Oct. 31, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - An efficient offence and a balanced defense carried the No. 20 Boilermaker volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of Ohio State Friday night, moving the team to 18-5 on the year and 7-4 in the Big Ten. Purdue won the match 25-18, 25-22, 25-18 as it tallied its best hitting effort of the season with a .372 team effort.
Senior Danita Merlau posted a match-high 15 kills to pace the Boilermaker offense, while senior Stephanie Lynch added 11 and sophomore Kristen Arthurs tacked on eight on a stellar .700 hitter effort. Sophomore Jaclyn Hart and junior Carrie Gurnell registered five putaways each.
Defensively, sophomore Jessica Ullrich and freshman Emily Ehlers led the way with nine digs apiece. Hart and Merlau each added five saves. Gurnell and Lynch each tallied three blocks to pace the Boilermakers at the net. Purdue also served up five aces in the contest, including two by senior Kelli Miller.
"I thought we played well about 95 percent of the night," head coach Dave Shondell said. "Our team played with more energy and enthusiasm than it has all year. Overall we are a solid volleyball team and Ohio State is playing with out their go-to player. They are looking for someone to step up right now, but we had people do that tonight.
"I thought two role players did a heck of a job tonight: Lisa Pierce and Emily Ehlers. Pierce has been a utility player for us this season and she made some great plays. For Ehlers, this was really her first opportunity to play and she did everything we could want her to."
The teams split the first 16 points of the match, before a Merlau putdown and an overpass kill by Lynch put the Boilermakers up 10-8. A service error cut the margin to one, but that was as close as the Buckeyes would get the remainder of the set. Leading 14-13, Purdue strung together a 6-1 run, including an ace by Miller and three Merlau putaways. OSU cut the margin to five at 21-16, but the Boilermakers answered back with kills by three different players and an ace by Lynch to take the set 25-18. Purdue hit .583 in the stanza with just one error in 24 swings.
After three early lead changes, the Boilermakers took control of the second set, racing out to a 12-7 lead. Four blocks, including solo efforts by Gurnell and Pierce, aided Purdue in the effort. The Boilermakers maintained its five-point attempt advantage, until 16-11, when the Buckeyes broke off a 6-2 run to slice the margin to one at 18-17 and force a Purdue timeout. Out of the break, Arthurs and Merlau accounted for three putaways to make it 21-17. An ace by Pierce made it 24-19, but OSU fought off three set point attempts, before a kill by Hart sewed up the 25-22 win.
The third set was a much closer battle, featuring 16 ties and five lead changes. The teams were knotted up at 16 midway through, but Purdue came alive at that point with a pair of kills from Lynch and a block between the senior and Gurnell. Merlau tacked on a putaway from the back row to make it 20-16. A putdown by Katie Dull slowed the effort momentarily. But a block and a kill by Gurnell coupled with two OSU miscues put Purdue on the hill at 24-17. A Buckeye block held off the Boilermakers momentarily, but Gurnell pounded down her third kill of the set to seal the 25-18 win.
The No. 20 Boilermakers return to action at 7 p.m. Saturday when they take on No. 18 Michigan on Belin Court. The match, which will be alumnae night for Purdue, is slated to air live on the Big Ten Network.