Aug. 29, 2009
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 19 Boilermaker volleyball team moved to 2-0 on the season with a sweep of Coastal Carolina Saturday morning. Purdue defeated the Chanticleers 25-14, 25-16 and 25-21.
Senior outside hitter Carrie Gurnell paced the Purdue offense 13 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Tiffany Fisher and freshman middle blocker Anna Drewry added nine and six respectively. Six other players contributed putaways. Gurnell and redshirt sophomore libero Blair Bashen each pulled up seven digs to lead the Boilermaker defense. Junior setter Jaclyn Hart contributed six digs. Bashen and sophomore defensive specialist Emily Ehlers each served up two aces in the match.
The Boilermakers scored nine of the first 12 points in the match, including a pair of Gurnell putaways and a block by Gurnell and Fisher. CCU narrowed the gap to three at 10-7, but Purdue quickly regained the momentum, boosting the margin to eight at 16-8 after a five-point rally. Redshirt junior Lisa Pierce served up an ace, while Fisher, Gurnell and freshman outside hitter Ariel Turner registered kills during the stretch. Kills by junior middle blocker Kristen Arthurs, Fisher and Turner helped the Boilermakers to a 10-point lead at 24-14, before a Chanticleer hitting error ended the set at 25-14. Purdue outhit CCU .444 to -.033 in the stanza.
The teams were tied at 5-5 to start the second set, but Purdue scored three in a row on kills by freshman outside hitter Katie Griffin, junior setter Jaclyn Hart and an ace by Bashen to take control. Down four at 11-7, Coastal Carolina five of the next six to knot the score at 12-12. Purdue responded with eight of the next 10 points, including another Bashen ace, to go up 20-14 and prompt CCU to use its final timeout. The Chanticleers stopped the rally with a pair of points, but committed four straight errors to make it 24-16 Purdue. Senior outside hitter Sam Ainsworth pounded down the final kill in the 25-16 win.
Fisher and Drewry posted five kills apiece in the final stanza as Purdue capped the sweep with a 25-21 win. Coastal Carolina had the early advantage in the set, however, holding the edge until Purdue finally took the lead at 5-4 on an ace by freshman defensive specialist Courtney Gosewisch. The Boilermakers stretched their lead to four at 11-7 on a perfect serve by Ehlers. The Chanticleers battled back to tie it up at 14 and kept it close until Purdue managed four in a row, including another Ehlers ace, to go up 21-16. CCU would no go away, however, cutting the margin to one at 21-20. A pair of Coastal miscues and a Fisher putdown set up match point at 24-20. The Chanticleers called a timeout and got the first point out of the break, but Drewry ended the match with a powerful putaway.
The #19 Boilermakers return to action at 7:30 p.m. when they take on Dayton to wrap up the Mortar Boar Premier.