Oct. 30, 2009
Shondell's Overall Thoughts on the Match
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Northwestern managed the final two points of the night on a kill and a Purdue hitting miscue to snag a five-set come-from-behind win from the Boilermakers' grasps Friday night. The Wildcats won the match 25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 16-14.
Senior Carrie Gurnell led all hitters with 17 kills, while freshman Ariel Turner and junior Kristen Arthurs also reached double figures with 13 and 11 respectively. Sophomore Tiffany Fisher added nine putaways, while redshirt junior Lisa Pierce added eight on a match-high .429 hitting effort.
Defensively, sophomore Emily Ehlers paced Purdue with 18 digs. Junior setter Jaclyn Hart added 13 digs to her 51 assists, while redshirt sophomore Blair Bashen and freshman Carly Cramer each posted 12 digs. At the net, Arthurs led the way with six blocks, while Hart put up five and Fisher added four.
Purdue scored four of the first five points of the deciding fifth stanza, including an ace by Bashen. Northwestern, however, answered with five of the next six to take a 6-5 lead of its own. A pair of Turner putaways and a Wildcat error put the Boilermakers back on top 8-7 at the changeover. Kills by Arthurs and Gurnell kept Purdue in the lead, but Northwestern gained an 11-10 advantage. Fisher nailed down an overpass to tie it up at 11, but a service error and kill made it 13-11 NU and prompted a Purdue timeout. Gurnell came through with a kill and Fisher and Hart added a block to even the score once again. A service error gave the Wildcats their first chance at the match, but a Turner kill kept things going at 14 all. A kill by Ariel Baxterback and a Boilermaker hitting error, however, gave Northwestern the 16-14 win and the match.
Northwestern scored the first three points of the match and went on to lead 7-3. The Boilermakers, however, battled back, tying the score at 12 and 14 as Turner tallied four kills and Purdue put up three blocks, including a solo effort by junior Jaclyn Hart. The Wildcats went up 17-14 prompting a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers scored three straight out of the break on a Gurnell kill and two NU miscues to knot the score again at 17-17. The teams tied again at 18, before a block by Arthurs and Drewry gave Purdue its first lead at 19-18. The Wildcats owned a 21-19 advantage soon after, prompting another Boilermaker break. The team responded again with three straight points on kills from Arthurs and Gurnell and a block by Arthurs and Turner, forcing Northwestern to use its final timeout. A service error, a block and a kill put NU up 24-22. Cramer set the ball into the corner for a kill to keep the set going, but a Sabel Moffett putaway gave the Wildcats the 25-23 win.
Turner put down a pair of kills to start Set 2 and the Boilermakers soon led 4-3. Northwestern scored four of the next five, however, to take a 7-5 lead of its own. The teams tied at seven, eight and 10. The Wildcats scored eight of the next 11 to stretch their advantage to five at 18-13. Purdue pulled within one at 19-18 after a Gurnell putaway, a block by Hart and Arthurs and two NU miscues. Northwestern went up by three at 21-18, but the Boilermakers cut the margin to one twice, at 21-20 and 22-21, the last on a Turner kill. The Wildcats closed out the set at 25-22 with three of the next four points, including two Purdue errors and a block. Pierce supplied the lone Boilermaker point to prolong the set. Turner and Gurnell each tallied four putaways in the stanza.
With their backs against the wall, the Boilermakers came to play in the third set, busting out to an 11-6 lead. After ties at three and four, Purdue scored seven of the next nine, including a pair of blocks by Arthurs and Turner, en route to the advantage and a Wildcat timeout. Northwestern had to use another timeout moments later when the Boilermaker lead stood at six at 16-10 after putdowns by Gurnell, Fisher and Arthurs. The Wildcats pulled within four at 18-14, but that was as close as they would get. Purdue wrapped up the set with a 7-3 run, including three straight to end it. Fisher pounded down a pair of overpasses to give the Boilermakers their first shot at the win. A Northwestern net violation clinched the 25-17 victory. Purdue outhit Northwestern .394 to .069 in the stanza, which featured five kills and three blocks from Arthurs.
Purdue carried the momentum into the fourth set, scoring nine of the first 12 as three different players tallied kills and Ehlers served up an ace. The Boilermaker advantage soon stood at eight at 14-6 after kills by Turner, Pierce and Gurnell and a handful of NU errors, which forced the Wildcats to use their second and final timeout. Trailing 22-15, Northwestern mounted a comeback, scoring seven of the next eight, including a pair of blocks, to make it a one-point game at 23-22 and prompt Purdue to use up both of its timeouts. After the second break, a Gurnell kill put the Boilermakers on the hill. A hitting error kept the set going, but Fisher sent the match to a decisive fifth set with a kill at 25-23.
The Boilermakers (11-11, 3-8 Big Ten) return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they take on No. 6 Illinois (17-3, 9-2 Big Ten). Fans are encouraged to come to the match in costume and celebrate Halloween with Purdue volleyball.