Sept. 4, 2009
WACO, Texas - The No. 24 Boilermaker volleyball team kicked off the Baylor Classic with a quick three-set sweep of the UTSA Roadrunners Friday afternoon. Purdue won the match which took just one hour and eight minutes to complete by scores of 25-16, 25-21, 25-16.
Junior middle blocker Kristen Arthurs led the way with 14 kills on 18 swings for an outstanding .778 hitting effort. Senior outside hitter Carrie Gurnell also reached double-digits, tallying 13 kills to go with seven digs and five blocks. Freshman middle blocker Anna Drewry, freshman outside hitter Ariel Turner and junior setter Jaclyn Hart each tacked on five putdowns.
Sophomore libero Blair Bashen racked up 19 digs, while Gurnell added seven and freshman defensive specialist Carly Cramer nabbed five. Cramer also served up two aces for the Boilermakers. At the net, Drewry paced the team with six block assists.
The first set began as a back-and-forth battle as the team tied seven times, last at 8-8, before the Boilermakers took control. Purdue rattled off seven straight points, including a trio of Gurnell putaways en route to a 15-8 lead. The Roadrunners pulled within four at 16-12, but Purdue quickly pushed the margin to seven at 20-13 after aces by Gurnell and Fisher. UTSA scored three of the next four, but the Boilermakers closed out the set with a 4-0 run capped by a pair of Roadrunner miscues. Purdue hit .312 in the set, while holding UTSA to a .033 effort.
The teams split the first eight points of Set 2, before UTSA managed a kill and a block to go up 6-4. Purdue countered with a 4-0 run, including a pair of Turner putdowns. The Boilermakers built their lead to three at 15-12, but the Roadrunners tied things up at 16-16. From there, Purdue strung together four straight points, including two UTSA errors and a block and a kill by Arthurs to make it 20-16. The Boilermakers held at least a three point advantage from there on and closed the set at 25-21 on a Drewry putaway. Arthurs posted five kills in the set, while Drewry added four.
The Boilermakers raced out to a 14-4 lead in the third set. Cramer served up six straight points, including two aces in the stretch, while Hart put down three kills and two blocks. UTSA pulled within seven at 15-8, but Purdue responded with a pair of blocks and kills by Arthurs and senior Sam Ainsworth to push it to 19-9. The Roadrunners made it an eight-point game at 19-11 and 23-15, but could not hold off the Boilermakers. A kill by freshman Katie Griffin set up match point, then Gurnell put the final nail in the 25-16 win with her 13th kill of the night.
Purdue returns to action at 10 a.m. ET when they take on the UCF Knights. The match will be aired live on purduesports.com.