Purdue Defeats Louisville in Top-25 Showdown
NASHVILLE – Powered by a career performance from junior Caitlyn Newton, No. 23 Purdue defeated No.22 Louisville, 3-1 (24-26, 25-16, 25-21, 25-18) in the opening match of the LUV Invite on Friday.
Tallying 57 attempts in the match, Newton dominated with a match-high 26 kills. She rounded out her performance with nine digs and four assisted blocks. Sophomore Grace Cleveland followed with 11 kills, while redshirt seniors Blake Mohler and Shavona Cuttino added eight and six kills, respectively.
Purdue’s offense was guided by a match-high 48 assists from redshirt sophomore Hayley Bush.
Defensively, the Boilermakers only had three reception errors and were directed by junior Jena Otec with 19 digs. Sophomore Marissa Hornung aided the Boilermaker defense with 15 digs, while Mohler led the match with eight assisted stops along the net.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (24-26) | Both teams brought competitive energy to Allen Arena as they went point-for-point to open the match. Tied 15-15, Louisville took a two-point lead off a kill from Claire Chaussee, pushing Purdue to a timeout. Forcing six Purdue attack errors, the Cardinals maintained their two-point edge, taking the first set, 26-24. The set was highlighted by nine kills from Newton.
SET 2 (25-16) | Unfazed by their deficit, the Boilermakers answered back in set two to even the match, 1-1. Hornung opened the frame with her third ace of the season, setting the tempo for Purdue. The Boilermakers ultimately outplayed the Cardinals in every statistical category, delivering a .297 attacking percentage, 20 digs and four blocks to Louisville’s .119 mark, 10 digs and one block.
SET 3 (25-21) | It was all Purdue in the third set as the Boilermakers jumped out to a 15-19 advantage. Louisville brought the score within three (24-21) with a 5-0 Cardinal run, but Newton sealed the win with her 22nd kill of the match.
SET 4 (25-18) | Keeping it competitive through the end, Purdue and Louisville tied seven times in the final frame. Knotted at 14, a block from Mohler and Cleveland broke the back-and-fourth, sparking a 4-1 Boilermaker run. Outhitting the Cardinals, .375 to .061, Purdue closed out the set on a 6-1 run for the Boilermaker victory.
UP NEXT
Facing the winner of Lipscomb vs. Xavier, Purdue will either face Xavier at 4 p.m. ET or Lipscomb at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14.