Purdue Boilermakers2022 Record: 21-11
Conference Record: 11-9 (6th)
NCAA Tournament Placement: Second Round (L, 0-3 at Louisville)
Final AVCA Ranking: 20
Head Coach: Dave Shondell (21st season at Purdue)
Record at Purdue: 435-217
Returning Starters | Departures * - 2022 Starter () - Transfer Destination | New Additions () - Transfer Origin |
Emily Brown - SR - 5'7 DS/L
Raven Colvin - JR - 6'1 MB
Ali Hornung - JR - 5'10 DS/OH
Eva Hudson - SO - 6'1 OH
Maddie Schermerhorn - SR+ - 5'10 DS/L | Grace Balensiefer* - 5'10 S
Maddy Chinn* - SR+ - 6'3 OH/RS ()
Hannah Clayton* - 6’2 MB
Emma Ellis* - 6'2 OH
Madeline Koch* - 6'2 OH/RS
Megan Renner* - R-SR - 6'2 S [Retired]
Ava Torrance - SR+ - 5'1 DS/L () | Taylor Anderson - FR - 6'1 S
Chloe Chicoine - FR - 5'10 OH
Grace Heaney - FR - 6'2 RS
Julia Kane - FR - 5'11 DS/L
Lorrin Poulter - SR+ - 5'11 S ()
Rachel Williams - FR - 5'7 DS/L
Kenna Wollard - FR - 6'1 OH |
2022 Results:Optimism surrounding Purdue was at its peak in the first half of the 2022 season.
The opening weekend in Knoxville could have presented some challenges, but Purdue took care of business with solid wins over Bowling Green, Loyola Chicago, and Tennessee. The Boilermakers kept the winning streak alive as Holloway Gym hosted its first matches of the year. A five-set battle with Utah was a close call. Bradley and Milwaukee were not quite as feisty.
Purdue met its first significant roadblock of the year in a straight-set loss to Louisville. Of course, falling to the nation's fourth-ranked team coming off a national semifinal appearance was no cause for panic. The Boilermakers closed out their pre-conference slate with sweeps against Xavier, Northern Kentucky, and Ball State to sit at 9-1 heading into Big Ten play.
It all came together in West Lafayette for Purdue's opening conference match against Minnesota. The Boilermakers soared to a 3-0 win behind its home crowd, pushing the hype surrounding the program to another level. Purdue was still kicking.
Some close calls highlighted the next few matches on Purdue's schedule. The Boilermakers escaped a four-set test against Iowa that easily could have had Purdue down 0-2 on the road. Then, Purdue nearly collapsed in Huff Hall after claiming a 2-0 lead but managed to survive in a deuce fifth.
Questions now surrounded this Purdue squad even with the Boilermakers still winning. It didn't help that a struggling Iowa team forced a fifth set in Holloway Gym. Purdue survived again, but it felt like someone was finally about to knock the Boilermakers out of the Big Ten lead.
Wisconsin did the honors. A four-set home defeat gave Purdue its first conference blemish. Unfortunately, this was the start of a mid-season slide.
After escaping a five-set battle at Indiana, Purdue faced its rockiest stretch of the 2022 campaign. It was ushered in by an incredibly disappointing home loss to Maryland in sweep fashion. Nebraska was next on the docket, and the result was the same.
Minnesota got its revenge in the Pav, and Northwestern won a five-set battle to halt Purdue's good fortune in close matches. If you're keeping count, that's four consecutive losses after a 5-0 start in conference play and a 14-1 mark overall.
The Boilermakers stabilized somewhat with three four-set wins against Indiana, Michigan State, and Michigan. Purdue would then face ranked opponents in three of its next four matches but failed to capitalize on any of these resume-building opportunities. Ohio State and Penn State prevailed in Holloway Gym, and the Boilermakers were thoroughly overmatched in Lincoln. Another loss in Happy Valley would complete Purdue's late-season stumble to finish 11-9 in the Big Ten.
Purdue had still done enough for an NCAA Tournament bid, but a tough draw awaited as an unseeded team. The Boilermakers were back in Louisville, a reprise from the non-conference slate. Tennessee was back on the schedule after the Week 1 faceoff, too. Purdue needed a valiant comeback against the Volunteers to advance. The season ended as Louisville notched its second sweep over the Boilermakers in the 2022 campaign, denying Purdue a spot in regionals.
