WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — At 24-9 in the third set, the Boilermaker fans all rose to their feet. They grabbed their car keys and waved them around to make noise to cheer on Purdue at match point.
Sophomore middle-blocker Lizzie Carr lined up on the right side and spiked the ball to the middle of the court. The Hoosiers were too late to react to the ball. The crowd erupted and the Boilermakers sprinted to the court to gather in a big huddle as they lifted the Monon Spike in the air.
Indiana fell short Saturday in Mackey Arena as Purdue’s offense dominated each set (25-18, 25-14, 25-9).
With 14,876 fans in attendance, it was an environment that impressed Indiana head coach Steve Aird.
“(I) thought it was a fantastic environment,” Aird said. “It’s certainly an environment the program is not accustomed to.”
While the first set was the smallest margin of victory for Purdue by 7 points, the Boilermakers kept finding their rhythm. By the third and final set, they beat Indiana by 16 points.
In the first two sets, Indiana hung around but eventually fell victim to Purdue’s late-set runs. The Hoosiers couldn’t catch up.
“I was disappointed we didn’t have a little more pushback,” Aird said.
Purdue’s offense clicked from start to finish, hitting 33.3% in three sets. Junior outside hitter Eva Hudson and sophomore outside hitter Chloe Chicoine led the Boilermakers with 17 and 12 kills, respectively.
Meanwhile, Indiana struggled to find its rhythm at the net offensively as no Hoosier reached double-digit kills. Junior outside hitter Avry Tatum led the team but was limited to just seven kills.
The Hoosiers, typically strong behind the service line, recorded no aces and four errors. Although junior setter Camryn Haworth and graduate student defensive specialist Delaynie Maple have powerful jump serves that disrupt opponents, neither player used them Saturday, with Aird wanting to manage his players’ health.
“We were trying to manage (Haworth) physically,” Aird said. “We desperately need some rest for some key players.”
In contrast, Purdue’s efforts from behind the line were no match for Indiana. The Boilermakers earned nine aces through the three sets, with sophomore setter Taylor Anderson tallying three of them.
Indiana is now on a four-game losing streak in conference play, with three of the last four opponents being nationally ranked. This losing streak marks the Hoosiers’ longest since 2022.
“It’s challenging, but that’s the conference,” Aird said. “I would’ve loved to maybe pick up one of them over the last three or four.”
Indiana continues its tough slate of Big Ten play against Wisconsin at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 back inside Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
