Aug. 25, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Three Boilermaker players posted double-digit kill tallies, while the servers racked up 11 aces as the No. 16 Purdue volleyball team notched a 3-0 sweep of Northern Iowa. The Boilermakers won the match 34-32, 30-21, 30-23.
The Panthers started the match with a 10-2 run. The Boilermakers responded with kills by sophomore Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.), freshman Sam Gray (Indianapolis, Ind.) and junior Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) to make it 11-7. Purdue pulled within one at 14-13 on an ace by sophomore Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) but could not pull past UNI. Down 24-21, the Boilermakers scored three in a row including two aces by sophomore Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) to tie it up. The teams tied against at 25 and 26, before Purdue took its first lead of the night at 27-26 on a Panther miscue. Ties at 27 and 28 followed, before a kill by Merlau set up Purdue's first game-point attempt at 29-28. UNI thwarted the effort and held off three more attempts, before the Boilermakers capitalized on two Panther errors to seal the game at 34-32.
The Boilermakers carried the momentum into Game 2, taking a 3-1 lead to start the stanza. Purdue went up 8-5 on a kill by freshman Carrie Gurnell (Katy, Texas), before UNI tied it up at eight. The Boilermakers scored eight of the next 11 points to go up 16-11 on a kill by junior Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.). The team took at 10-point lead at 27-17 on an ace by Merlau before capping the game at 30-21 on a kill by Gray. The Boilermakers hit .412 in the stanza, while holding the Panthers to a .172 hitting percentage.
The teams were tied at 5-5 in the early goings of Game 3, before UNI rattled off seven of the next nine points to take a 12-7 lead. The Boilermakers then rallied back from a 15-11 deficit to knot up the score at 15 on a block by Merlau and Lynch. The Panthers regained the lead, but Purdue was resilient turning a tie at 20 into a 29-22 advantage. Mader and Miller served up aces during the stretch, while three players tallied kills. UNI stopped the Boilermakers' first attempt at match point with a kill by Trista Humpal, but Lynch sealed the win for Purdue at 30-23 with her 15th kill of the night.
"I thought we played a very good match against a Northern Iowa team which would rank around the middle of the Big Ten," head coach Dave Shondell said. "We showed a lot of character tonight, coming from behind in two of the three games. Our hitters, Mader, Lynch, Jacques and Merlau played well tonight, while our defense was not as good. Carrie Gurnell also grew a lot tonight."
Lynch led the Boilermakers with 15 kills and two blocks, while Merlau and Mader each tallied 11 kills. Merlau also served up a team-best four aces, while Mader posted three perfect serves. Miller led the team defensively with 15 digs. For the night, Purdue outhit Northern Iowa .266 to .231 and served up 11 aces to UNI's two.
The Boilermakers return to action at 10 a.m. Saturday when they take on the Albany Great Danes. Mortar Board match then continue throughout the day with contests at noon, 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.