Sept. 19, 2009
Dave Shondell on who played well
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball finished their second sweep in as many days, clinching the Active Ankle Challenge title with a 3-0 win over Louisville Saturday night. Purdue was dominant in the 25-19, 25-12, 25-23 victory.
Senior Carrie Gurnell paced Purdue with 16 kills, while freshman Ariel Turner and sophomore Tiffany Fisher added 11 and eight respectively. All three players hit better than .300 on the night, led by Fisher's .467 hitting percentage.
Defensively, redshirt sophomore Blair Bashen pulled up a team-best 11 digs, while Turner, sophomore Emily Ehlers and freshman Carly Cramer each tacked on seven. Gurnell, junior Kristen Arthurs and Bashen each served up an ace in the match.
Fisher was named tournament MVP for her efforts on the weekend, while Gurnell and junior setter Jaclyn Hart garnered all-tournament team honors.
The Cardinals took the early lead in the first set, posting four of the first six points. The Boilermakers turned things around with a 6-0 run, which included an ace by Gurnell, kills by Fisher and Turner and a trio of Louisville miscues. Trailing 8-4, UofL rallied to tie the score at 9-9. The teams tied again at 10 before Purdue rattled off four straight, including three on Cardinal errors. The Boilermakers continued their rally, pushing the margin to six at 19-13 on a Gurnell putaway. Louisville crept to within two at 20-18, but Purdue capped the set with a 5-1 run. Turner put down three kills, then Arthurs and freshman Anna Drewry combined on a block to set the table for Gurnell's game-winner at 25-19. Purdue outhit Louisville .379 to .143 in the stanza.
The Boilermakers led the second set from start to finish en route to a 25-12 win. Purdue dominated the stat sheet, outhitting the Cardinals .500 to .120, while more than doubling the UofL offensive output with 18 kills to Louisville's 7. The Boilermakers also served up two aces in the set, while Gurnell racked up six kills. Purdue led by just two at 7-5, but soon stretched the advantage to 10 at 18-8. Bashen and Arthurs served up aces during the stretch, which also featured kills by four different Purdue players. UofL cut the margin to nine at 21-12, but the Boilermakers scored four in a row to end the set. Fisher, Hart and Turner tallied kills while Arthurs and Turner combined on a block during the game-ending stretch.
The final set went down to the wire, but Purdue prevailed 25-23 to clinch the sweep and the tournament title. Louisville scored two of the first three points in the stanza, but the Boilermakers responded with five straight, including three Gurnell putaways, to go up 7-2 and prompt a Cardinal timeout. UofL battled back after the break, eventually tying the score at 11. After ties at 12 and 13, the Boilermakers built a cushion with a 7-2 run. Four players posted kills and Louisville used its final timeout as Purdue pushed ahead to the 20-15 score. The Cardinals would not lie down, however, pulling within one at 20-19. The Boilermakers went up three at 23-20 on a block by Fisher and Drewry, but Louisville was within one against at 23-22. A Fisher kill set up match point at 24-22. A hitting miscue thwarted the effort, but Gurnell pounded down her final kill to end the match.
The Boilermakers (8-3) return to action on Friday, when they begin Big Ten Conference play against the Michigan State Spartans.