Huskies Make Statement, Sweep No. 10 Purdue

Sunday, October 4

Seattle, Wash.

2:00 PM

University of Washington

12-1,3-1Big Ten

Purdue

8-5,1-3Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Purdue	20	16	16	0
Washington	25	25	25	3

October 04, 2026 | Volleyball

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By: UW Athletic Communications

SEATTLE – Husky Volleyball responded to its first loss of the season with one of its finest performances in years, sweeping aside 10th-ranked Purdue and proving that UW's entry into the rankings this week was deserved. The 22nd-ranked Dawgs (12-1, 3-1 Big Ten) beat the Boilermakers (8-5, 1-3 Big Ten) for the first time since joining the Big Ten, dominating 25-20, 25-16, 25-16 in front of 3,419 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena.

The Huskies had lost for the first time this year on Friday night against a tough Illinois team that will likely find itself ranked tomorrow, but UW didn't lick its wounds for long. Washington earned its first ranked win of the season, and its first sweep of a top-10 team since the 2020 season, when UW swept then-No. 7 Utah.

"I was just excited that we came out and played Washington Volleyball," said Head Coach Leslie Gabriel. "We came out ready for a fight because Purdue is a really good team and there's a lot that they're really good at. We had to be ready to win long rallies like the other night against Illinois. I challenged them; good play, bad play, it's the next play that we have to be ready for, and I thought our team did a good job staying on task."

Bounced ?? First sweep of a Top-10 team for UW since the 2020 season ?? #PointHuskies https://t.co/RZyi63CCHY
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) October 4, 2026

The Huskies dominated with 43 kills, 13 blocks, and a .256 hitting percentage. Second-year Simona Mateska and first-year Kylie Kleckner led the way with 11 kills apiece, with Mateska adding 13 digs for a double-double, and Kleckner adding eight more digs. Third-year Julia Hunt contributed eight kills, two aces and five digs. Second-year setter Andrea Fabikovicová helped lead the Husky offense with 34 assists and 12 digs for a double-double, while second-year Maija Howse added six kills and fourth-year Katy Wessels hit an impressive .556 with five kills and four blocks. While defending the back row, first-year Kaitlyn Nguyen recorded a team-high 16 digs, helping Washington finish with 59 total digs.

Kleckner bounced back big after a tough match on Friday, and Gabriel complimented the rookie's resilience.

"This conference is hard. She's off to a good start and like a lot of freshmen there's a point in the season where people have enough tape on you to know what you can do, so we just told her to keep being Kylie. She did a really good job of going out and competing her way, and attacking."

Wessels and Mateska WALL to end the rally ?? #PointHuskies // @BigTenNetwork https://t.co/FFtXJvHcHM
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) October 4, 2026

Set One: Washington opened the first set with an early 4-0 run, as Hunt started things off with a kill before adding an ace. Mateska then put away a kill, followed by another Hunt kill and a kill from Wessels to give the Huskies a 4-0 advantage. Purdue battled back and put enough points on the board to pull within 6-5. then tied the set at 7-7 before Maija Howse put the Huskies back in front with a kill. Purdue took its only lead of the set at 9-8, but Kylie Kleckner quickly answered with a kill to even the score. Kills from Hunt, Wessels, and Mateska, along with a Fabikovicová ace extended the Husky lead to 15-13. Washington continued to build momentum with kills from Howse and Hunt. Then working together, they combined for a block to extend the lead to 20-14, and Kleckner and Howse followed with kills to put the Huskies up 21-14. Purdue put up a late push to come up to 22-18, but Mateska and Kleckner kills brought Washington to set point. Purdue scored two more points, but Mateska closed out the first set with a kill, giving the Huskies a 25-20 victory.

Set Two: Kleckner wasted no time to open the second set with a kill, but Purdue answered with three-straight kills to take a 3-1 lead. The Boilermakers continued to hold the advantage before a kill from Wessels and back-to-back kills from Simona Mateska helped Washington climb up 5-5. This match saw several intense rallies with strong efforts from both sides of the court, but the Husky lineup managed to continuously come out on top. The back row saw endless saves that set the Huskies up for kills from Hunt, Mateska, Howse, and Kleckner. At the same time, a block from Mateska and Wessels, and aces from Nguyen and Hunt led Washington to a 12-11 advantage. Purdue tied the set once again at 12-12, but Mateska and Kleckner followed with kills, and Fabikovicová added an ace to push the Huskies ahead 14-12. Kleckner and Mateska answered, yet again helping the Huskies extend their lead to 18-14. Within the next 11 points, the Huskies took 9 with the help of kills from Howse and Hunt, including back-to-back kills from Hunt, and back-to-back aces by Howse to close out the set, 25-16.

Set Three: By the third set, the Huskies were ready to bring out their brooms and kept the lead for the entire set. Kills from Fabikovicová and Kleckner set the Huskies up for a 3-0 lead. Purdue answered with a few points before the set got back into several rallies, but the Husky offense continued to prove to be a leading force. Wessels and Mateska combined for a block, while kills from Howse, Wessels, Kleckner, and back-to-back kills from Mateska kept the Huskies in front 15-12. The work at the net didn't stop there, as the Huskies last six points were kills from Howse, Hunt, Kleckner, Mateska, and Fabikovicová. Fabikovicová's kill completed the Huskies sweep 25-16, in their first ranked match-up of the season.

Up Next: Washington goes east again next week to visit Ohio State and a ranked Penn State squad. First up will be Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, Oct. 9.

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