Purdue Sports Update Sept. 16

#7 Volleyball Takes Down #10 Kentucky, 3-1, while winning SMU Doubletree

In Purdue’s first top-25 matchup of the season, the Boilermakers took down No. 10 Kentucky, 3-1 (21-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-16) to remain undefeated at 8-0, while the Wildcats fall to 6-3.

With the result, Purdue won the SMU Doubletree Invitational. All-Tournament team to be announced.

Eva Hudson set a season-high 20 kills in the win to lead both teams, doing so on a .304 clip. The junior added three digs, one block and an assist in the match.

As a team, Purdue hit .310 while holding Kentucky to .213.

After a slow start for the Boilermakers in Set 1, Purdue flipped the switch for Set 2, registering an 85% sideout in the set and a .423 attack %, bested only in the fourth set, which the team committed just one attach error on a .462 clip.

Raven Colvin posted a .571 attack % with nine kills, one error on 14 swings alongside seven blocks, five digs and a pair of service aces.

Taylor Anderson dished out 28 assists, eight digs, four blocks, a pair of kills and two service aces.

The Boilermakers are 21-3 in sets won this season.

Purdue has started 8-0 four times under head coach Dave Shondell, with the last time coming five years ago (2018).

Purdue closes the non-conference slate next weekend at Kansas for the Jayhawk Invitational, which features a loaded field in No. 9 Creighton, No. 11 Kansas and Tulsa, a team with a top-25 win already this season.

The No. 7 Boilermakers swept the Houston Cougars, 3-0 behind 25-12, 25-21, 25-20 set scores. With the win, Purdue improves to 7-0 on the season while handing Houston its third loss of the season (3-3).

Purdue never forfeited the lead and there was just one tied score in the match.

Chloe Chicoine led the team with her 14th career double-double, including third of the season, behind her 11-kill, 10-dig performance.

The team hit above .300 for nearly the entire match, ending the evening with a .292 hitting clip, which included a .370 attack % in Set 1. The Boilermakers also posted a perfect sideout % in the opening set, going 12-for-12 in addition, the team went 80% in the final set.

The Boilermakers held the Cougars to a .078 attack % in the match, the second straight match the team has held opponents to under .100. Moreover, Purdue did not allow a single service ace.

Purdue out-blocked Houston, 13-5, marking the sixth match this season the team has reached double-digit blocks.

Taylor Anderson nearly had a career-high night on the attack, posting an errorless four kills on seven attempts (.571%) alongside 31 assists, seven digs and two blocks.

The Boilermakers are 18-2 in sets won this season.

Men Finish 5th, Women 6th at Big Ten Preview

The Purdue cross country team made the most of its Big Ten Preview at Illinois’ Orange and Blue Golf Course, as the men placed fifth and the women came in sixth.

The course will be the same one the Boilermakers will compete on in November for the Big Ten Championships.

PURDUE MEN (5th, 118 pts) – 8k
All five scoring runners finished in the top 31, as the men’s team finished fifth with 118 points. Eight runners came across the line in the top 38. Wisconsin won the men’s race with 24 points.

Nathan Walker paced Purdue with an 11th-place finish in 24:00.0. Jason Polydoris notched his best career mark with a 24:18.1 to come across the line in 21st.

The next seven Boilermakers finished within 12.8 seconds of each other.

Douglas Buckeridge was the third Boilermaker to reach the line, coming in 26th with a time of 24:20.0. Caleb Williams was 2.3 seconds behind Buckeridge in 29th with a mark of 24:22.3. Nerius White rounded out the scoring in 31st with a time of 24:23.5.

Four Boilermakers finished within seven spots of scoring. Geno Christofanelli was 34th with a time of 24:28.4. Kiefer Bell was 36th in 24:30.6. Brady Yoder edged Alex Frey for 37th with a time of 24:42.6, .2 seconds ahead of his teammate.

PURDUE WOMEN (6th, 145 pts) – 6k
The women placed sixth with a score of 145 points, just six points behind fifth-place Iowa. Northwestern claimed the title with 40 points.

Payne Turney led the way for the Boilermakers with a 13th-place finish in a time of 20:57.2, with her second career 6k race under 21-minutes. Emma Squires followed closely behind in 26th after posting a mark of 21:22.8.

Caroline Jordan posted her fastest career time in a 6k with a mark of 21:35.6 to finish 31st. Jaelyn Burgos followed suit in 34th and a personal best of 21:39.4, shaving 40 seconds off her previous best in a 6k.

Meredith Bloss rounded out the scoring times in 41st to finish in 21:55.1.

