Purdue volleyball introductions, starting lineup against Nebraska
The No. 12-ranked Boilermakers hosted No. 1 Nebraska on Sunday. Here is how Purdue was received by its home fans
- Purdue volleyball defeated SMU to advance to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight for the third time in five seasons.
- Redshirt sophomore Bianka Lulić made a significant impact with three crucial blocks after being substituted into the match.
- Outside hitter Kenna Wollard led the team with 23 kills, 10 digs, and five blocks.
As Purdue volleyball marched through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, Bianka Lulić watched from the sideline.
Needing more size at the net to slow down SMU’s fast-paced offensive attack, Boilermaker coach Dave Shondell inserted the redshirt sophomore middle blocker during a pivotal moment of Thursday’s Sweet 16 match.
It was a coaching move that maybe saved Purdue’s season.
Lulić immediately recorded three blocks during a five-point stretch of the third set, giving the Boilermakers control. They rode that momentum to a 16-25, 25-19, 25-22, 29-27 victory over the No. 2-seed Mustangs to reach the Elite Eight for the third time in the past five seasons.
“There’s no team I love more than this team,” Lulić said. “The thought of us ending (our season) tonight, if I was called up, I didn’t have time to be nervous. I just wanted to do my best for my teammates and my coaches.”
Lulić finished with five blocks and a kill on her only swing, tying the fourth set at 14.
After spending two years at Miami, Lulić was one of three middle blockers to transfer to Purdue this season, including junior Dior Charles and fifth-year senior Lindsey Miller, who earned the nod for playing time over Lulić due to experience.
“She’s been on the outside looking in the last few matches, which is hard if you’re a selfish individual,” Shondell said of Lulić. “But if you’re the opposite of that, which she is, she’s ready when it’s her time.”
A Purdue team that lost essentially all of its offense outside of one player from a Sweet 16 run a season ago was picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten during the preseason. Now the Boilermakers are among the final eight teams remaining.
“Dave Shondell is coach of the year nationally in my book,” SMU coach Sam Erger, whose 27-6 record this season included two four-set losses to the Boilermakers, said.
Purdue (27-6) will face top-seeded Pitt (29-4) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the same program that eliminated Purdue in its most recent Elite Eight appearance at Fitzgerald Field House, the same site as Saturday’s match.
While Lulić was the spark that got the Boilermakers over the top, Purdue also offset SMU’s attack with an inspired defensive effort from its top offensive player.
In addition to her match high 23 kills on .457 hitting, outside hitter Kenna Wollard provided 10 digs and tied a career-high with five blocks. And her offense helped Purdue overcome a first set rut where it fell behind 18-5.
“I did not want the season to be over and I knew this was a team that we could beat … ” Wollard said. “I really wanted to go out there and play my best and play like I know how to.”
Wollard and setter Taylor Anderson accounted for all of Purdue’s returning offense this season. Anderson provided 49 assists, three kills, three blocks and five digs Thursday. Libero Ryan McAleer pulled up 23 digs to go with two aces and six assists. Grace Heaney, who missed last season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum, added 11 kills, seven digs and five blocks.
Then, holding a match point advantage for the fifth time, senior transfer Akasha Anderson smashed kills 15 and 16 on the night to punch Purdue’s ticket to the next round, a seemingly unfathomable achievement after last season’s departures.
“It’s just nearly miraculous what these guys have done this season, how they’ve come together as a team” Shondell said. “Not just how much they love each other. We talk about that all the time. How they’ve just played with purpose.
“But then you’ve got to go out and beat people. And that’s not easy. You look at the list of top 20 teams we’ve beaten this season and it’s been very, very impressive.”
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