Sept. 20, 2008
DAYTON, Ohio - The No. 20 Boilermaker volleyball team staved off a powerful Louisville team in a three-set sweep Saturday morning. Purdue topped the Cardinals 27-25, 25-18, 25-22.
Senior Danita Merlau paced Purdue with 15 kills, while sophomore Kristen Arthurs chalked up 11 on 15 swings with no errors for a stellar .733 hitting effort. Senior Kelli Miller led the Boilermaker defense with 16 digs, while sophomore Jaclyn Hart rounded out her double-double with 12 digs to go with 31 assists and two aces. Senior Stephanie Lynch led Purdue at the net with eight blocks, while also contributing nine kills.
"Louisville was a challenge for us," head coach Dave Shondell said. "They have some good offensive players that caused us some problems, but we got better each set and found a way to adapt and make more plays. It was a good win for our program.
"Kristen Arthurs is a players that performs at a very high level in practice on a regular basis, so we knew she was capable and she had a good offensive match. Danita had a great match even though her numbers won't show it. She served tough and kept us in it. Blair Bashen held up well defensively when she got a chance to get in there."
After trailing 4-2, the Boilermakers worked their way into a 10-7 advantage. Hart posted a two kills and an ace, while the Purdue block accounted for a pair of points in the rally. The teams split the next eight points, before the Cardinals mounted a 6-2 run to go up 17-16. Seven ties followed then Arthurs pounded down an overpass to give the Boilermakers their first shot at the set at 24-23. Purdue eventually sealed the stanza, on their third set-point attempt, at 27-25 on an ace by junior Sam Ainsworth. Merlau chalked up six kills in the set.
Louisville score two of the first three points of the second set, but Purdue registered 11 of the next 14 points to build a seven-point advantage at 12-5. Seven Cardinal errors aided the Boilermakers in the effort. Louisville crept within three at 14-11, but would get no closer as Purdue pushed the margin to seven again at 24-17 on a kill by Merlau. A service error prolonged the set, but another Merlau putdown gave the Boilermakers the 25-18 win.
Purdue led 5-3 to start the third set, but the Cardinals posted six of the next seven points to go ahead 9-6. The Boilermakers chipped away, tying the score at 12-12 after an ace by Miller and a trio of Arthurs putaways. Purdue finally regained the lead at 16-15, one which they would not relinquish despite numerous challenges. A kill by sophomore Carrie Gurnell set up match point and Lynch delivered the final blow with an ace to seal the 25-22 win and the sweep.
The Boilermakers (10-1) return to action at 5 p.m. when they take on the Miami Redhawks to wrap up non-conference play.