Volleyball to Open Season in Tennessee – Purdue Boilermakers

Friday, August 29
Season-Opener | Knoxville, Tenn.
11:30 a.m. ET | #15 Purdue vs. USF
Thompson-Bowling Arena at Food City Center | Listen via Stretch/Presto
 
Sunday, August 31
Sprouts Farmers Market Broadway Block Party | Nashville, Tenn.
3:07 p.m. ET | #15 Purdue vs. Tennessee 
Bridgestone Arena | ESPN2 | Listen Listen via Stretch/Presto
Tickets

SEASON-OPENERS

• Purdue is 20-2 in season-openers under head coach Dave Shondell.
• Current winning streak: 4

AVCA PRESEASON #15

• Purdue checked in at No. 15 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll.
• The Boilers have been ranked No. 16 or better in the preseason poll for the last six consecutive seasons.

THE RETURNERS

• Purdue returns eight players for the upcoming season, including sophomore defensive specialist Ryan McAleer, junior setter Taylor Anderson and junior outside hitter Kenna Wollard.
• The trio (McAleer, Anderson and Wollard) return with the most playing time on the court at each of the positions.
• Grace Heaney, a redshirt sophomore opposite, is set to make her return to the court after redshirting the 2024 season due to injury.
• All-Big Ten Second Team member Taylor Anderson ranked No. 8 in the nation in assists per set (11.25), including No. 1 in the Big Ten last season, and guided Purdue to its third-highest hitting % in single-season history (.280%).
• Ryan McAleer returns as one of the most consistent ball control players for the Boilermakers a year ago, making just 21 reception errors over 117 sets of play and averaging 2.4 digs per set.

THE TEAM AT A GLANCE

• The Boilermakers are a relatively young team with 66.7% of the team are made up of underclassmen (12 of 18).
• There are five incoming freshmen and five transfers on the roster.
• Although the team returns just one starter in setter Taylor Anderson, Kenna Wollard and Ryan McAleer received significant playing time, with McAleer a consistent back row player and Wollard coming off the bench on the right side.
• The Boilermakers return 7.5% of its offense from a season ago, returning Wollard (150 kills a year ago) and Anderson (74 kills).
• Class breakdown: six freshmen, six sophomores, four juniors, one senior, one graduate student.
• The team includes players from all parts of the country, including 11 different states, in addition to Washington, D.C. Leading the way is Indiana with four members, followed by California with three.

FROM THE PORTAL

• Purdue picked up five portal players: Akasha Anderson (OH, Sr., Michigan State), Dior Charles (MB, Jr., Wake Forest), Bianka Lulic (MB, RS-So., Miami), Lindsey Miller (MB, Gr., USC) and Natalie Moravec (OH, RS-So., Iowa).
• Three of the portal players came from Big Ten schools, however Anderson is the only player that competed in a match last season.
• Anderson (previously: Michigan State) led the team’s offense last year with 3.27 kills per set and was second on the team in blocks (.64/set).
• Moravec played for Iowa in 2023, playing in all but one set and was second on the team in kills and averaged 3.06 points/set. She spent the 2024 season training in China.
• Among the best blockers in the ACC, Dior Charles led Wake Forest with 133 blocks last year.
• Bianka Lulić and the Hurricanes are coming off an NCAA Second Round appearance and a season in which she produced high efficiency marks against multiple top programs, including a .444 clip vs. Stanford and a .500 attack % vs. Texas with five block assists.
• Lindsey Miller racked up 155 blocks while averaging a .356 hitting % in 2023 with USC. Not only did she lead the Trojans in blocks 13 times, she was second on the team in blocks and third on the team in kills.

THE FRESHMAN CLASS TALENT

• Purdue welcomed five freshmen this season, two of which began at Purdue in January (Morgan Williams and Addy Tindall). Meanwhile, the remaining three (Mattie Casale, Isabelle Bardin and Rachel Raye Williams) joined in June.
• Rachel Raye Williams signed with the program in April.
• The talented freshman class that includes Under Armour Next MVP Isabelle Bardin (setter), the No. 1 player in the state of Indiana Addy Tindall (outside hitter), 2024 Nike All-Star Team selection Morgan Williams (middle blocker), the No. 1 defensive specialist in the state of Florida Mattie Casale and Gatorade State Player of the Year finalist for New Jersey, Rachel Raye Williams.