After a road loss to Illinois on Wednesday, Indiana aims to snap its three-game losing streak this weekend. However, it won't be easy.
The Hoosiers face in-state rival No. 10 Purdue at 7 p.m. Saturday in West Lafayette with television coverage on the Big Ten Network.
Adding to the challenge, the contest will be in Purdue’s famed basketball cathedral, Mackey Arena, for the first time since 2016, when the Boilermakers swept Indiana.
Saturday will mark Indiana head coach Steve Aird’s first time coaching in Mackey. Since taking over for the Hoosiers in 2018, Aird has faced Purdue in Holloway Gymnasium for the past six seasons. He’s gone winless.
The intra-state matchup won’t be Purdue’s only match in Mackey Arena this season. The Boilermakers are set to host Wisconsin on Oct. 26. When the team announced July 29 in an X post that they would play in Mackey, fans jumped at the opportunity to buy tickets. Purdue announced that all 14,876 tickets were sold out, according to an X post on Sept. 20.
Purdue has a rich history of playing volleyball in Mackey Arena, including a “Pac-Mac” promotion in 1985, which set an NCAA volleyball attendance record with 10,645 fans. The Boilermakers have also faced other teams in Mackey Arena such as the University of Notre Dame and other Big Ten schools like Nebraska and Wisconsin.
The Boilermakers have dominated the all-time series with the Hoosiers, leading with a 77-36 record and retaining the Monon Spike on Oct. 18, 2023. However, Indiana briefly claimed the Monon Spike after it broke a 21-match losing streak with a four-set victory Oct. 11, 2023.
The Hoosiers have historically struggled in West Lafayette, winning just 13 of their 52 matchups there. Indiana’s last win at Purdue came in 2009.
Purdue head coach Dave Shondell has fueled his program’s success in the Big Ten. He became the winningest coach in program history with his 470th win against Michigan State on Oct. 6. Last season, the Boilermakers finished 23-9 with a 15-5 conference record and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 before being swept by the University of Oregon.
This season, Purdue is 14-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play, solidifying itself as a top 10 team in the Big Ten with wins over ranked opponents such as then-No. 10 University of Kentucky and then-No. 16 Minnesota. The Boilermakers’ two conference losses came against Penn State on Sept. 25 and Nebraska on Oct. 11.
Purdue's defense is key, leading the Big Ten in blocks (192) and ranking second in digs (1,007). Senior middle blocker Raven Colvin leads the Big Ten with 112 blocks and ranks second in the nation averaging 1.67 blocks per set, while senior defensive specialist Ali Hornung ranks fourth in the conference with 266 digs.
If the Hoosiers want a chance to get ahead in the matches, they’ll also need to stop the Boilermakers’ dominant offense at the net. Purdue boasts two top attackers in junior outside hitter Eva Hudson and sophomore outside hitter Chloe Chicoine. Hudson ranks second in the Big Ten with 285 kills, while Chicoine sits at No. 10 with 218.
A win for the Hoosiers tomorrow would be key if they want a shot at making the tournament. Indiana hasn’t won a match against a top 25 opponent this season, so a win against a top 10 opponent would boost the teams RPI. The Hoosiers have shown they can hang with the top teams in the nation, putting up battles against No. 3 Penn State and No. 11 Oregon.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