2022 Lineup:Purdue's task in 2022 was to regain its footing after a massive graduation exodus from its 2021 regional finalist squad.
But, even with considerable roster losses, the Boilermakers returned some familiar faces in the starting lineup. Let's get the hard part out of the way and discuss the perpetual pin carousel featuring seniors Maddy Chinn, Emma Ellis, and Madeline Koch. The narrative surrounding this trio has always been characterized by a constant shuffling of the deck in order to find the hot hand. We saw instances in 2021 where all three appeared at the same position in a single match.
A new opening on the right pin changed this dynamic somewhat in 2022. Instead of this pin battle being isolated to the L1 position like in 2021, it was now spread out between L1 and opposite.
So, it goes like this. Koch was Purdue's primary opposite, and Ellis was the most-used L1. Chinn still got extensive playing time as a substitute who would float between both pins depending on which of the starters was struggling. The Boilermakers even deployed Chinn as a starter at both positions in various matches throughout 2022.
Okay, that discussion feels as old as time. It's done now. Purdue wielded defensive specialists for its L1 and opposite no matter who was at that spot. The L1 sub was refreshingly consistent and predictable: returning sophomore Ali Hornung. However, the DS for the opposite was a real sore spot of the Boilermaker lineup. It was mostly occupied by Missouri transfer Emily Brown but was occasionally swiped by senior Ava Torrance. Ball control was frustratingly erratic at this position.
Let's embrace the chaos at setter while we're on a run of variability. We saw one of three things in 2022: a Megan Renner 5-1, a Grace Balensiefer 5-1, or a Renner-Balensiefer 5-2 with Renner running the front row. Renner entered the 2022 season as the favorite to start and factored into most Boilermaker matches last season. But Balensiefer, a grad transfer addition from Northern Illinois, kept popping up after performing admirably in Purdue's Week 1 match against Tennessee. Balensiefer would notoriously pilot the Purdue offense to the conference-opening win against Minnesota while presenting a considerable blocking disadvantage. Renner was by far more physical than Balensiefer, giving rise to the off-and-on use of a 5-2.
I promise there are more straightforward positions in Purdue's 2022 lineup. Of course, the star of the show was true freshman Eva Hudson at the L2 position. Hudson was a late addition to the 2022 signing class and proceeded to be the most impactful freshman in the entire conference. She was nearly unstoppable through pre-conference play. Upper-tier Big Ten defenses were able to temper Hudson's efficiency late in the season, especially in Purdue's matches against Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Maryland. Still, Hudson finished third in kills per set among Big Ten players and exceeded expectations in her debut season.
Raven Colvin was back at the M1 position. She had managed to break through as Purdue's top middle blocker in 2021 despite some solid incumbency at that spot. Her termination off of one foot helped Purdue weather the transitions between a 5-1 and a 5-2. Colvin also became a serving weapon despite some considerable error risk.
Purdue picked up Iowa grad transfer Hannah Clayton to be the M2. Like Colvin, Clayton had a fairly safe spot in the lineup.
Lastly, senior Maddie Schermerhorn took over at libero following a multi-season stint as a primary DS. Floor defense was the bulk of Schermerhorn’s appeal, as she racked up some of the Big Ten’s best dig totals last season.
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2023 Projected Lineup:For a second consecutive year, Purdue will have a considerable amount of open spots in its starting lineup.
Maybe it's best to fixate on who's back, as that perspective makes the hefty departures list seem less foreboding. Hudson returns at outside hitter after effectively carrying the offense at certain points of the season. There are no guarantees that Hudson will be able to maintain her level of success, and it's worth remembering last year's rough patches in portions of Big Ten play. Still, it's always a positive to return a player that put down a third of your kills as a freshman.
Throw Colvin back into the mix at M1. If you lump together attacking numbers for Colvin and Hudson, you'll have about half of Purdue's total attempts in 2022. It's not all bad news in the frontcourt.
However, this still feels like a big transition. The pin-hitting triumvirate of Chinn, Ellis, and Koch moving on. Clayton has also served her one year of eligibility with the program at the M2 spot. Even with how skewed Purdue's offense was last year, these roster holes carry weight.
