Nov. 3, 2006
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 3 Penn State snapped the No. 14 Purdue volleyball team's four-match win streak with a 3-0 loss Friday night. The Nittany Lions won the match 30-13, 30-15, 30-22.
Junior Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.) offered a bright spot for the Boilermakers with 10 kills on a .438 hitting percentage to go with two blocks. Sophomore Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) and sophomore Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) followed with seven kills each. Lynch also added a team-high three blocks including two solo efforts. Sophomore Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) led Purdue in digs with seven.
Penn State led Purdue in all major statistical categories including blocks (14-6) and hitting percentage (.388 to -.020).
The Nittany Lions took a 23-8 lead in Game 1. The Boilermakers cut into the deficit with a 3-0 run featuring a putdown by Jacques and a kill and a solo block by Lynch to pull Purdue with 12 at 23-11. Penn State went on to take the stanza 30-13. Jacques posted four kills on five swings, while Lynch added three putdowns.
The Boilermakers and Nittany Lions split the first six points of Game 2. Jacques added a kill and senior Brittany Dildine (Lafayette, Ind.) chalked up a solo blocks in the early goings. From there, Penn State posted a 6-1 run to take a 9-4 lead and prompt a Purdue timeout. Down 17-8, Purdue scored three of the next five points including a block and a kill by Lynch to pull within six at 18-12, but it was not enough as PSU closed out the game at 30-15 with a 12-3 run.
Purdue took a 5-3 lead to start Game 3, including a pair of block assists by Jacques, but Penn State fought back to go up 6-5. A kill by Dildine put the Boilermakers on top 8-7, but the Nittany Lions countered with a 4-0 run to regain the advantage. The teams split the next four scores, before Merlau posted back-to-back kills and Jacques tallied another to knot the game at 13 all. Penn State led by four at 21-17 but the Boilermakers hung tight as the teams split the next six points. The Nittany Lions then pulled up with five straight points to go up 29-20. Purdue staved off two PSU match-point attempts with a kill by Jacques and an ace by junior Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.), but a kill by Nicole Fawcett closed the door on a 30-20 Purdue win.
The Boilermakers (19-5, 9-4 Big Ten) look to shake off the loss against No. 25 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday night. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.