Purdue Volleyball Announces Sold-Outs for Both Mackey Arena Games

Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell said he was confident fans would flock to Mackey Arena to watch the Boilermakers in action when they play in the iconic basketball venue later this season. He was right in that prediction.

On Friday, Purdue announced that both games at Mackey Arena were sold out. With Mackey Arena seating 14,876, that would set a Big Ten Conference record for a volleyball game between two teams in the league.

The Nebraska volleyball team set the world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event last season when it hosted a game at Memorial Stadium. A total of 92,003 fans attended that game in August 2023.

Purdue will host in-state rival Indiana at Mackey Arena on Saturday, Oct. 19. The following weekend, the Boilermakers will face Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 26.

“You can’t go to Mackey unless you can draw 14,000 people, and we think we’ll draw 14,000,” Shondell said at Big Ten Volleyball Media Days. “We think Boilermaker Nation will thrive in that environment.”

“A lot of people have done a lot of things to help us get here. So hopefully we can get Mackey and we can have another great season.”

Purdue wrapped up its non-conference play this weekend with a trip to Lawrence, Kansas, to compete in the Jayhawk Classic. The Boilers lost 3-1 to No. 10 Kansas and lost 3-1 to No. 9 Creighton. Purdue finished the trip with a 3-0 sweep of Tulsa.

The Boilermakers begin Big Ten play Wednesday, Sept. 25, against Penn State.

RACHEL WILLIAMS SERVICE SPECIALIST:Coach Dave Shondell explained how serving specialist Rachel Williams brought a new spark and dynamic to the Purdue volleyball team early this season. CLICK HERE