A trio of Boilermakers also recorded career-best times on the women’s side – Sarah Maggio (54, 22:03.5), Sophia Yon (57, 22:09.7), Lauren Pegher (84, 23:07.0)

The Boilermakers will have a few weeks off before returning to action at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 4. Races are slated to start at 10:30 a.m.

Soccer Downs Wildcats to Open Big Ten Season

The Purdue soccer team began Big Ten Conference play with a 2-0 victory at Northwestern on Thursday night in Evanston, Illinois.

On a mostly cloudy and pleasant evening at Martin Stadium, sophomore forward Lauren Omholt gave the visitors a 1-0 lead just seven minutes into the game. Junior Kayla Budish added an insurance goal with less than five minutes to play to secure the win.

The Boilermakers (5-2-1, 1-0-0 Big Ten) were out-shot 20-7, and the Wildcats (5-3-0, 0-1-0 Big Ten) had a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal, but Purdue took advantage of its chances. NU earned 12 corner kicks and Purdue had two.

As the Old Gold and Black improve on their best start to the season since 2021, they open the Big Ten season with a victory for the first time since 2021, also on the road. The Boilermakers have won four of their last five games and outscored their opponents 13-2 in that stretch.

Meanwhile, Purdue handed NU its first home defeat since October 1, 2023, while the Wildcats allowed a goal at Martin Stadium for the first time since October 15, 2023.

The Boilermakers improved to 18-9-1 all-time against Northwestern and 7-5-2 in Evanston. It’s the 12th consecutive game between the two sides were at least one team was held without a goal.

The Boilermakers are back at Folk Field on Thursday, September 19, for a nationally-televised matchup against USC. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network. Admission is free for all fans, and it also is $2 beer night. The weekend will conclude against No. 22 UCLA on Sunday, September 22, at 1 p.m., in West Lafayette.

Women’s Tennis Competes In Kitty Invitational

The women’s tennis team opened its fall campaign against Virginia, a team that finished No. 8 in the final ITA poll last year, in a hidden dual at the Kitty Harrison Invitational at North Carolina.

The Boilermakers walked away with two doubles victories and three singles wins.  

Freshmen Ida Clement, Ece Gencer and Kathryn Wilson and UTSA transfer Fatima Gutierrez made their Boilermaker debuts on Friday.

Purdue claimed two of the three matches in the double session. The newcomer duo of Kathryn Wilson and Gutierrez downed Martina Genis Salas and Meggie Navarro at No. 2, 6-4. The elder Wilson teamed up with Clement to outlast Zara Larke and Nicole Kiefer at No. 3, 7-6 (5).

Senior tandem Carmen Gallardo Guevara and Tara Katarina stayed close with No. 3-ranked duo Elaine Chervinsky and Melodie Collard but fell 6-4.

In her first career singles match, Clement defeated No. 91 Melodie Collard in come-from-behind fashion, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (13), at No. 2. Fatima Gutierrez pulled out a 6-1, 7-5 win over Martina Genis Salas. Ece Gencer needed a super tiebreak to defeat Meggie Navarro 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (5).

The Purdue women’s tennis team picked up for victories on day two of the Kitty Harrison Invitational. The Boilermakers squared off host North Carolina in a hidden dual.

The Tar Heels finished No. 7 in the final ITA poll of 2023-24.

The Boilermakers took two of three matches in doubles action. Senior duo Carmen Gallardo Guevara and Tara Katarina Milic notched a ranked win when they ousted No. 26 Carson Tanguilig and Tatum Evans, 6-4, at No. 1.

Ece Gencer and Juana Larranaga cruised to a 6-2 win at No. 3 over Mary Grace Rennard and Thea Rabman.

A pair of Boilermakers won their singles contests.

Fatima Gutierrez outlasted Tatum Evans at No. 3 in a 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-0 (8) win. Juana Larranaga downed Lindsay Zink in straight sets at No. 4, 7-5, 6-4.

Ece Gencer recorded a win over Shavit Kimchi from Duke in an additional match that went to a super tiebreak, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 1-0 (3).

Purdue closed its first competition of the 2024-25 season with five wins out of nine matches on the final day of the Kitty Harrison Invitational.

The Boilermakers squared off with Big Ten foe Penn State in a hidden dual.

The Lady Lions claimed two of the three doubles matches. Eve Gencer and Juana Larranaga provided the lone Boilermaker win in the early action with a 6-1 decision at No. 3 over Kate Zink and Deanna Lasorda.

The Boilermakers tallied four wins in six singles matches against the Lady Lions.