Nov. 18, 2006
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 23 Boilermaker volleyball team walked out of Huff Hall with a 3-0 sweep of the Fighting Illini behind a strong serving effort and a balanced offensive attack. Purdue won the match 30-20, 30-24, 30-26.
Sophomore Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) led the Boilermaker hitting attack with 16 kills on 19 swings for a .789 hitting percentage, while also chalking up a team-best four blocks. Sophomore Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind./Cathedral) and junior Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) followed with 15 and 11 respectively, while posting hitting performances of .450 or better.
Junior Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.) led the Purdue defense with 12 digs, while also serving up two aces. Sophomore Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) added 11 digs, while senior Brittany Dildine (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison) pulled up seven, while also serving up a career-best six aces.
The Boilermakers outhit Illinois .412 to .193, while serving up 10 aces to the Illini's six.
Purdue led 5-2 in the early stages of Game 1 after Gurnell posted a kill and a block assist. The Illini scored seven of the next nine points to turn the deficit into a 9-7 lead of their own. The Boilermakers tied the score four times, the last at 13-13, before regaining the lead at 14-13 on the second of back-to-back kills by Lynch. Illinois tied the score at 14-14, prompting a 7-0 Purdue run. A kill by Merlau started the rally, then Dildine served up six straight aces to make it 21-14 and force Illinois to use its second and final timeout. A service error slowed the Boilermakers momentarily, but a trio of kills followed to push the Purdue lead to nine at 24-15. The teams split the next 10 points leading to a 29-20 score. An Illinois miscue set up Purdue's first game-point attempt and the Boilermakers converted on it with an ace by Merlau, the team's eighth of the stanza.
The Boilermakers jumped out to a 7-1 lead in Game 2 as Mastandrea served up two aces and Dildine added a pair of kills and a block. The Illini then began to chip away at the six point deficit, slicing the margin to three at 12-9. Purdue countered with a 5-2 run to push its advantage back to six at 17-11. The Boilermakers led by seven at 24-17 after a kill and a block assist by Gurnell, but Illinois scored four of the next five points to cut the margin to four at 25-21. Purdue countered with a 4-2 run, including a kill and solo block by Lynch, to set up a game-point attempt at 29-23. A service error thwarted the effort, but Merlau put down a kill to seal the 30-24 win. Merlau chalked up five kills in the stanza.
Illinois led 3-2 early in Game 3, but Purdue posted four straight points, including kills by Dildine and Lynch, to turn the deficit into a 6-3 lead of its own. The Illini pulled within one at 7-6, but Lynch, Merlau and Mader tallied kills to make it 11-6. Illinois made it a one-point game at 15-14, but Purdue continued to hold the lead. Trailing 20-18, the Illini used a 4-0 run to take a 22-20 lead of their own. The Boilermakers turned the tables, capitalizing on a couple UI errors and a kill by Gurnell to retake the lead at 24-22. Illinois hung tight however pulling within one at 25-24, before Purdue rattled off four straight, including two kills and a block by Merlau, to set up its first match point attempt at 29-24. An Illini kill and a Purdue hitting error kept the match going before Lynch put the final nail in the coffin with her 16th kill of the night giving Purdue the 30-26 win and the sweep. Lynch tallied eight kills in the final stanza, while Merlau added seven.
The Boilermakers (21-8, 11-7 Big Ten) return to action Friday night when they play host to No. 12 Minnesota on Belin Court. It is Brittany Dildine night so all patrons with a Lafayette or West Lafayette driver's license will receive buy one get one free admission.