But perhaps the most significant concern surrounding the Purdue lineup is the turnover at setter. Balensiefer has graduated. Renner, who was probably in line to take firm control in a 5-1, announced over the summer that she was medically retiring after suffering another ACL injury. This was a tough blow that left Purdue with redshirt freshman Sydney Yim as the only returning setter on the roster.
The Boilermaker staff moved to the portal and landed experienced grad transfer setter Lorrin Poulter from Denver. Unfortunately, Poulter is coming off a late-November ACL injury of her own. If she's ready to take the reins, you'd figure that Poulter will run the show. Just keep her health status in mind. True freshman Taylor Anderson also comes in to offer her assistance.
Now, we'll address the pins. Most notably, there's widespread buzz about what true freshman Chloe Chicoine can bring to the outside hitter spot across from Hudson. Chicoine is Purdue's most heralded recruit in a long time and brings a wealth of Team USA experience. She would almost certainly be thrust into a six-rotation role if she earns her expected starting role. Ball control is a strength here. Chicoine would also be one of the smallest outside hitters in the conference, so her ability to adapt to a college block will be under the microscope.
Purdue doesn't return any pins with significant playing experience at this level, further bolstering Chicoine's chances to start. Kenna Wollard is another left-side hitter in the 2023 class who has seen a fair amount of prep success.
That still leaves the right pin yet to be filled. True freshman Grace Heaney was another major haul in Purdue's signing class. The lefty could carve her own path to an all-around role with the program, and Purdue is at its best with these backcourt opposites.
But the Boilermakers have also been known to pull some older players from the bench to claim vacant starting positions. This is where someone like redshirt sophomore Emily Rastovski could step up and play on the right pin this year. Rastovski appeared in ten sets last season and could be rewarded for her patience.
M2 is definitely a spot where Purdue will call upon a player who has been with the program for a while, but mostly as a backup. Redshirt junior Lourdes Myers is the first that comes to mind. She has been a situational sub for the past two seasons and was present in 29 of Purdue's sets last fall. It will either be her or redshirt freshman Lizzie Carr, as those are the only two middles on the roster aside from Colvin. This will be an area of concern.
At least Purdue's DS unit will mostly be a reprise from last year. Schermerhorn opted to take her fifth year and will be back at libero. Hornung's role shouldn't change. Above all, you'd hope to see improvement at Brown's position if the Boilermakers keep using backcourt subs at that spot.
2023 Schedule:We'll be getting a nice early barometer on where this Purdue team is at heading into 2023. The Boilermakers open the season at home with contests against Duke, Creighton, and Loyola Chicago. It's a worthy slate with a range of possible outcomes. There's RPI gain potential here, but no team can be overlooked.
Week 2 features a road trip to Lawrence to face Kansas and Marquette. Again, two more tournament-caliber teams that could feasibly push Purdue to the limit.
West Lafayette has another quality gauntlet the following week. Purdue has a guaranteed matchup with SMU, a team that returns considerable talent. Then, it's an either/or match against Kentucky or Houston. It'll be a challenge regardless of the opponent.
The home slate keeps rolling with UCF and USC coming to Holloway Gym. This is a pre-conference slate with no days off for a Purdue team that will be adjusting to new personnel. Buckle up.
Rolling in the B1G:
2023 Outlook:This becoming a familiar spot for Purdue. The Boilermakers have a couple of vital returning pieces accompanied by a host of new faces.
Purdue will be forced to adapt quickly, as this year's non-conference slate will be tougher than the 2022 version. A lot depends on whether Hudson and Colvin can pick up where they left off, but that's also amid the greater context of having a new setter.
Perhaps Chicoine can help give Purdue the left-side stability that the Boilermakers haven't had in a while. It has always been one featured outside hitter with the other spot being all over the place. We'll see what the youth movement can bring--and that applies to the battles at opposite and M2, as well.
This feels like a Purdue team that could be on par with its sixth-place conference finish from a year ago. Maybe it's a spot better than that. The NCAA Tournament is still a realistic aspiration, but be wary that the margin for error could shrink in 2023. Any of Purdue's non-conference foes could present a formidable challenge, and the unexpected Big Ten setbacks should be minimized.