In a pivotal third set with Indiana volleyball and Purdue tied at one set each, Indiana held a narrow 21-20 lead. Hoosier fans, packed shoulder to shoulder in a record-breaking crowd of 2,857 at Wilkinson Hall, felt victory within reach as the intense set unfolded point by point.
However, Purdue’s offense surged late, leaving Indiana scrambling on the defensive end and unable to respond. The Boilermakers capitalized with a 5-1 run to claim the critical third set.
In the fourth, Indiana couldn’t regain momentum, ultimately falling to Purdue in four sets (25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 17-25). The Monon Spike, a trophy that goes to the winner of the annual matchup, remains in West Lafayette with the Boilermakers’ victory over the Hoosiers on Friday at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington.
It was this same pattern in set one and three, where Indiana maintained a slight lead, but Purdue showcased why it’s a top 10 ranked team. In the first set, the Hoosiers held onto a 20-19 lead, when junior outside hitter Eva Hudson took over for the Boilermakers earning three kills in a 6-1 run.
Indiana head coach Steve Aird acknowledged how his team doesn't have the experience that Purdue has in tight game situations. That same inexperience hindered Aird's squad to close out and make plays late Friday.
“It's like the balls in the red zone,” Aird said postgame. “You've got big plays, and someone's got to hit a few, and when we got there we couldn't close.”
On Friday, junior outside hitters Candela Alonso-Corcelles and Avry Tatum both achieved double-digit kills with 15 and 13, respectively. However, on Oct. 19 at Mackey Arena, Purdue had stopped their dominance, holding Tatum and Alonso-Corcelles to only seven and six kills.
While Aird mentioned senior setter Camryn Haworth and Tatum both being banged up Oct. 19 as part of the reason the Hoosiers got swept, he mentioned that the atmosphere that Indiana played in left some of the Hoosiers intimidated.
“It was daunting for a lot of kids who haven't been through that,” Aird said. “We're a program that hasn't been to a regional, we haven't hosted, we haven't gotten to a final four. For a lot of kids that was unique.”
On the other end of the court, Indiana head coach Steve Aird thought the defense was “phenomenal” against the Boilermakers as it held senior middle blocker Raven Colvin to seven kills and five attacking errors and sophomore Chloe Chicoine to four kills and three attacking errors.
Although Aird was proud of his team’s efforts to limit Colvin and Chicoine, he believes that if the Hoosiers had done a better job at containing Hudson –– who tied her season high with 26 kills –– they could’ve pushed the match to a fifth set.
The Hoosiers have faced challenges at the net this season, ranking 16th in blocking, but they out blocked Purdue 11-8 Friday. Junior middle blocker Madi Sell led Indiana with seven blocks, rallying her teammates with every “Come on!” she shouted in the huddle after every block she tallied.
“I thought she had a really good night,” Aird said. “Did a lot of really good things and we needed it because Colvin is really, really good.”
Even with the loss, Aird was still pleased with the Hoosiers’ performance and noted that their other two losses in Wilkinson Hall were against other top ten conference opponents in No. 3 Penn State on Oct. 13, and No. 8 Wisconsin on Oct. 24.
“I thought they battled and played hard, and I thought it was a really good night of volleyball, and the better team won and that's fair,” Aird said. “But nothing to be embarrassed about tonight.”
Indiana returns home to face yet another ranked opponent against No. 20 USC at 4 p.m. Nov. 10 in Wilkinson Hall, aiming to boost its NCAA Tournament resume.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
