West Lafayette, IND – The No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers successfully opened their Big Ten slate at home, sweeping the Washington Huskies (25-21, 29-27, 25-22) in a hard-fought battle at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. The victory, played in front of an energetic crowd of 6,163, extends Purdue’s winning streak to eight matches and moves their season record to 10-1 overall. While the 3-0 score suggests a comfortable win, the match was characterized by intense rallies and dramatic momentum swings, setting a high bar for the newly expanded Big Ten conference schedule.

➡️  Purdue v Washington photos

The Boilermakers set the tone early with a tight victory in the first set. Despite an 18-16 lead for the visiting Huskies late in the frame, Purdue found another gear. Fueled by efficient swings and strong defense, the Boilermakers closed the set on a powerful 9-3 run, sealing it 25-21. Setter Taylor Anderson, who orchestrated the offense all night, recorded 39 assists, 7 digs, and 5 blocks, proving instrumental in stabilizing the team’s attack during crucial moments.

The second set proved to be the pivotal and most thrilling segment of the entire night. Washington jumped out to a commanding 10-2 lead, forcing Purdue coach Dave Shondell to burn timeouts to regroup his squad. Slowly and methodically, the Boilermakers chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the score late. The drama escalated as Washington fought for and earned four separate set point opportunities, taking one-point leads at 24-23 up to 27-26. However, Purdue’s senior leaders refused to lose the frame, with Kenna Wollard delivering back-to-back kills to deny the Huskies and Akasha Anderson coming through with a critical block to earn the Boilermakers’ go-ahead point, finishing the set 29-27.

The third set maintained the competitive pace, with the two teams trading points until Purdue managed to build a 15-9 cushion. Once again, Washington showed resilience, fighting back to take a brief 20-19 lead and threatening to force a fourth set. Yet, the Boilermakers’ combined offensive power was too much to overcome in the final stretch. Wollard finished the night leading the team with 16 kills, while Anderson added 14 kills on an impressive .393 hitting percentage. Opposite Grace Heaney also delivered a strong all-around performance, totaling 9 kills and leading the team defensively with 12 digs, securing the 25-22 win and the sweep.