Sept. 1, 2006
AUBURN, Ala. - The Purdue volleyball team used tough defense and a varied offensive attack to move past the Virginia Tech Hokies with a 3-1 score. The Boilermakers won the match by scores of 30-18, 30-22, 27-30 and 30-21.
The Boilermakers opened Game 1 with a 4-1 lead thanks to three Hokie miscues and a kill by junior Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) Virginia Tech pulled within one at 6-5, but Purdue answered with 11 of the next 13 points to expand the point margin to 10 at 17-7. Sophomore Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) served up an ace in the stretch, while also providing offense for the Boilermakers along with Mader and junior Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.). The Hokies pulled within seven at 22-15, but Purdue made it an 11-point game at 26-15 with kills by Mader and sophomore Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) and an ace by senior Brittany Dildine (Lafayette, Ind.). A series of errors led the score 29-17. A VT kill thwarted Purdue's first chance at the game, but Mader put down a kill to seal the game at 30-18.
Neither team could gain control of Game 2 in the early goings. The teams tied at 4, 5 and 6 before Virginia Tech took its first lead of the night at 7-6. Purdue rallied with a 14-4 run including kills by Merlau, Mader and freshman Carrie Gurnell (Katy, Texas) to take a 20-11 lead. The Hokies closed the gap, cutting the margin to four at 26-22, before the Boilermakers scored four straight, including an ace by junior Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.), to earn the 30-22 win and take a 2-0 lead into the break.
The Boilermakers led 11-7 near the start of Game 3, but ran into a feisty Virginia Tech team, which tied the score at 14. Purdue maintained the advantage, leading by as many as four at 24-20 after kills by Merlau and Gurnell, but the tides turned after the Hokies final timeout. VT posted a 6-2 run to knot the score at 26. The teams tied again at 27-27, before three straight Boilemaker hitting errors gave the Hokies a 30-27 win. Virginia Tech hit a match-high .421 in the stanza.
The back-and-forth battle continued in Game 4, which featured five ties and five lead changes. Mader helped the Boilermakers break free momentarily with three kills turn a 7-7 tie into an 11-8 lead. The Hokies would not go away, instead turning the deficit into a 15-13 advantage of their own. Purdue rebounded with seven of the next nine points including an ace by Lynch to go up 21-17. The Boilermakers then finished out the match with a 9-4 run, capped by a kill and an by Merlau which wrapped up the 30-21 win and the match victory.
Merlau led the Boilermakers with 14 kills, followed by Gurnell and Mader, who tallied 13 and 12 respectively. Gurnell hit a .423 clip, while Merlau registered her second-career double-double by adding 11 digs to Purdue's defensive effort. Sophomore Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) pulled up 17 digs to lead the team, followed by Dildine's 12. Dildine, Lynch, Merlau and Mastandrea each served up three aces as Purdue outserved the Hokies 12-0.
The Boilermakers (5-0) return to action at 11 a.m. (EST) when they take on the Arizona State Sun Devils.