Nov. 10, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 16 Boilermaker volleyball team found itself on the short end of a 3-0 match against Michigan Friday night. The Wolverines won the match 30-26, 30-28, 30-28, issuing Purdue its third straight loss.
Junior Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) led the Boilermaker offense with 18 kills. Sophomores Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) and Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) followed with 11 apiece. Lynch hit .474 on the night, while adding an ace and a team-best three blocks. Senior Brittany Dildine (Lafayette, Ind.) pulled up 13 digs to lead the Purdue defensive effort.
The teams split the first 24 points of the match, tying on 11 occasions, the last at 12-12. Michigan went ahead 15-12, prompting a Purdue timeout, but the Boilermakers responded with kills by Mader and redshirt sophomore Emily Williams (Mishawaka, Ind.) out of the break. The Wolverines scored seven of the next nine points to take a 22-17 lead, forcing another Purdue break. The Boilermakers again posted two-straight points out of the timeout on a UM miscue and a kill by Lynch to pull within three at 22-19. The teams traded the next 12 scores to make it 28-25. A Wolverine kill set up their first attempt at the game at 29-25, but a kill by Lynch thwarted the effort. A Boilermaker net violation on the following play gave Michigan the 30-26 win. Mader accounted for six Purdue kills, while Lynch added five.
The teams battled to a 17-17 tie in Game 2 before either gained more than a one-point advantage. Freshman Carrie Gurnell (Katy, Texas) then stuffed back-to-back Michigan efforts and added a kill two points later to put Purdue up 20-18. The Boilermakers scored six of the next eight points, including a string of four straight to push the margin to six at 26-20. Lynch and Mader each added a kill and combined on a block during the rally. The Wolverines countered with an 8-1 run to take a 28-27 lead. A kill by freshman Sam Gray (Indianapolis, Ind.) tied the game at 28, but a Purdue hitting error and a kill by Katie Bruzdzinski sealed a 30-28 win for Michigan. Mader chalked up nine kills as the Boilermakers out-hit Michigan .350 to .286 in the stanza.
Purdue trailed 8-5 in the early stages of Game 3, but scored eight of the next 10 points to turn the deficit into a 13-10 lead. Merlau, Gurnell and Lynch tallied kills during the run, while sophomore Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) served up an ace. Michigan responded with a 10-2 run to take a 20-15 advantage. The Boilermakers sliced the margin to two at 21-19 after two straight Wolverine errors, but were forced to use their second timeout of the stanza trailing by four at 23-19. Purdue clawed to within one at 25-24 with kills by Merlau, Lynch, Mader and Williams. UM posted a 4-2 run to set up its first match-point attempt at 29-26. Back-to-back kills by Merlau kept Purdue alive at 29-28. A Michigan timeout followed by a Boilermaker secured the 30-28 win and the sweep for the Wolverines.
The Boilermakers (19-9, 6-9 Big Ten) look to rebound Saturday night when they take on Michigan State. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.