There is a running joke in the Purichia family regarding Grace and volleyball. Long before she donned IU Indy's crimson and white colors, she was known as "the baby in the ball cart." So, you would be correct in saying that volleyball has always been a part of her life.

Her mom was her volleyball coach at Union Volleyball Club, and Purichia has been playing competitively since age eight. She tried her hand at other sports including basketball and soccer, but in her own words, "none of them really stuck to me the way volleyball did."

Fast forward over ten years later and Purichia is not only still playing volleyball; she is making headlines across the country. In 2025, she was named the Horizon League Setter of the Year after a personal best junior season that saw her lead the conference with 11.03 assists per game and 1,346 assists overall. Nationally, she placed sixth in Division I in assists per game and fourth in number of assists for the season.

For anyone who had followed Purichia throughout her career as a Jaguar, those splashy numbers came as no surprise. She had been improving steadily in her collegiate career from one season to the next. In her freshman season, she compiled 873 assists. She followed that up with 1,191 assists in her sophomore season, and then the aforementioned 1,346 assists in her junior season. So far in her senior year, she is averaging 10.34 assists per set, good for third overall in the conference.

It is one thing to reflect on your performance after a season and then take steps on how to do better. It is quite another to put it into action the way Purichia has. For her personally, however, she gives the credit to her teammates.

"Honestly, I feel like I say this every time someone asks me about it. That just is more so credit to how good of a team I have," she said. "I can set a ball and without a good hitter or without a good pass, that means nothing. So honestly, it's more of a reflection of how amazing my teammates are and how well we work together, and I just feel like they put a lot of trust in me."

That trust led last season to the Jaguars' first winning conference record and first overall winning record since 2017; the program's first season in the Horizon League. Purichia came to this program knowing that it was a work in progress, and that encouraged her even more to right the ship.

"It's just been super cool and that much more important to all of us seniors, especially this year, just because we kind of get to see how our impact has grown over these past couple of years," she said. "And just seeing how the younger kids are able to kind of grow into their roles as well."

The younger kids are indeed growing into their roles. Freshman Bailey Sinish from Fort Wayne, Ind. has been an integral part of the team's offense this season. She currently leads the team in kills with 363 and is averaging 4.03 points per set. Meanwhile, sophomore Jillian Tippmann is also having a breakout campaign. The fellow Fort Wayne product is second in the conference overall in points per set, averaging 4.11, and is third in kills per set, averaging 3.67.

In addition to the young talent, the variety of leadership on the team has also had a profound impact. While one player may lead vocally, another may lead by example. The combination of those two styles, according to Purichia, allows everyone's needs to be met.

"So, the days that I'm very vocal, we can have another person on the court that is helping out by staying calm or staying collected," she said. "And the days that maybe I can't be very vocal, maybe I'm a little down in the dumps, the best I can do is just play hard. And we'll have a senior that comes right in and gives those words of encouragement. We kind of just help each other out."

As far as team goals for this season, all eyes are on winning the Horizon League Championship. Last year, the Jaguars won the first game of the tournament before falling in the second round. With all the talent that surrounds her, Purichia believes this is the squad that can get it done.

"We have a great team this year, and I just feel like if we keep playing hard that's not a far-off possibility, but obviously there's great teams in our conference. So, I mean, nothing is promised, but that is absolutely my number one goal."