Nov. 1, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Another balanced effort, both offensively and defensively, brought the No. 20 Boilermakers revenge against No. 18 Michigan Saturday night. Purdue won the match 3-2 by scores of 21-25, 26-28, 25-17, 25-18, 15-12 to even the season series. Senior outside hitter Danita Merlau racked up 60 swings on the night to break the school record for career attempts, snapping the previous mark of 4,783 set by Debbie McDonald (1987-89).
"It was another determined effort by our players," head coach Dave Shondell said. "I feel that our team is beginning to understand how to get better. We have been seeing it and practice and have made some personnel adjustments. The bottom line is that we are becoming a really good team and we beat a really good team tonight in Michigan. We knew the longer the match dragged on, the better chances we had at winning at home and we did it."
Senior Stephanie Lynch paced the offense with 20 kills, while Merlau, junior Carrie Gurnell and sophomore Kristen Arthurs also reached double-digits with 18, 16 and 10. As a team, the Boilermakers outhit Michigan .314 to .212.
Defensively, senior Kelli Miller racked up 23 digs, while sophomores Jaclyn Hart and Jessica Ullrich added 14 and 12 respectively. The Boilermakers racked up 20 team blocks in the match, led by Lynch's tally of nine. Merlau, Arthurs and Gurnell each tallied seven stuffs.
Michigan led 4-2 early in the deciding fifth set. Purdue tied its up at four and five, before taking the lead on a Gurnell putaway. The Wolverines held the lead at the intermission at 8-7. The Boilermakers racked up five straight points out of the changeover, including a pair of blocks and two kills by Lynch to go up 12-8. A Merlau putdown and a Michigan miscue put Purdue on the hill at 14-10. A net violation and a hitting error kept the match going, before Lynch sealed the comeback win at 15-12.
The teams split the first 12 points of the night, before Arthurs and Gurnell combined for a 4-0 Boilermaker run. Arthurs started the rally with an overpass kill. The duo then combined on a block, before Gurnell added a pair of solo stuffs to make it 10-6 and prompt a Michigan timeout. The Purdue lead stood at 15-10, before the Wolverines mounted a comeback, scoring six of the next seven to tie it up at 16 all. A service error and a kill by Gurnell put the Boilermakers back on top 18-16, but UM posted a 6-0 run to take a 22-18 lead of its own. A Gurnell putaway stopped the run, but a block and a kill gave Michigan its first shot at set point at 24-20. A Lynch putaway kept the game going, but a kill by Alex Hunt won the set for the Wolverines at 25-21.
It was a deadlocked at 9-9 before either team gained control of the second set. Michigan snapped off a 5-1 run to go up 14-10 and prompt a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers chipped away at the margin, cutting it to one at 21-20 on a block by Arthurs and Gurnell. Gurnell, Arthurs, Merlau and Lynch tallied kills in the comeback effort. The Boilermakers tied it up at 23 on a Merlau putaway. A service error gave Michigan its first set point attempt, but a kill by Merlau thwarted the effort and another by Lynch gave Purdue its own shot at the stanza. The Wolverines answered back with two points of its own, but a Lynch putdown kept the set going. Back-to-back kills gave Michigan the win at 28-26. Lynch, Merlau and Arthurs registered five kills apiece for Purdue in the set.
The Boilermakers jumped out to an 11-7 lead in the third set as four different players tallied putaways and Nichols served up an ace. Michigan narrowed the gap to one at 11-10 and eventually tied the score at 14, but Purdue would not relinquish control, instead boosting the lead to four at 19-15 on an ace by Ullrich. A Wolverines kill slowed the Boilermakers temporarily, but a pair of kills from Nichols and a pair of blocks by Lynch and Merlau capped the 25-17 Purdue win. The Boilermakers hit .500 in the set as six players tallied kills.
The back-and-forth battle continued as the teams split the first 14 points of the fourth set. Michigan went up by three at 11-8 and maintained the advantage until 17-14, when the Boilermakers kicked off an 8-0 run with a block by Arthurs and Nichols. Miller served up the next seven points, including an ace, while Purdue racked up three more blocks en route to a 22-17 lead. A hitting miscue slowed the effort, but a service error and putaways by Lynch and Merlau secured the 25-18 win. The Boilermakers recorded six blocks in the set, while hitting .393 to the Wolverines' .108 effort.
The Boilermakers (19-5, 8-4 Big Ten) return to action on Friday, when they take on Minnesota in Minneapolis.