Purdue Sports Update Sept. 15

Volleyball Picks Up Pair of Strong Wins

No. 14 Purdue (7-1) toppled No. 10 SMU (6-2) behind a 3-1 final score (23-25, 25-24, 27-25, 25-18). The Boilermakers were led by opposite/right side Gracey Heaney’s career-high 19-kill, 12 dig performance on a .515 hitting % in the win.

The victory was the second top-15 win of the season, and marked the 11th consecutive year Purdue has earned a top-10 win.

Notes

• Gracey Heaney set a career-high 19 kills and during her double-double performance
• Purdue has won five consecutive matches, including two top-15 victories in the stretch.
• Libero Ryan McAleer totaled 18 digs in the win, her second-highest performance of the season (career-high set with 30 vs. #15 Kansas).
• Setter Taylor Anderson notched 45 assists, five digs, two blocks and four kills in the win.
• Sienna Foster served up key balls during the Set 2 stretch, She totaled four digs and an ace in the match.
• Set 1: The Boilermakers nearly took Set 1 after a 7-0 run put the Boilermakers ahead 21-18, however the Mustangs responded with a 6-1 run of their own to close the opening game. Grace Heaney led all players with seven kills and a .600 hitting clip (7-1-10) in Set 1, adding two blocks and two digs in the process.
• Set 3: After Purdue led, 21-17, SMU snuck back into the match and held two set points, which Purdue erased on kills by Grace Heaney. Heaney went on to win the set, 27-25 with an ace.

Volleyball (6-1) secured its fourth straight victory after downing Houston (5-2) in sweeping fashion, 25-17, 25-23, 25-18.

After trailing 14-17 in the third set, the Boilermakers came from behind, out-scoring the Cougars 12-1 to take the match.

Notes

• An efficient day led to a .362 team hitting % in the match, including a .500 clip in Set 1 (a season-high) and .486% in Set 3.
• Lindsey Miller hit .769 behind an errorless 10 kills on 13 attacks, tying Joan King for the fourth-highest hitting % in a 3-set match (10-14 attempts).
• Miller became the sixth Boilermaker in program history to reach double-digit kills and an errorless hitting % (in a three-set match). Meanwhile, the last Boilermaker to have an efficient of a 3-set match was Raven Colvin in 2021 ( .900%, 9-0-10).
• Purdue’s 13 attack errors were a season-low.
• Taylor Anderson produced her fourth double-double of the season behind 36 assists, 10 dig performance as she led the team to a .362 team attack %. She was two kills away from a triple double.
• Purdue has held its opponents to a .180 hitting % or lower for three consecutive matches.
• Four Boilermakers ended the match hitting .500 or better, with each player recording at least eight kills.

Next week, No. 14 Purdue closes out non-conference action with a home-and-away weekend. First, the Boilermakers travel to Muncie, Indiana, for a matchup at Ball State Cardinals on Friday, September 19 at 6 p.m. ET. The match features Purdue defensive great Kelli Miller leading the Cardinals. Then, Purdue will begin a three-match homestand, hosting IU Indy on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET for a Gold Out match.

Soccer Knocks Off No. 23 Wisconsin

Soccer made a statement to open conference play Thursday night, knocking off No. 23/12 Wisconsin 2–1 at the McClimon Track/Soccer Complex.

The win moves the Boilermakers to 4–3–2 (1–0–0 B1G) and gives them a strong start in Big Ten action.

The Boilermakers struck early. In just the 7th minute, Irene Campo buried her third goal of the season, finishing off a setup from defender Lauren Adam. Purdue then leaned on its back line and goalkeeper Emily Edwards, who made three first-half saves to preserve the lead into halftime.

In the 78th minute, freshman Cherry Yu delivered her first-career goal, slotting home off a feed from Allyssa Turner to make it 2–0. The Badgers pulled one back just two minutes later through Erin Connolly, but Purdue’s defense, led by Margaux Chauvet and Emilia Deppe, stood tall down the stretch.

Edwards was sensational in net with seven saves. Purdue, meanwhile, made the most of its chances, turning three shots on goal into two scores.

With the win, Purdue extends its unbeaten streak to three matches (2–0–1) and picks up an early Big Ten road victory. This marks back-to-back Big Ten opening wins in the last two seasons, coinciding with the Moodie era.

The Boilermakers will look to carry this momentum into the heart of their conference slate, confident in their ability to grind out results under pressure.

UP NEXT

The Boilers will take on No. 11 Iowa for their Big Ten home opener on Thursday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. est.

Buckeridge Leads Purdue at Spartan Invite/Big Ten Preview

Cross Country’s Douglas Buckeridge finished fourth to lead the Boilermakers at the Spartan Invite/Big Ten Preview on Friday.

Men’s Notes
• The Boilermakers finished fourth as a team holding spots ahead of Cincinnati (fifth), Indiana (sixth) and Rutgers (seventh).
• Buckeridge led the way with his fourth-place finish in the 8k (23:52.8). He held a spot in the top five of the field for the final 4k of the race.
• Nathan Walker finished 15th in his season debut in 24:13.4. He improved five spots in the final 4k of the race to earn his top 15 finish.
• Kiefer Bell took 25th (24:26.5) and Jason Polydoris took 30th (24:34.9) in their season debuts.
• Nerius White crossed the line in 51st (25:02.2) to round out Purdue’s top five runners.

Women’s Notes
• Sofia Munoz paced the Boilermakers in the 6k competition and finished 61st (21:57.4). She ran a personal best by 22 seconds and set a personal best for the second time in as many meets to start the season. 
• Lauren Pegher took 75th (22:18.6) in her season debut. Julia Economou followed Pegher in 79th (22:20.7). 
• Elise Peckinpaugh ran 22:22.5 and Sophia Yon ran 22:34.6 to round out the Boilers’ top five.
• Elizabeth Butler (22:56.2) and Katherine Valentine (23:25.7) both made their collegiate debut.
• Purdue finished ninth in the team standings.

Next Up
Purdue has a three-week break before returning to the course on Friday, Oct. 3 at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational.  

Fall Ball Schedule Set at Alexander

A pair of fall exhibition games vs. opponents from Ohio headline baseball’s fall ball schedule, which also features a baker’s dozen of open scrimmages at Alexander Field.

The Boilermakers’ 45-day fall practice calendar begins Monday, Sept. 15. Fall exhibition games and open scrimmages all feature free admission.

Purdue hosts Dayton on Saturday, Oct. 11 after visiting Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 27. Both games are expected to start at 1 p.m. and are likely to feature 12-plus innings regardless of score to maximize participation.

The Boilermakers also hosted Dayton in the fall of 2022 and 2023. However, Purdue has not played Cincinnati since winning in a midweek visit to the Queen City during the 2013 spring break trip.

The coaching staff has designated at least 13 practice dates as scrimmage days, which are also open to the public. Open scrimmages begin Tuesday, Sept. 16 and are generally set for Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday afternoons. Weekday times are generally 3-5 p.m. and Sunday start times should vary.

Fall ball concludes with the annual Black & Gold Series. The three-game intrasquad series will be held the week of Oct. 20 or the week of Oct. 27. Those games are also open to the public and will feature afternoon start times.