Aug. 30, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team put the exclamation mark on its opening weekend with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over No. 14 Kansas State Saturday night en route to the Mortar Board Premier tournament title. Purdue chalked up the program's first home win over a ranked opponent since 2006 with the 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18 victory, which included 37 ties and 17 lead changes.
A trio of Boilermaker hitters reached double-digits, led by tournament MVP Danita Merlau's tally of 16. Senior Stephanie Lynch and sophomore Kristen Arthurs added 15 and 10 respectively, while redshirt sophomore Lisa Pierce tacked on eight putdowns.
Senior Kelli Miller racked up 21 kills to pace the defense, while also adding two aces to the team's effort. Sophomore Jaclyn Hart wrapped up a double-double with 10 digs to go with her 44 assists. Hart and Arthurs registered seven blocks apiece, while Lynch posted six stuffs.
"You never know what to expect from a match like this," head coach Dave Shondell said. "We have had a hard time beating quality opponents on our floor for some reason. Our crowd has always been there for us and tonight our team came through. There is a little more belief on our team this year and tonight reinforced that."
The Boilermakers and Wildcats tied five times in the opening points of the fourth and deciding set. With the score tied for the final time at 9-9, Purdue began to hit its stride, going up by three at 13-10 on a block by Merlau and Lynch. The Boilermakers expanded their lead to seven at 24-17 after a 5-1 scoring run, including three K-State miscues. A kill by Hart gave Purdue its first shot at the upset win, but a service error prolonged the match. Lynch then pounded down a shot to the middle of the court to seal the victory at 25-18. Lynch and Arthurs registered five kills apiece in the final stanza.
"The difference was mental," Shondell said. "Midway through Game 3, when the game was swaying back and forth, I told our team that we could either stay disciplined and patient and do all the little things we knew how to do or we could hit the panic button. Danita carried us for the first two games, then our middles joined the party. I think we got into the heads of their hitters."
The first set was as it should be between two Top 25 teams, one that featured 10 ties and six lead changes and came down to the final moments. A pair of Merlau putdowns helped Purdue to a 3-1 lead, but Kansas State countered with seven of the next eight points to go up 8-4. The Boilermakers mounted a comeback, including an 8-2 run, which gave them a 17-14 lead. Four Wildcat miscues and a block by Lynch and Hart aided in the rally. The teams traded the lead three times during the next eight serves, before K-State managed a three-point margin at 22-19. Three straight KSU miscues evened the score. A block put the Wildcats back on top 23-22, but a service error and kills by Merlau and Arthurs snagged Purdue the 25-23 win.
The battle continued in the second set, which saw 13 ties and six lead changes, as neither team owned more than a two-point lead through the first 40 points. After ties at 17, 18, 19 and 20, Kansas State broke through with four-straight points to gain a 23-20 advantage. A service error slowed the effort, then a kill by Pierce staved off KSU's first chance at the set, but the Boilermakers could not deny Natalya Korobkova the game-winning putdown at 25-22. K-State hit .394 to Purdue's .226 effort in the stanza.
The Wildcats carried the momentum into the next set, racing out to a 10-6 lead, prompting a Purdue timeout. The break, in which Shondell told his middles to demand the ball more, sparked a Boilermaker rally, including a pair of kills from Lynch and another from Arthurs, which tied the score at 11-11. Purdue took the lead at 13-12, but it was short-lived as K-State soon boasted a three-point advantage at 17-14. The Boilermakers did not panic, tying the score at 18 and 19, before falling behind again at 23-20. Lynch came through with a scoring barrage, contributing to four of the final five points in the stanza en route to the 25-23 win. A two kills and two blocks involving the middle hitter paved the way for Merlau's final score which gave Purdue the 2-1 edge going into the deciding set.
Merlau garnered tournament MVP honors for her efforts, which included 4.36 kills per game, 1.91 digs per game and seven blocks. Lynch and Miller were named to the Mortar Board Premier all-tournament team. Lynch posted 3.90 kills per game on a .390 hitting effort, while also adding 1.50 blocks and 1.40 digs per game. Miller served up four aces, while pacing the Boilermakers defense with 3.55 digs per game.
Kansas State's Rita Liliom and Nataly Korobkova and Duke's Rachael Moss rounded out the all-tournament team honorees.
The No. 25 Boilermakers (3-0) return to action on Friday, when they take on Tennessee Tech at the Active Ankle Challenge in Muncie, Ind.