Oct. 13, 2006
MADISON, Wis. - The No. 14 Wisconsin volleyball team defended its home court with a 3-0 win over No. 9 Purdue Friday night. The Badgers won the match 30-12, 30-20, 31-29. Sophomore Danita Merlau led the Boilermaker effort with 14 kills.
Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) was followed by junior Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) and senior Brittany Dildine (Lafayette, Ind.), who added eight and six kills respectively. Dildine also led the Boilermakers with nine digs.
Wisconsin took a 5-1 lead to start the match, but the Boilermakers sliced the lead to one at 5-4 after a kill by freshman Carrie Gurnell (Katy, Texas) and two Badger miscues. UW then rattled off a 13-3 run to go up 18-7. Purdue countered with three in a row on a kill by Mader and a pair of blocks to cut the lead to eight at 18-10, but could not overcome Wisconsin, which closed the game at 30-12.
The Boilermakers scored first in Game 2 on a kill by Merlau and led 4-3 soon after as Mader, junior Elizabeth Jacques (Winfield, Ill.) and sophomore Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) followed with putdowns. Purdue led by one again at 7-6, but that sparked a 19-6 Badger run to turn the deficit into a 25-13 Wisconsin lead. A kill from Merlau followed as the Boilermakers scored seven of the next eight points to slice the margin to seven at 27-20. Redshirt sophomore Emily Williams (Mishawaka, Ind.) racked up three blocks during the string, while Merlau chalked up two kills and two block assists. The effort was not enough, however, as Wisconsin used two kills and a block to take the game 30-20.
Purdue took the early lead in Game 3, posting a 4-1 run right out of the gate as Jacques, Mader and Dildine added kills. The Boilermakers maintained the advantage, leading by as many as four at 14-10 as Merlau chalked up four more kills. Wisconsin crept back into the game with seven of the next eight points to take a 17-15 lead. Purdue responded with a 5-1 run to retake the lead at 20-18 after a kill by Jacques and Badger miscue. Wisconsin tied the score at 20, then the teams split the next 10 points leading to a tie at 25. A kill by Merlau and a UW error made it 27-25, but again the Badgers tied the score. Another kill by Merlau gave Purdue its first chance at the game at 29-27. Two straight kills by Audra Jeffers thwarted two Boilermaker game point attempts, before a hitting error and a service ace gave Wisconsin the 31-29 win and the match. Merlau chalked up seven kills in the final stanza.
"We ran into a team tonight which was playing with a sense of urgency," head coach Dave Shondell said. "We thought our team was ready to go, but that didn't happen. This gives us something to think about as we head to Minneapolis. We will find out more about ourselves tomorrow night."
The No. 9 Boilermakers (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten) return to action at 8 p.m. (EST) Saturday when they take on the No. 23 Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis.