Purdue freshman takes "basketball very personally," secondary market ticket prices for volleyball and more
Post player Kendall Puryear does things "nobody wants to do" and what's the get-in price for Saturday's sold out volleyball matchup at Mackey Arena
Kendall Puryear admits she has a mean streak.
Lana McCarthy confirms this statement.
“She plays a little bully ball almost inside,” McCarthy said. “She likes to use her body and be physical. I’ve seen it. She showed me some of her high school clips, and I haven’t seen anything like that yet because I think I’m her teammate. I don’t know what to expect when we play competition.”
We’ll catch a glimpse Tuesday when the Boilermakers face Indiana Tech in their only exhibition game. The Nov. 6 season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne will provide more evidence of how Puryear, McCarthy, and the rest of the team will play this season.
Puryear and McCarthy are two of three freshmen for coach Katie Gearlds, and the pair of post players are expected to log plenty of minutes during their rookie seasons. One of the two could be the starting lineup with Reagan Bass inside.
Puryear said she’ll “do the things nobody wants to do.” That includes chasing down rebounds, diving on the floor, taking charges, and becoming a menace inside on the defensive end.
Asked to provide an example of her mean streak, Puryear replied: “I’ll plead the fifth on that one.”
Translation: We’ll know it when we see it.
“I would say I take basketball very personally when I step on the floor,” Puryear said. “I do not like anybody when I’m playing against them. As soon as we’re off the floor, we’re cool. That’s who I am.”
The program needs an aggressive presence in the post, and Puryear and McCarthy have an opportunity to establish a tone inside. They’re freshmen, haven’t played against Big Ten players, and face a big learning curve, but they’ve shown enough in the summer and on the European tour that they’ll hold up during the season.
“I hate playing against her because she’s physical, very strong, and she’s so competitive,” McCarthy said about Puryear, who attended Blue Spring South in Missouri. “I think that translates into how we play against each other, and we’ve gotten to know each other so well.”
They’ve brought their physical strength, competitive attitudes, and skills to start the season. They’ll play together throughout games with McCarthy on the block and Puryear at the power forward spot. Or, they might flip spots. Both have worked on extending their games beyond the block to add versatility to the lineup.
“They’re a lot more vocal demanding the ball,” Bass said. “And they’re confident in themselves in that aspect knowing that they can score and slow down the pace and not rushing their shot, finishing at the rim with contact as well as being able to find the shooters if they’re being doubled. It shows a very fast maturity.”
The competition carries over to the weight room, where McCarthy is chasing Puryear on the bench press.
“She’s always five pounds ahead of me, and I’m always like, ‘Keep it on; I want to do what you’re doing,’ ” said McCarthy, who attended Bedford High School in New Hampshire. “I always want to match what she’s doing. It sets a great example, and we really push each other that way.”
That approach continues when the pair is away from the court.
Puryear said McCarthy is a “very driven person. She wants to be the best.” She likes that McCarthy holds herself accountable and isn’t afraid of one more competition at the end of the week.
“It will be Sunday night, and we’ll say we need to go run and might not feel like it … but we go,” Puryear said.
Puryear and McCarthy give the Boilermakers size and athletic ability inside, but they lack experience. The game hasn’t completely slowed down for the duo yet, but Gearlds wants them to play through it because of how hard they go against their teammates and the male practice squad.
Puryear, McCarthy, Bass, and junior Alaina Harper are expected to be part of the inside rotation.
“They’ll have an opportunity to play together and throw Alaina into that mix,” Gearlds said. “They’re all so different and steady. Alaina gives you that steadiness and she’s been a great leader from the post position.”
VIDEO: Reagan Bass
2025 VISITOR
The program is expected to host Keona Douwstra, a 5-9 combo guard from the Netherlands, on an official visit this weekend. Douwstra’s visit is scheduled to start on Saturday and run through Monday. She’s currently at Arkansas on an official visit.
NEXT FIVE GAMES
Oct. 29: Indiana Tech, 7 p.m. (exhibition)
Nov. 6: Purdue Fort Wayne, 7 p.m.
Nov. 10: Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
Nov. 13: IUI, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 18: Bellarmine, 7 p.m.
Tickets are available at purduesports.com.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULES
One Big Ten team - Maryland - has already played the first of two exhibition games. The Terrapins defeated Seton Hill 108-37 on Oct. 20. Not every conference team is playing exhibition games.
Sunday: Northwood at Michigan; Doane at Nebraska; Caldwell at Rutgers
Oct. 28: Wayne State at Michigan State
Oct. 29: Indiana Tech at Purdue; Wisconsin Stevens-Point at Wisconsin
Oct. 30: Maryville at Indiana; Missouri Western at Iowa; Frostburg at Maryland
Nov. 1: Lewis at Illinois; Warner Pacific at Oregon
Nov. 3: Parkside at Northwestern
TICKET TALK
On Saturday, Purdue’s 10th-ranked volleyball team takes on No. 9 Wisconsin at Mackey Arena. It’s the second straight Saturday the Boilermakers are playing in Mackey after sweeping Indiana before a sellout crowd last week.
The match is sold out, and tickets on the secondary market (SeatGeek) are listed for $17 (general admission upper arena). Tickets in the lower bowl range from $34 to $167. The general admission tickets initially sold for $5.
The match against Indiana drew 14,876 fans, the largest crowd for a Big Ten regular-season match. Purdue will equal that mark on Saturday.
By comparison, the lowest secondary market ticket price (SeatGeek) for the Nov. 2 football game against Northwestern is $12. The game has been announced as a sellout.