Aug. 28, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Sophomore Ariel Turner pounded down 17 kills and seven other players contributed to the offense in the Boilermaker volleyball team's 25-16, 25-11, 25-8 sweep of Central Michigan Saturday morning. Purdue outhit the Chippewas .474 to .107 in the contest, which took just an hour and 10 minutes to play. The .474 effort is the ninth-best match mark in program history and the best since 2004.
Redshirt freshman Katie Griffin added eight kills, while sophomore Anna Drewry and junior Tiffany Fisher chipped in seven and six respectively.
Fourteen players got in the action for Purdue and each one helped out defensively with either a dig or a block. Sophomore Carly Cramer paced the team with 10 digs, while redshirt junior Blair Bashen added seven and junior Emily Ehlers pulled up six. Bashen also served up three of the team's five aces. At the net, Fisher led the way with three blocks, while Drewry and seniors Jaclyn Hart and Kristen Arthurs each managed two stuffs.
The Boilermakers came out guns blazing in the opening set as sophomore Ariel Turner racked up three quick kills and the team race out to a 4-0 advantage. CMU leveled the score at four, five and six, but Purdue held strong, tallying six of the next nine points to go up 12-9 on a block by senior Kristen Arthurs and junior Tiffany Fisher. The lead teetered between two and three over the next few minutes until the Boilermakers managed seven straight points to make it nine-point game at 21-12. Redshirt freshman Katie Griffin chalked up a couple of kills in the stretch, while senior Jaclyn Hart added a block and a kill. The teams split the final eight points of the 25-16 Purdue win. A putaway by Drewry made it 24-15 and a Fisher kill offered the final nail.
The Chippewas started Set 2 with a 3-1 run, but Purdue quickly turned things around with 11 of the next 14 points, including an ace by Bashen and a solo block and three putaways by Griffin. Trailing 12-6, CMU managed three points before the next Boilermaker onslaught began. Drewry, Turner and Fisher scored to make it 15-9 and prompt a Chippewa timeout. Purdue picked up where it left off, however, racking up five straight points after the break. The stretch featured four Turner kills and an ace by Ehlers. Central Michigan put together a pair of kills, but it was not enough as the Boilermakers scored four straight to clinch a 25-11 win. A service error and two Turner putways set up the game-winning ace by Bashen. Turner racked up nine kills in the stanza.
After splitting the first six points of the set, the Boilermakers ran away with Set 3, posting a 25-8 win and holding CMU to a -.067 hitting effort. Purdue put together a 12-1 rally after the 3-3 tie as Chippewa errors piled up. Three net violations and two hitting miscues aided the Boilermakers as did equal doses of Griffin and Drewry. Trailing 16-5, Central Michigan scored three of the next five points, two on kills by Lauren Krupsky, to make it 18-8. The Boilermakers took over from there, posting seven straight points to wrap up the sweep. Three blocks, an ace by Bashen, two Turner kills and two CMU miscues accounted for the points. The three stuffs involved combined efforts by five different players. Redshirt freshman Catherine Rebarchak combined with Fisher on the first, sophomore Courtney Gosewisch joined Fisher on the second and redshirt freshman Rachel Davis and rookie Elena Perri accounted for the third, which set up match point at 24-8. A hitting error capped the match.
The Boilermakers (2-0) return to action at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when they take on No. 24 Northern Iowa in the Mortar Board Premier finale.