SEATTLE – The Husky home volleyball season came to a close tonight with a loss to No. 9 Purdue that was much more dramatic than a final 3-0 set score would indicate. But for now Washington has to hope that its final home match was not the final match of its 2024 campaign, as the Huskies will be squarely on the bubble come NCAA Selection Sunday.
Each team erased an eight-point deficit at one point tonight, Washington rallying back from 10-18 in the second set, and Purdue fighting back from down 14-22 in the third set. With the second set tied at 23-23, Purdue won the final two points, and then in the third set, Purdue saved three Husky set points to ultimately finish off a 25-14, 25-23, 29-27 sweep in front of 3,875 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Washington finished the regular season at 19-11 and 9-11 in its first go in the Big Ten. Purdue goes to 25-6 and 16-4 in league play. The Boilermakers are a lock for NCAA selection, but the Huskies will be hoping to hear their name called during the bracket reveal at 3 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday, Dec. 1, on ESPN.
“I really wish we were still playing right now,” said Head Coach Leslie Gabriel after UW fell agonizingly short in set three. “I thought we were going to take that third set, just couldn’t finish it off. But I was proud of the effort and I thought there was a lot of grit throughout the match. We talked about staying connected within a rally and taking care of the little plays. We did a good job of that … just had a hard time putting the ball away.”
Washington honored seven seniors both pre- and post-match tonight. Four of those seven took the home court for the final time: Lauren Bays, Madi Endsley, Kiune Fletcher, and Sophia Tulino. Three more juniors could potentially return next year if they so choose but were honored today as well: Emoni Bush, Audra Wilmes, and Molly Wilson.
“The seniors that have come through our program have done a lot. They’ve helped us through transitions to a new coaching staff and a new conference. They’ve put in a lot of time and energy and left their mark here, and people will pass on stories about them down through Husky volleyball.”
Purdue ultimately outhit the Huskies, .264 to .183, and held an 8.0 to 6.0 edge in…
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