed just a win over IU and has a return trip tomorrow after visiting Purdue; Indiana is narrowly avoiding the basement group, and if they can’t manage a win over Iowa (I doubt they’ll surprise Nebraska) then they’ll be tied for 12th, as Northwestern and Rutgers have their first of two meetings Sunday.

Up next

Looks like another split. A struggling Iowa team comes to town today: the Hawkeyes have beaten only IU and Northwestern in conference play, and after a really promising 3-0 sweep of now-#20 Washington State in August, they’ve not shown much competitiveness with top-30 teams.

Nebraska is still who we thought they would be. The Boilers will have to play really well to take a set from them, even at home. Massey picks the Boilers in four over Iowa and the Huskers in four; I think both matches will be sweeps.

Friday, 7 PM: vs #58 Iowa (TV: BTN+; stat tracker)
Saturday, 8 PM: vs #5 Nebraska (TV: BTN; stat tracker)

Road matches = few pics. This week’s feature photo is again courtesy of Purdue Sports.