Sept. 12, 2009
MANHATTAN, Kan. - For the third straight weekend, Purdue found itself wrapping up a tournament with a five-set match, but this time it was the Boilermakers that prevailed in the lengthy battle. Purdue upset the home-standing #21 Wildcats 26-24, 22-25, 25-15, 20-25, 15-12.
Four Boilermaker hitters reached double-digit kill tallies, paced by sophomore Tiffany Fisher's 18 putdown effort. Freshman Ariel Turner (14), senior Carrie Gurnell (13) and junior Kristen Arthurs (10) rounded out the group. Fisher hit at a team-leading .455 clip, which Arthurs racked up eight blocks and an ace. Gurnell finished her performance with eight digs and three blocks.
Defensively, sophomore Emily Ehlers pulled up a team-best 20 digs, while junior Jaclyn Hart added 17 digs to her 53 assists. Redshirt sophomore Blair Bashen added 12 digs and an ace for the Boilermakers.
"This was an absolute masterpiece," head coach Dave Shondell said. "I thought we played well. For a young team trying to find its identity and figure out how to win, it was great to do it here against a Top 25 team in a tough place to play. Tiffany Fisher was outstanding and Jaclyn Hart did a great job and made some good decisions, but aside from them, our four defensive players really stand out. Blair Bashen, who we took the libero jersey from this morning, came back and played fantastic. Then, (Courtney) Gosewisch, (Carly)Cramer and (Emily) Ehlers, two freshmen and a sophomore are growing up fast. To know we have this group for a few more years is a good feeling."
K-State led 2-1 early in the fifth set, but Purdue charged back going up 6-3 as Fisher nailed down three kills and Turner pounded an overpass. The Wildcats pulled within one at 7-6, but an Arthurs putaway put Purdue up 8-6 at the changeover. Kills by Arthurs, freshman Anna Drewry and Fisher extended the lead to four at 12-8. Kansas State cut the margin to two at 12-10 prompting a Boilermaker timeout, but Purdue responded with a kill from Fisher and a block by Fisher and Gurnell to give itself the first crack at the match at 14-10. Back-to-back KSU putaways prolonged the match, but Gurnell pounded down the final kill in the 15-12 win. Fisher racked up six kills in the final stanza.
Arthurs started the match with a kill and an ace as Purdue continued on to an 8-4 advantage. Three other Boilermakers tallied kills in the stretch. K-State cut the margin to three at 11-8, but Purdue scored seven of the next nine, including a 5-0 run, to go up 18-10. The lead was not safe, however, as the Wildcats rattled off five straight, including two aces, to bring the point spread back to three. A Turner putaway slowed KSU temporarily, but a 7-2 run gave the Wildcats a 22-21 lead. Fisher tied things up at 22, but K-State got the first shot at the set at 24-23 on a Purdue service error. Fisher knotted the score again at 24. A Wildcat hitting error and an Arthurs putaway capped the 26-24 Boilermaker win.
The second set featured 17 ties and six lead changes and came down to a race to the final three points. Purdue scored three in a row to snap at 12-12 stalemate as Fisher and Hart combined on a block and Turner pounded down a kill. K-State responded with a 4-0 run of its own to go up 16-15. The Boilermakers battled back, tying the score five times last at 22-22, but could not break through into the lead. The Wildcats tied the match at a set apiece with three points en route to the 25-22 win.
Purdue led Set 3 from start to finish, allowing just two ties, one at 1-1 and another at 5-5. After the second knot up, the Boilermakers pushed out to a four-point lead at 12-8 as Ariel Turner racked up her third putaway of the stanza. The Wildcats cut the margin to two at 15-13, but Purdue held KSU at bay, wrapping up the set with a 10-2 run. Five KSU miscues, two Turner kills and an ace by Ehlers helped the Boilermakers to the 25-15 win.
The teams split the first 20 points of Set 4 with neither gaining more than a two-point edge. Purdue went up 14-12 on a Turner kill, but K-State countered with a 4-0 run to take control. Purdue battled from behind, trailing by as many as four, but could not overcome the Wildcat effort despite kills from Gurnell and Fisher. KSU sent the match to a deciding fifth set with kills by Kathleen Ludwig and Catilyn Donahue in the 25-20 win.
The Boilermakers (6-3) return to action on Friday when they take on Ohio at 7:30 p.m. in the Purdue Active Ankle Classic.