Nebraska, Purdue Meet Saturday in Top-10 Clash

The No. 9 Nebraska volleyball team (15-3, 9-0 Big Ten) begins a rugged stretch of three straight top-15 opponents this Saturday, Oct. 23 with No. 7 Purdue (14-4, 6-3) at the Devaney Center. First serve is set for 8 p.m., and the match will be televised on BTN and streamed via its digital extension on the FOX Sports app with Larry Punteney and Audrey Flaugh on the call.
 
This week's action will be carried on Huskers Radio Network with the NU radio team of John Baylor and Lauren Cook West. Baylor is in his 28th season handling play-by-play duties for the Husker volleyball program, and West, a former All-America setter at NU, will provide color commentary for the sixth straight year.
 
Huskers Radio Network will carry the matches on HRN radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be available at Huskers.com and on the Huskers app. Inside the Devaney Center, fans can access the direct radio call of the match at 87.7 FM.
 
Quick Hits
• Nebraska has sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standings and is the only remaining unbeaten team at 9-0 in conference play. The Huskers are ahead of second-place Wisconsin (7-1).
• NU plays three straight ranked opponents with No. 7 Purdue, No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 12 Minnesota over the upcoming eight-day stretch, Oct. 23-30. The Nov. 6 match at No. 6 Ohio state will make four of the next five opponents ranked foes.
• The Huskers carry a season-long nine-match win streak -- their longest since 13 straight wins, Nov. 2 - Dec. 13, 2018.
• The Huskers' Wednesday night sweep of Iowa was their 10th 3-0 win of the year and fourth in a row.
• NU leads the conference with a .294 attack percentage, 1.97 service aces per set and 17.48 digs per set in Big Ten matches.
• Eight of Nebraska's top 10 team hitting performances have come in Big Ten matches over the last month.
• NU has gone at least 3-0 to start Big Ten play nine consecutive years. The Huskers' current 9-0 start is their best since going 11-0 in their inaugural season in the conference in 2011.
• The Huskers maintained their No. 9 ranking in the AVCA national poll this week.
• Nebraska held a streak of 60 straight weeks in the top 10 of the AVCA poll before briefly dropping to 12th in the Sept. 20 and Sept. 27 releases. It was the only time the Huskers had ranked outside the top 10 since Sept. 18, 2017, when they were 14th.
• NU opened 2021 with a six-match win streak, then dropped three straight to No. 20 Utah (Sept. 11), No. 16 Stanford (Sept. 14) and No. 5 Louisville (Sept. 18) before rebounding with eight wins.
• The Huskers played four straight top-20 opponents in an 11-day span last month with No. 19 Creighton (Sept. 8), No. 20 Utah (Sept. 11), No. 16 Stanford (Sept. 14) and No. 5 Louisville (Sept. 18).
• Five of NU's six freshmen have seen the court this year.
 
Scouting the Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue is 14-4 (6-3 Big Ten) after falling in five sets to Michigan State at home on Wednesday. The Boilermakers were led by 22 kills from Caitlyn Newton and another 16 from Grace Cleveland. Hayley Bush recorded 53 assists with 15 digs for a double-double.
 
Taylor Trammell is third in the Big Ten with 1.38 blocks per set in conference play, and the Boilermakers are second in the conference with 2.63 blocks per set as a team.
 
Dave Shondell is in his 19th season at the helm and owns a career record of 402-203 at Purdue. He reached career win No. 400 in a five-set win at Illinois on Oct. 7.
 
Noting the Series: vs. Purdue
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Purdue 19-8, including 10-4 in the John Cook era. The Huskers have won seven of the last eight meetings. The Boilermakers won the most recent in five sets on Oct. 26, 2019 in West Lafayette, Ind.
 
NU and Purdue last played in Lincoln on Oct. 16, 2019, which the Huskers won, 3-1. Nebraska has an 11-2 advantage at home in the series, and it has not surrendered a home match to Purdue since 2013.
 
Up Next
Nebraska prepares for a midweek showdown with No. 3 Wisconsin next Wednesday, Oct. 27 at the Devaney Center. First serve is set for 8 p.m., and the match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed via its digital extension on the FOX Sports app. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.