No. 10 Purdue begins Big Ten play Thursday night with a home matchup against Maryland at Holloway Gymnasium, and both teams come in riding serious momentum.
The Boilermakers have been rolling through the non-conference schedule, with six of their seven wins coming by sweep. Purdue has won its last five matches in straight sets, including a three-set sweep of No. 8 SMU, and the Boilermakers have taken 15 consecutive sets into the conference opener.
Maryland has been just as sharp. The Terrapins are 10-1, with nine of those wins coming in sweeps.
They’ve blanked their last eight opponents and have won 27 straight sets, a run that stretches back to a 3-1 win over Arkansas on Sept. 2.
A big part of the spotlight Thursday will fall on a group of freshmen making major impacts for both teams. Purdue’s Addy Tindall, Elle Schara, and MaryKate Scheumann have all played key roles in the Boilermakers’ strong start.
Tindall is averaging 4.13 kills per set, which ranks third in the Big Ten, and she’s hitting above .350 in her first season. Schara and Scheumann have helped stabilize the back row, averaging 1.77 and 2.39 digs per set, respectively, while also combining for 16 of Purdue’s 33 service aces this fall.
Maryland has its own freshman difference-maker in Brown, who ranks second on the team in kills and leads the Terrapins in blocks through non-conference play. She’s hitting .332 across her first 11 college matches.
The Terrapins also lean on Chwialkowski, who leads the team with 3.62 digs per set and has been Maryland’s most reliable server with 14 aces and 11 errors.
Thursday is the first of two Big Ten matches this week for Purdue, which will host No. 6 Wisconsin on Sunday at Mackey Arena. For now, the focus is on Maryland, with the Boilermakers looking to extend their run and the Terrapins aiming for a statement win over the No. 10 team in the country.
In Other News...
Purdues Guard Rotation Just Took A Brutal Preseason Hit
Aysia Proctors arrival was supposed to give Purdue another experienced option in the backcourt after a career-best scoring season at North Texas, but that plan is now off the table before the Boilermakers have even gotten into the heart of preseason work. Proctor announced on social media that a knee injury will end her season, a setback that comes as Purdue continues building toward the 2026-27 campaign and looking for answers in a guard group that needed depth.
For Katie Gearlds, the timing makes the blow sting even more. Purdues roster is now down to 13 available players, and losing a transfer guard who was expected to help immediately narrows the margin for a team trying to sort out its rotation and stay healthy through the grind of the year ahead. The Boilermakers still have time to adjust, but this is the kind of early loss that can change the shape of a season before it really starts. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues Biggest Early Breakout Is Raising The Stakes For Big Ten Play
Purdues early surge has had plenty to do with the steady play around its lineup, but freshman outside hitter Addy Tindall has quickly become the name that stands out most. In a 7-2 start, she has already taken on a major scoring role, leading the Boilermakers in kills while also sitting among the Big Tens most productive attackers per set. For a first-year player, the jump has been about more than raw talent, with Tindall showing the kind of shot selection and consistency that usually take longer to arrive.
What makes her start especially encouraging for Purdue is how well it has held up against better competition. Tindall has put together multiple matches with strong kill totals and has done it while keeping a strong hitting percentage, giving the Boilermakers a reliable edge as conference play approaches. The next test is whether that early breakout can keep traveling when the schedule tightens, because Purdues ambitions this season may hinge in part on how far its newest offensive weapon can carry it. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Puts Its Unbeaten Start To The Test At Purdue
Notre Dame heads into West Lafayette with an unbeaten start and a resume that already includes wins over Wisconsin, Michigan State and Rice, which has only sharpened the attention on a road trip to Purdue. The matchup gives the Boilermakers a chance to test themselves against a No. 3 team that has looked sharp early, while also giving Purdue another measuring stick under Barry Odom as it tries to find its footing.
For Purdue, the timing makes the game feel especially important. A meeting with one of the nations hottest early teams is the kind of assignment that can reveal where a roster stands and how much progress has been made, even if the record still needs work. Notre Dame, meanwhile, gets an in-state challenge that should tell a little more about how real its start is once the environment turns less comfortable. [Read more 🡒]