Big Ten Takeaways: Purdue's Highs And Illinois' Lows

Big Ten Takeaways: Purdue's Highs And Illinois' Lows

It wouldn’t be a week of Big Ten volleyball without one, two, or three major upsets. This week, it was Purdue toppling top-10 opponents.

Nov 13, 2017 by Megan Kaplon
Big Ten Takeaways: Purdue's Highs And Illinois' Lows

It wouldn’t be a week of Big Ten volleyball without one, two, or three major upsets. 

This week, it was Purdue toppling top-10 opponents. Here’s all you need to know about those matches and the rest of the top takeaways from last week’s Big Ten volleyball action.

1. Purdue found its rhythm.

Maybe it was the atmosphere inside Holloway Gymnasium. Or maybe it was just time. But whatever it was, Purdue managed to put the pieces together to take down both Minnesota and Wisconsin, which were both ranked in the top 10, on back-to-back nights over the weekend.

Against Minnesota on Friday night, the Boilermakers hit .317 as a team, with opposite Sherridan Atkinson leading the match with 17 kills. Middle Blake Mohler hit .500 with 14 kills, and Danielle Cuttino added 15 kills and six blocks. Purdue won the defensive battle, out-digging the Gophers 64 to 53. 



The next night, facing the Badgers, Atkinson once again led the offensive effort with 14 kills, this time hitting a team high .480. The Boilermaker defense — with 48 digs and six blocks — held Wisconsin to a .194 hitting percentage and handed the Badgers their first three-set loss of the season.



Watch Purdue in action right here on FloVolleyball as the Boilermakers take on Rutgers on Wednesday, November 15, and Michigan, Saturday, November 18.

2. Rough week for Illinois.

Last week, Illinois traveled to the Michigans with high hopes of scoring a breakthrough win over Michigan State and its second win of the season over Michigan. 

Unfortunately, Michigan State didn’t flinch, even when Illinois fought back from down 10-3 to tie it up at 20s and push the set to extra points, and the Spartans won in straight sets. 



The next night, even with Fighting Illini sophomore Jacqueline Quade contributing 21 kills, hitting .529, and Illinois out-blocking Michigan 16 to 10, and scoring 88 total points to Michigan’s 83, the Wolverines snuck away with a five-set victory to score a season-split with Illinois. 

Illinois fell to 9-7 in the Big Ten and is now sixth in the standings behind Purdue, which moved up to fifth.

This week, the challenge of playing in the Big Ten conference doesn’t get any easier, as Illinois host Wisconsin on Friday, November 17, and Minnesota, Saturday, November 18. Watch both of the those matches live right here on FloVolleyball.

3. Ohio State continues its rollercoaster ride.

Ohio State, which has pulled off upsets of Purdue and Wisconsin in the course of this Big Ten season, couldn’t keep its momentum rolling for long enough to record its second 2-0 Big Ten week of the year. 

After sweeping Rutgers on Saturday, the Buckeyes traveled to Iowa City where they suffered a four-set loss to Iowa. The win marked the first victory for the Hawkeyes over the Buckeyes since 2008. 



Ohio State faces another tough lineup this week, as it hosts Nebraska on Friday, November 17, and then takes on Iowa again on Saturday, November 18. Tune in right here on FloVolleyball to watch OSU vs. Nebraska on Friday.