Oct. 18, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - An outstanding offensive effort gave the No. 21 Boilermaker volleyball team its third straight win, a 3-0 sweep of Northwestern Saturday night. Purdue posted the 25-19, 25-20, 25-23 win after tallying its best team hitting effort of the season.
The Boilermakers hit a .352 clip, making just 11 hitting errors in the entire match, while holding the Wildcats to a .163 effort. Junior Carrie Gurnell led the way with 16 kills, while senior Stephanie Lynch added 15. Senior Danita Merlau tacked on nine putaways.
Lynch also chalked up eight blocks to pace Purdue at the net and move into second place all time in career total blocks (463), just four away from the record. In the back court, senior Kelli Miller racked up a match-high 20 digs, while sophomore Jessica Ullrich tacked on 11.
"I think this weekend was a great confidence boost for a team that really needed it," head coach Dave Shondell said. "We had forgotten how good our team is capable of being, but I think getting three Big Ten wins in a row will definitely help us from a mental standpoint.
"As for tonight, it a thrill anytime you can get a sweep. I thought we did a good job offensively. Jaclyn (Hart) did a good job of getting the ball to people in the best possible situations. She recognized that Northwestern was doing a good job on our middles and that Danita (Merlau) and Carrie we viable options. I thought Carrie had another good match and showed that she is definitely over the hump from the injury and that is really exciting."
Gurnell led the way in the first set, piling up six kills, while Lynch added five in Purdue's 25-19 win. The Boilermakers led 3-1 early, but Northwestern took the lead at 6-5 and maintained it until Purdue put together three straight points to go ahead 12-10. A kill and a block by Gurnell pushed the margin to three at 14-11 prompting a Wildcat timeout. The Boilermakers, however, continued to pour it on after the break, extending the lead to eight at 22-14 after a pair of blocks by Lynch and junior Sam Ainsworth. NU scored five of the next six to cut the margin to four, but putdowns by Lynch and Gurnell capped the win as Purdue hit .400 to Northwestern's .159 effort.
The Boilermakers used a balanced offensive attack in the second set en route to a come-from-behind win. Purdue boasted a 12-9 lead before the Wildcats tallied five straight, including an ace, to go up 14-12. A kill, a block and an ace by Lynch put the Boilermakers back on top 15-14, but a pair of Purdue miscues made it 16-15 NU. Kills from sophomore Kristen Arthurs and Lynch turned an 18-17 deficit into a 19-18 lead. After a tie at 19, the Boilermakers tallied six of the next seven including a pair of putaways by Merlau to wrap up the set at 25-20.
Northwestern kicked off the third set with a 5-1 run, but Purdue clawed its way into ties at seven and eight before going ahead 9-8 on a block by Arthurs and Ainsworth. The Wildcats countered with seven of the next 9 points to make it 15-11 and prompt a Boilermaker timeout. Purdue knotted the score at 15 all as Lynch tallied two kills and a block. NU increased its lead to three at 22-19, but the Boilermakers remained unfazed, sealing the sweep with six of the last seven, including five kills from its senior duo of Lynch and Merlau. A block by Lynch and Hart capped the 25-23 win.
The Boilermakers (16-4, 5-3 Big Ten) return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 22, when they travel to Champaign, Ill., to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network. First serve is slated for 8 p.m. ET.