Oct. 25, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 18 Boilermaker volleyball team snuck out of Jenison Field House with a five-set win over Michigan State Saturday night. Senior middle hitter Stephanie Lynch snapped Marianne Smith's 23-year old total blocks record in the match, moving her career tally to 569, while also pacing the Purdue offense in the 19-25, 25-19, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12 victory.
Lynch tallied 19 kills, while sophomore Kristen Arthurs added 13 on an outstanding .632 hitting effort. Senior Danita Merlau and junior Carrie Gurnell each tacked on 10 putaways. Purdue outhit the Spartans .293 to .212 in the match, while recording an effort of .400 or better in three of the five sets.
Defensively, senior Kelli Miller led the Boilermakers with 14 digs, while Lynch paced the tem at the net with five blocks, while Arthurs and Gurnell added four apiece, including two solo efforts each.
"I am rpoud of the way our team stuck with it expecially after treading water for much of the first two sets," head coach Dave Shondell said. "We have high expectations for this team and they need to continue to make adjustments as individuals to become a better team and find ways to bring energy and enthusiasm to the floor if we are going to be successful. It doesn't 100 percent feel like a win tonight, but you take them when you can get them, especially on the road."
After a tie at three in the fifth and deciding set, Purdue built a 10-5 lead, aided by four putaways by Arthurs. A kill by Vineece Verdun stopped the Boilermakers momentarily, but two more putdowns and an MSU miscue pushed the margin to seven at 13-6. Michigan State did not lie down, however, scoring six of the next seven and held off three match point attempts to make it 14-12. Sophomore setter Jaclyn Hart took the ball over on the second contact the next serve to put the final nail in the five-set win. Arthurs tallied five of Purdue's 13 kills in the set, while Lynch added four.
The Spartans scored 14 of the first 20 points in the set, tallying kills by four different hitters. A pair of MSU miscues and a kill by Arthurs, cut the margin to five. Putaways by Lynch and Merlau and a block by Lynch and Gurnell temporarily prevented the Spartans from building a larger advantage. Ten serves later, the teams were still divided by five at 23-18. Four Boilemakers tallied kills in the stretch. A pair of MSU putaways, however, clinched the set at 25-19. The Spartans hit .400 in the set to Purdue's .143 effort.
Set 2 was nearly a complete reversal from the first, as Purdue charged out to an 8-2 lead, capitalizing on four Michigan State miscues and a block. The Spartans battled back, scoring five of the next six, including an ace to cut the margin to two at 9-7. The rally sparked the Boilermakers to a 8-2 run of their own, including a pair of blocks and a pair of putdowns by Arthurs. MSU would not go quietly, however, slicing the Purdue lead from eight to three at 19-16. Five of the next points belonged to the Boilermakers, giving the team its first shot at the set at 24-17. A service error and an ace kept the set going, before a Mandy Nichols putaway capped the 25-19 Purdue win. The Boilermakers outhit the Spartans .444 to .028 in the set as six different players got in on the offensive scoring.
The Boilermakers charged out to a 5-1 lead in the third set, but the Spartans countered to tie the score at five, six and nine. Purdue snapped the tie with six of the next eight points to go up 15-11, including two kills each by Arthurs and Lynch and an overpass putaway by Merlau. Lynch and Hart combined on a block in the midst of a 3-0 Purdue run which gave the Boilermakers a 19-13 lead, cementing the senior's named atop the school record book with her 568th career block. The Boilermakers wrapped up the stanza at 25-16, stringing together four kills, while Arthurs contributed a pair of blocks.
Michigan State led 7-4 early in the fourth set, but Purdue chalked up seven of the next 10 to turn the deficit into a 12-10 lead of its own. Four players tallied putaways in the stretch, including two each by Merlau and Lynch. The Spartans regainered the advantage with an 8-3 rally, capped by a service ace. A pair of MSU miscues cut the margin to one at 18-17, but the Spartans boosted the lead to four at 21-17 prompting Purdue to use its second timeout of the stanza. Errors made it a two-point game again at 21-19, but MSU scored three of the next four to earn their first chance at the set at 24-20. A kill by Lynch and a block by Lynch and Hart prolonged the set, but a Vanessa King putaway sent the match to a fifth and decisive set.
The Boilermakers (17-5, 6-4 Big Ten) return to action Friday night, when the team takes on Ohio State.