Oregon Sweeps Purdue Out of the Sweet 16

Purdue's dream of making the volleyball Final Four ran into a buzz saw Thursday night. A very strong Oregon team ended the season for Purdue with a sweep in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue got off to a very rough start as Oregon raced out to an 8-2 lead. The Boilers handed them two points with a pair of service errors in that stretch. The Ducks would eventually push the lead out to 11-3, then 20-8 as the Boilers struggled to gain any momentum. Oregon cruised to a 25-14 win as they hit an impressive .407 in the set while Purdue was a dismal .088.

The second set was significantly better for Purdue. Lourdes Myers helped lead the charge with a pair of kills, but Morgan Lewis and Mimi Colyer were tough to beat. Purdue was able to use a 5-0 run to open up a 13-9 lead, but Oregon ripped off and impressive tie as Colyer ripped off seven kills in a 15-4 run to make it 24-17 Oregon. Purdue fought back with a couple of points, but eventually dropped set two 25-19. Oregon finished the set with an impressive .594 hitting percentage.

Set three was Purdue's best of the match, as it featured 12 ties and was back and forth throughout. Purdue used a 5-0 run to get out to a 16-14 lead after trailing 14-11. The back-and-forth nature then continued and Purdue was able to get in front 21-20, but Colyer and Lewis once again were huge to push Oregon in front 23-21. Grace Heaney had a kill and a block to get it to 23-23 for Purdue. Purdue fought off one match point at 24-23 and appeared to have a set point at 25-24, but it was overturned on a review. Heaney then got another kill to make it 25-25 and fight off a second match point. The teams traded points and Purdue dodged a third match point on a net violation to make it 26-26. Purdue fought off a fourth match point thanks to a service error, but couldn't overcome the fifth match point before falling 29-27.

Purdue will return much of the same lineup next season, as defensive specialist Maddie Schermerhorn was the lone starter from to night that is departing due to graduation. Eva Hudson, Raven Colvin, and Chloe Chicoine were all First Team all-Big Ten selections this season and will return, along with freshman setter Taylor Anderson.

Hudson had 12 kills, but Oregon frustrated her into a .119 hitting percentage. Chicoine had 10 kills and

Purdue closes the season at 23-9.

Boiler Upload is an affiliate partner with Homefield Apparel, a premium collegiate apparel brand based in Indianapolis. They feature licensed vintage designs for over 150 different colleges and universities from the Colorado School of Mines all the way to most of the Big Ten. This, of course, includes Purdue. I can speak from experience that their Purdue line is fabulous, including the awesome 1967 Rose Bowl retro tee. Visit Homefield and use code BOILERUPLOAD for a discount on their unique designs.