Sept. 10, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Seven different players provided offensive firepower, while a stout defense at the net and in the backcourt aided the Boilermaker volleyball team in its 3-0 sweep of UConn Friday night. The 25-12, 25-21, 25-14 victory pushed Purdue to 7-1 on the season and its current win streak to five matches, both matching bests from the 2008 campaign.
Sophomore Ariel Turner downed a match-high 10 kills, while junior Tiffany Fisher and redshirt freshmen Catherine Rebarchak and Katie Griffin all tacked on seven putaways.
Defensively, libero Carly Cramer pulled up 18 digs, while junior Emily Ehlers added 14 as Purdue held the Huskies to a .011 hitting effort. The Boilermakers outblocked UConn 10-5, led by Fisher's six stuffs. Rebarchak and sophomore Anna Drewry registered four blocks apiece.
Purdue scored the first four points of the match and went on to a 7-2 lead, prompting UConn to use its first timeout. Four different Boilermakers tallied kills in the stretch, which also featured two Husky service errors. Connecticut pulled within three on four occasions, but could get no closer as the Boilermakers broke away. Up 12-9, Purdue scored six straight to post an 18-9 advantage with a pair of blocks involving Fisher highlighting the rally. The teams split the next six points leading to a 21-12 score, but Purdue closed out the set at 25-12 with four straight, the first on an overpass putaway by Drewry and the final two on kills by Griffin.
Set two was a back-and-fourth affair featuring eight ties and four lead changes. Drewry paired with Rebarchak and Turner on a pair of blocks to start the stanza, then Ehlers served up an ace to make it 3-0. UConn charged back to go ahead 5-4 after a pair of Purdue hitting miscues. Trailing again at 8-7, Griffin tallied a kill and Drewry followed with two more to put the Boilermakers back on top 10-8. The teams tied at 10 and 11, but Purdue was able to break free with a pair of kills from Turner and Rebarchak which made it 15-12 and prompted a UConn timeout. The Boilermaker lead stood at five (18-13) after offensive efforts from Fisher and Turner, but the Huskies cut the margin to one at 19-18. A block by Griffin and Fisher maintained the Purdue edge and a kill from Griffin added a little cushion. A UConn service error gave the Boilermakers their first shot at the set at 24-21, which they converted on a block by Rebarchak and Drewry.
After splitting the first four points of Set 3, the Boilermakers cruised to a 25-14 win to cap the sweep. Fisher racked up four kills, while senior Kristen Arthurs was a perfect 3-for-3 offensively. Purdue also served up two aces in the final stanza. Purdue led 8-2 after a run, which included an ace by redshirt junior Blair Bashen and a handful of UConn miscues. The Huskies cut the deficit to four, but would get no closer. Purdue converted 11 of the final 14 points in the stanza after holding a 14-10 edge. Fisher put down all four of her kills during that final stretch, while Turner served up an ace. Fisher's final kill made it 24-14, then she combined with senior setter Jaclyn Hart for the game-winning block.
The Boilermakers (7-1) wrap up the Active Ankle Challenge at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when they take on the Belmont Bruins.