When No. 24 Illinois grabbed a 24-21 edge in the fourth set, No.
16 Purdue looked on the brink of another frustrating night. Instead, Dave Shondell’s group did what it has done time and again: it dug in, erased the danger, and refused to go away.
Purdue saved three straight set points just to get even at 24-24, then survived a wild fourth frame that stretched to five Illinois match-point chances before the Boilermakers finally closed it out 28-26. That comeback flipped the match, and Purdue carried the momentum into the fifth set for a 15-12 win.
"I'm stilly trying to figure this one out, to be honest with you," Shondell said in a video posted by Boilers in the Stands. "I'm a little numb from what I just watched out there.
I really like this team, they're unbelievable people ... they're never out of it. They showed it last year and they showed it at times this year.
"I'm going to be honest, I thought it was over. Somehow, we chipped away and chipped away."
The victory came at a good time for Purdue, which had dropped three straight matches against ranked opponents. The Boilermakers were swept by No.
7 Wisconsin and No. 20 Washington, then fell in five sets to No.
13 Oregon. By beating USC and Illinois, Purdue left the weekend with a split that moved its Big Ten mark to 3-3.
Dior Charles turned in the kind of night that swings a match. The middle blocker put down 13 kills with just one error on 17 swings, hit .706, and added eight blocks. She also delivered the final point of the match.
"I'm really all about having fun," Charles said, laughing. "But I think when you're having fun, it's easier to do your job and get things done."
Charles was a major piece of the win, but she had plenty of help. Grace Heaney led Purdue with 16 kills and also piled up 17 digs and five blocks. Mimi Mambu finished with 15 kills, and Addy Tindall added 13.
Taylor Anderson filled up the box score with 56 assists, 19 digs, four kills and four blocks. Ryan McAleer had 19 digs, and MaryKate Scheumman finished with 11.
Purdue hit .249 as a team and put up 14 blocks in the match. The Boilermakers now head into a two-match road trip to face Iowa and No. 1 Nebraska next weekend.
In Other News...
Purdue Just Backed Up Its Big Ten Surge In A Huge Way
Purdue kept its Big Ten surge rolling at Ross-Ade Stadium with a 41-13 win over Minnesota, and the result gave Barry Odom plenty to like about the way his team is starting to look on both sides of the ball. The Boilermakers controlled the line of scrimmage on offense, the defense made Minnesota uncomfortable, and Odom pointed to the way Purdue played across all three phases as a sign the program is beginning to stack complete performances.
The biggest individual spark came from Fame Ijeboi, whose night turned into one of the best performances in Purdue football history and gave the Boilermakers a featured weapon they could lean on throughout the game. After back-to-back conference wins, Purdue now has a little more legitimacy behind this run, even if the wider question is whether this level of balance and physicality can hold up once the schedule tightens again. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Defense Faces A Personal Friday Test Against A Familiar Mind
Friday brings a familiar chess match to Purdues sideline, with Kevin Kane preparing his defense for Washington and the challenge of facing Ryan Walters, a former colleague who now runs the Huskies defense under Jedd Fisch. Their paths have been tied together before, both at Illinois and again at Purdue, and this meeting adds a personal layer to what is already a meaningful test for Barry Odoms staff.
Kane has been open about the respect he has for Walters, and the matchup carries a little extra edge because of how much Walters helped shape his own approach. Purdue will be looking to sort out an opposing defense directed by someone who knows the mindset and language of the men on the other sideline, which makes the preparation as interesting as the game itself. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues Big Ten Surge Is Suddenly Paying Off In Indiana
Purdues recent momentum in its home state kept rolling when Wesley Summersett, a high school football player from Berne, Indiana, switched his verbal commitment from Bowling Green State University to the Boilermakers. Recruited by defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, Summersett announced the move on social media, adding another in-state name to Barry Odoms early work on the 2027 class.
For Purdue, the addition matters beyond just the headline of a flip. Summersett is the fifth in-state pledge in Odoms 2027 group, and he also becomes the programs 17th overall commitment, a sign that the Boilermakers are starting to turn local interest into real recruiting traction. The broader class is still taking shape, but this is the kind of development Purdue has been trying to stack as it builds momentum closer to home. [Read more 🡒]