Sept. 6, 2006
DAYTON, Ohio - The No. 14 Boilermaker volleyball team used a balanced offense, tough serving and several different lineups en route to a five-game win over Dayton Wednesday night. Purdue won the match 28-30, 30-21, 30-25, 16-30 and 15-11, moving to 8-0 on the season.
Dayton led 2-1 in the deciding fifth game, before Purdue rattled off seven straight points to turn the deficit into an 8-2 advantage at the changeover. Sophomores Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) and Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) and senior Brittany Dildine (Lafayette, Ind.) tallied kills during the stretch. The teams split the next eight points leading to a 12-6 score. The Flyers pulled within four at 13-9, before a kill by freshman Carrie Gurnell (Katy, Texas) set up Purdue's first chance at the match at 14-9. Dayton thwarted two match-point attempts, before serving into the net to give the Boilermakers the 15-11 win.
"I thought everyone played well late in the game and Dayton really struggled in Game 5," head coach Dave Shondell said. "This was a good test for us and we are fortunate to get out of here alive with the win. As a team, we held up, but this proved that Dayton is for real especially at home. They are a very scrappy team and play in a tough environment, which will hopefully prepare us to play in the snakepits on the road in the Big Ten."
The match was a back-and-forth battle from the start as Game 1 featured 15 ties and neither team managed more than a one-point advantage until Purdue turned a 6-6 tie into an 8-6 lead with a kill by Gurnell and a UD error. After a tie at 10, the Boilermakers scored three in a row including a kill by Merlau and a solo block by Lynch. The Flyers tied it up at 16, but Purdue maintained control, owning a three point lead as late at the 24-21 mark. The game intensified at that point as Dayton tied the score at 24 and took its first lead of the night at 26-25. The Boilermakers tied it up at 26, 27 and 28, but could not keep UD from a 30-28 win. Lynch and Merlau each tallied five kills in the stanza.
The teams split the first 10 points of Game 2, before the Boilermakers took control. Purdue scored 12 of the next 16 points, including kills by Merlau, Lynch and junior Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) and aces by freshman Sam Gray (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Dildine (Lafayette, Ind.). After a one-point pause, the Boilermakers rattled off four more points to push the point-margin to 11 at 21-10 on a block by Lynch and sophomore Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.). A kill by Gurnell made it 23-12, but that sparked a rally by the Flyers. Dayton pulled within seven at 24-17, before Purdue closed out the stanza with six of the last 10 points, the final on an ace by Miller. The Boilermakers hit .429 and served up four aces in the game.
The Boilermakers took an early 6-4 lead in Game 3, but Dayton scored six in a row to go up 10-6. Purdue cut the margin to one on five occasions before finally tying the score at 15 after a kill by Merlau and an ace by Dildine. Down three at 21-18, the Boilermakers used a 6-3 run to take their first lead of the stanza at 24-23. The Flyers regained the lead at 25-24, but Purdue scored six in a row to take the 30-25 win. Dildine served up two aces in the stretch, while Merlau put down an overpass to give Purdue the game.
Dayton took control of the fourth game after a tie at 4. The Flyers capitalized on Boilermaker miscues, while also racking up nine blocks en route to a 30-16 win.
Merlau led four Boilermakers with double-digit kill tallies with 18. Gurnell, Mader and Lynch followed with 14, 13 and 13 respectively. Dildine served up four aces, while also accounting for a team-best 15 digs. Miller and junior Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.) added 15 and 12 respectively. The Boilermakers hit .258 for the match including a .526 effort in Game 5.
"Gurnell hit .423 and had a few huge hits for us," Shondell said. "She never seems to feel pressure. Mader also had an outstanding night hitting .591 with 13 kills on 22 swings and no errors."
The Boilermakers return to action at 7 p.m. Saturday when they take on Western Michigan in the IAF.