Purdue Volleyball To Host NCAA First and Second Rounds

Purdue volleyball stumbled slightly down the stretch, losing matches to Oregon, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to finish 15-5 in conference play, but after Saturday’s win over Indiana in Mackey Arena the program knows it will be home for at least two more matches in the NCAA Tournament. After spening most of the season in the top 15 Purdue was selected as one of 16 hosts for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

The Boilers get a relatively favorable draw. They are the No. 3 seed in the Pittsburgh regional, and they would get to play at home in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight if they are the highest remaining seed in that quadrant by the Sweet 16. Purdue will face Wright State, who is 21-10 and champion of the Horizon League, in the opening round. The match will be Thursday night at 7pm. The Raiders do have a win over a Big Ten program in Ohio State and they did win a set against No. 1 seed Pitt earlier.

No. 6 seed Baylor and Arkansas State will meet in the other first round game, with the winner taking on Purdue Friday night. Baylor finished 17-9 on the year and their best win was over No. 9 TCU. Arkansas State won the Sun Belt Tournament to take that automatic bid at 22-8. They have a solid non-conference win over a ranked Missouri program, too.

In looking towards the second weekend Purdue has a favorable draw. Should the seeds hold the Boilers would get a rematch with SMU. Purdue did beat the Mustangs 3-1 on September 14th at a tournament in Lexington, Kentucky. Pitt is the No. 1 seed in the region and the Panthers are excellent with four straight Final Four appearances. They beat Purdue 3-1 in the Elite eight in 2021. Minnesota is the 4 seed in the region, and Purdue split two matches with the Gophers this year. Each team won at home.

Overall the draw is pretty favorable. Purdue probably could have been a 2 seed if it had beaten Minnesota and Wisconsin late, but a three is solid after everything the program lost.