KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee (1-1) will take on No. 13 Purdue (2-0) in its final leg of the Tennessee Classic Saturday night at 6 P.M. EST.
The Lady Vols are coming off a four-set loss (24-26, 16-25, 28-26, 22-25) to Bowling Green earlier Saturday morning. Outside of a nice run to end the third set, the Lady Vols struggled to keep the momentum on their side.
Purdue has shown the rest of the teams in the Tennessee Classic why it’s No. 13 in the nation. The Boilermakers have won each of their first two games in straight sets this weekend, one of which was against Bowling Green.
The all-time record between Tennessee and Purdue is 7-1 in favor of the Boilermakers. However, Purdue is 1-1 in Thompson-Boling Arena against Tennessee.
A key player to watch for the Boilermakers is outside hitter Eva Hudson. Hudson has led Purdue in kills in each of its first two matches. Hudson is just a freshman so she’s making an early impact for her team against some tough competition.
Raven Colvin is another player to keep an eye on for the Boilermakers. The middle blocker was a member of the 2021 Big Ten All-Freshman Team and has led the team in blocks in each of the first two matches.
For Tennessee, look out for Morgahn Fingall and Natalie Heyward. Fingall has led the Lady Vols in kills each of the first two matches and was a critical component of Friday’s win over Loyola Chicago.
Hayward was miles ahead of the rest of the team last match in assists, showcasing her ability to keep the ball in play for the Lady Vols.