Last vacation of the season, I promise. I’ll be back in town next week and can give you a proper writeup. Since I’m on Pacific time again, I may not even catch the matches this weekend.

Purdue is #21 in Massey, pulling away a little from Michigan and Illinois but still not close enough to the Big Four; a win over the Gophers would have pulled the Boilers closer to that group, but I think the Good Gals just aren’t there yet, and their current position in the standings is probably a fair estimation of their strength.

#19 Purdue 3, #62 Indiana 0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-20)

Indiana is definitely in a rebuilding season; they played the Boilers well in Bloomington, as you’d expect from a performance in front of what I believe was a record crowd, but they looked like a completely different team in Holloway.

Personnel notes

The usual starters and subs; Emma Terwilliger served in two sets and recorded an ace, while Jael Johnson also appeared in two sets but posted a volleyball trillion. (For those not familiar with the term, a trillion in basketball is when a player makes a brief appearance (recorded as 1 minute), but doesn’t get anything else in the box score, so their line is a 1 followed by a bunch of zeroes. In the right box score, there are 12 zeroes, so 1 000 000 000 000, which is a trillion. Technically, Jael’s is 2 trillion, since she played in 2 sets. It’s not a reflection of the player’s contributions or ability, just a box score oddity.)

Match stats

The Boilers roared through IU in the first two sets, burying them quickly in each. After the break, Indiana was a bit more spirited, but that happened after the match was already decided, with Purdue jumping out to a 12-3 lead and then weathering the Indiana comeback. The box score heavily favored the hosts, as Purdue had edges everywhere: kills (46 at .391 to 32 at .180), assists (42-31), aces (9/+7 (!!) to 2/-2), blocks (7.0-3.0), and digs (49-30).

Purdue leaders

Kills: Caitlyn Newton (15 at .263), Grace Cleveland (12 at .579)
Assists: Hayley Bush (38)
Aces: Bush (2/+2), Marissa Hornung (2/+2), Jena Otec (2/even)
Solo blocks: Newton (1)
Blocks: Cleveland (2.5)
Digs: Hornung (13)

Indiana leaders

Kills: Breana Edwards (12 at .250)
Assists: Victoria Brisack (16)
Aces: Bayli Lebo (1/+1), Kamryn Malloy (1/even)
Solo blocks: Jacqui Armer (1), Deyshia Lofton (1)
Blocks: Lofton (1.5)
Digs: Lebo (13)

#19 Purdue 1, #6 Minnesota 3 (23-25, 25-16, 17-25, 19-25)

Just like in the match in Minneapolis, the Boilers had the chance to take a set and let it slip away, only to be beaten decisively in two others. Unlike that first match, in this one, Purdue did take a set, and they did so with authority.

Personnel notes

Starters were mostly the same with one exception, as Maddie Koch replaced Emma Ellis. Ellis played in one set, getting a dig and a kill in 9 attempts. Terwilliger served in all four sets, recording another ace.

Match notes

The Boilers actually led 23-22 in the opening set; if they pull that one out, 2-0 going into the locker room is a whole different story. Instead, the Gophers pulled out the opener, then wore Purdue down after the break. Minnesota had a big edge in attack percentage, .183 to .288, and had leads in kills (50-57), assists (47-54), and digs (49-54), while the Good Gals led in aces (7/+1 to 3/-2) and blocks (10.0-8.0).

Purdue leaders

Kills: Cleveland (16 at .286), Newton (15 at .227)
Assists: Bush (46)
Aces: Otec (2/+1), Cleveland (2/+1)
Solo blocks: Shavona Cuttino (1)
Blocks: Cuttino (3.5)
Digs: Hornung (15)

Minnesota leaders

Kills: Alexis Hart (19 at 467), Adanna Rollins (14 at .286)
Assists: Bayley McMenimen (27)
Aces: Rachel Kilkelly (1/+1), Stephanie Samedy (1/+1), McMenimen (1/even)
Solo blocks: Ellie Husemann (2), Rollins (2)
Blocks: Husemann (2.5), Rollins (2.5)
Digs: CC McGraw (18)

Overall thoughts

Purdue’s managed to get into late-season form a little bit early, which is a good sign for their slim NCAA Tournament hosting prospects. A win over Minnesota would have been fantastic; as it is, they’ll likely have to take both Michigan matches and hope for a little help down the road. If they could pull off another upset at Penn State, that would make a big difference, but doing that in back-to-back years is a lot to ask.

Conference roundup

No standings image this week, sorry … Wisconsin has won 12 straight and still leads the conference, with Minnesota (11-1), Nebraska (11-2) and Penn State (10-2) close behind. Michigan leads the second group at 9-4, with Purdue (7-5) and Illinois (7-6) the other two schools who’ll get NCAA bids.

Ohio State (5-7) is the second-division leader, with Maryland (4-8) close behind; Michigan State (4-9) and Iowa (3-10) next, then surprising Rutgers (2-10), Indiana (1-11) and Northwestern (1-12).

Up next

The best of times, the worst of times, as the Good Gals swing out to New Jersey for a Delany’s Folly match at Rutgers, then visit Penn State in an arena where they haven’t won a match since … oh right, last season. This time, I don’t think there will be a miracle five-set comeback win. Massey predicts a sweep of Rutgers and a four-set loss to PSU, but I think the Nittany Lions are going to make things hard for the young Boilers and will record a three-set win.

Friday, 7 PM: at #125 Rutgers (TV: BTN+; stat tracker)
Saturday, 7 PM: at #7 Penn State (TV: BTN+; stat tracker)

Two home matches means two sets of pics, both taken by Dave Wegiel and provided courtesy of Purdue Sports