Purdue Volleyball Caps Perfect Trip to Tennessee With Win Over Volunteers

NASHVILLE — Purdue's opening weekend on the volleyball court couldn't have gone much better. The Boilermakers have started the season with a 2-0 record, highlighted by a 3-1 victory over Tennessee in the Broadway Block Party in Nashville on Sunday.

Tennessee had the hot hand to start Sunday's match, jumping out to an early 5-1 lead in the first set. But Purdue settled down quickly, got into a rhythm, and took the first set rather easily, posting a 25-17 victory to start the day.

Purdue followed that up with a 25-19 win in the second set and jumped out to a 17-11 advantage in the third set. The Boilermakers appeared to be on their way to a sweep before heading back to West Lafayette.

But Tennessee rattled off six straight points to tie the third set at 17-17. The Volunteers eventually won the set 25-21. It may have crushed the confidence of many teams, but Dave Shondell's bunch responded with a 25-20 win in the fourth set to take the match.

"The biggest thing was, we kept taking care of business on our side of the net," Shondell said. "I just felt like we needed to refocus after we blew that lead (in the third set). So, we just bounced back, got better, and took control in that fourth set."

Akasha Anderson, who transferred in from Michigan State, was a major part of Purdue's success on Sunday. She ended the night with 17 kills on 38 attacks. She also had seven digs and a block.

Anderson got into a rhythm in the later sets, which propelled the Boilermakers to a victory over the Volunteers.

"Just finding my shots, finding different areas where I could score," Anderson said. "I knew coming in there were going to be a lot of different hands in front of me. Six different pins were scouted, so I didn't really know who I would be in front of most of the time."

Purdue also got significant contributions from Kenna Wollard, Grace Heaney, and Taylor Anderson throughout the match. Wollard had 17 kills, Heaney finished with 16 kills, five digs, and four blocks, and Anderson totaled 41 assists, 10 digs, and three kills.

Heaney was the one who helped get Purdue rolling in the first two sets. By the end of the second set, she had 10 kills and four blocks, as the Boilers took an early 2-0 lead on Tennessee.

"Grace is a quirky but very effective player. Hard to understand where the ball is going when she hits it," Shondell said. "She's got great range, doesn't hit the ball with great power, but she doesn't have to because she hits it at a high contact point.

"She didn't play all last year ... so for her to come in and hit .423 against Tennessee, that's a real positive for us."

Purdue's win over Tennessee came two days after posting a 3-2 win over USF in Knoxville on Friday. The Boilermakers return to Holloway Gymnasium for the Stacey Clark Classic, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 3, through Friday, Sept. 5.

The Boilers will play No. 22 Georgia Tech (Wednesday), Bowling Green (Thursday), and No. 14 Kansas (Friday).