Purdue shuts out Tulsa in Weekend Finale
An explosive Boilermaker attack helped the No.23 Purdue volleyball team claim its third consecutive sweep of the season Saturday afternoon at Holloway Gymnasium. The Boilermakers concluded their weekend with a three-set victory over Tulsa (25-9, 25-11, 25-23) to claim the inaugural title of the Reamer Club Premier.
Purdue (3-0) outhit Tulsa (2-1) .432 (49 kills – 8 errors – 95 attempts) to .133 (25-12-98). Senior Sherridan Atkinson led the charge with a match-high 18 kills, while redshirt junior Blake Mohler and sophomore Caitlyn Newton added nine a piece. Freshman Grace Cleveland followed with seven kills and redshirt junior Shavona Cuttino added five.
Playing her third match, redshirt freshman Hayley Bush guided Purdue’s offense with a career-best 42 assists. The Boilermakers also tallied 11 service aces, including four from senior Brooke Peters.
In the back court, Peters recorded a match-best 23 digs while sophomore Jena Otec and freshman Marissa Hornung both notched an additional nine. Overall, the Boilermakers out dug the Golden Hurricane, 54-37.
Purdue opened the match with a 7-2 run, en route to a 25-9 set win. After back-to-back kills from Newton, the Boilermakers went up, 14-6 as Tulsa called a timeout. Cuttino pushed the lead to 21-7 with a pair of kills. Two more Boilermaker kills and a Tulsa attacking error put Purdue at set point. The Boilermakers closed the stanza with an Atkinson ace for a 25-9 victory.
Like the first set, the Boilermakers grabbed a substantial lead and never looked back. A service ace from Otec put Purdue up, 8-3, while Atkinson and Cleveland combined for 11 kills throughout the set as Purdue went up 2-0.
Working to stall Purdue’s offensive rhythm, Tulsa used a pair of three-point runs for an 8-5 lead in the third set. The Boilermakers battled back with a pair of 3-0 runs of their own in the middle of the frame to edge out Tulsa, 25-23, and earn the sweep.
Atkinson was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Over the weekend she amassed 46 kills and hit .409. Also named to the all-tournament team were Bush and Peters. Bush collected 103 assists, while Peters recorded 51 digs and six service aces throughout the tournament.
Purdue returns to the court next weekend when the Boilermakers host Oakland and Notre Dame at Holloway Gymnasium.
