Nov. 21, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 18 Boilermakers sent their seniors out in style, posting a 3-0 sweep of the Michigan State Spartans in the team's final home match of the season. Purdue topped the Spartans 25-19, 25-22 and 25-17 to move to 22-8 on the year and 11-7 in Big Ten Conference play.
Senior Danita Merlau paced the Boilermaker offense with 10 kills, while junior Carrie Gurnell and redshirt sophomore Lisa Pierce added nine and seven respectively.
Defensively, senior Kelli Miller led the way in the backcourt with 10 digs, while senior Stephanie Lynch racked up five blocks to pace the team at the net.
"It was wonderful to see our team come back, especially in the second set," head coach Dave Shondell said. "It important to have the ability to do that; it gives our team confidence. And, it was two unheralded players, Lisa Pierce and Carrie Gurnell, who led the way. They were not willing to let our seniors down.
"Pierce has really raised the level of our team with her intensity and focused play. It was a great win and it means a lot that we were able to do that for our seniors in what could be their final match on the court. They are such a pleasure to watch and people won't know what they have meant to our program until they are gone."
The Boilermakers started off on the right foot, zooming out to a 10-3 lead. Lynch tallied two kills and two blocks and Pierce served up an ace in the run. The Spartans charged back to within three on three occasions, last at 19-16. Purdue responded with five of the next six points, including kills by four different players, to make it 24-17. A block and a kill kept Purdue from wrapping things up right away, but a Merlau putaway sealed the 25-19 win. The Boilermakers hit .357 in the set as Pierce, Lynch and Merlau each tallied three kills.
The teams split the first 14 points of the second set, before Michigan State broke off a 4-0 run to go up 11-7. The Spartans expanded their lead to six at 17-11, but that sparked Purdue to six of the next seven points, slicing the margin to one at 18-17. Arthurs chalked up two blocks and a kill, while Gurnell and Pierce also chipped in points in the rally. MSU pushed its lead to four at 22-18. Lynch then pounded down an overpass and Pierce served out the set, lifting Purdue to a 25-22 win. Three Spartan miscues, combined with a block and a kill by sophomore Jaclyn Hart set up Pierce's ace for set point. Gurnell racked up six kills in the stanza.
Purdue took an early 6-3 lead in the third set behind putaways by Merlau, Pierce and Hart and a block by Hart and Lynch. Michigan State chipped away at the margin tying it at 11-11 on a net violation. Purdue rebounded with four straight points, including a kill by Merlau and a solo stuff by Gurnell, to push the advantage to four at 15-11. The Boilermakers upped the lead to seven at 21-14 as Gurnell, Arthurs and Merlau tallied kills. The Spartans made it a six-point game at 22-16, but a kill by Pierce and a block by Lynch and Merlau put Purdue on the hill at 24-16. A hitting error kept the match going, but Merlau pounded down her 10th kill of the night to clinch the 25-17 win and the sweep.
The Boilermakers (22-8, 11-7 Big Ten) return to action next weekend when they take on the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, Ill., and the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, Wis., to wrap up the regular season.