No. 19 Golden Eagles drop five-set heartbreaker to Purdue

Box Score (PDF)

LAWRENCE, Kansas – The No. 19 Marquette University women's volleyball team had four chances to secure a win over No. 25 Purdue in the fourth set on Friday afternoon, but fell in five frames (18-25, 25-18, 16-25, 29-27, 17-15) at Horejsi Arena on the campus of the University of Kansas.

A Hattie Bray kill put the Golden Eagles (2-2) at match point, 24-21, in the fourth before the Boilermakers mounted their comeback. Purdue rattled off three consecutive points to knot the frame at 24.

Aubrey Hamilton posted one of her match-high 23 kills to give MU back the advantage, 25-24, but MU couldn't hold off Purdue despite fending off a pair of set points themselves. The Boilermakers claimed the fourth set 29-27 and went on to win the deciding fifth frame, 17-15.

MU fell behind by four early in the final stanza and fought back to tie the set at 12. The Golden Eagles pulled even again at 13-13, 14-14 and 15-15 before Purdue scored the final two points for its second ranked win in as many days.

Marquette hit a combined .225 to Purdue's .209 and had seven service aces, led by three from Hamilton. The Golden Eagles hit .344 out of the gate in the opening set and cruised to a 25-16 win in the third on .289 hitting. The Boilermakers hit a match-best .360 in the final set to seal the win.

NOTABLE:

The match is MU's second against a ranked foe this season. The Golden Eagles have nine matches against teams currently ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll (No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 4 Oregon, No. 10 Pitt, No. 20 Creighton (twice), No. 22 WKU, No. 23 Kansas, No. 24 Tennessee, No. 25 Purdue).
Marquette All-BIG EAST middle blocker Carsen Murray played her first match this season and posted eight kills and six blocks. She missed all three matches last weekend, including the four-set loss to then-No. 24 WKU in the season opener.
Purdue defeated No. 23 Kansas in five-sets on Thursday evening in the opening match of the event.
Purdue began the season at No. 16 in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
Purdue outside hitter Chloe Chicoine, the nation's top-ranked freshman, had 17 kills and 11 digs, while All-Big Ten performer Eva Hudson had a team-best 21 kills.
The Boilermakers have won all four meetings all-time with the Golden Eagles. Friday's match is MU's third five-set loss to Purdue.
Purdue won the most recent meeting in four sets on Dec. 7, 2019, in the NCAA Second Round in West Lafayette. The first two all-time meetings were five-set Purdue wins, including a match in Lawrence, Kansas on Sept. 13, 2002.

UP NEXT: Saturday's clash with No. 23 Kansas is slated for 1 p.m. Central time and the match airs live on Big 12 NOW through ESPN+.

Keep up with the Marquette University women's volleyball program through social media by following on X (@MarquetteVB) and Instagram (@MarquetteVB) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteVolleyball).