Oct. 3, 2010
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Boilermaker volleyball team wrapped up its six-match road swing with a 3-0 sweep of Iowa on Sunday. Purdue won the match 25-12, 25-14, 25-23 to move to 11-4 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play.
"I thought we played pretty well the first two sets and did a nice job of following our game plan," head coach Dave Shondell said. "We strayed from our focus as the match went on and we can't afford to do that. But, I thought there were two keys for us today: first, our block was able to shut down their right side attack and second, the play of Katie Griffin. Katie came in and was able to have a great match offensively and play the way she has been in practice. She is real cerebral player and leader and was able to keep us focused on the game plan."
Sophomore Ariel Turner led all hitters with 13 kills, while junior Tiffany Fisher added eight. Redshirt freshman Katie Griffin and senior Jaclyn Hart each chipped in six putaways, while redshirt freshman Catherine Rebarchak registered five kills. Purdue hit .301 as a team, while holding Iowa to a .094 effort for the match.
Defensively, sophomore Carly Cramer paced the Boilermakers with 16 digs, while junior Emily Ehlers managed 12. At the net, Fisher was credited with four stuffs and Arthurs posted three as Purdue outblocked Iowa 8-3 on the afternoon.
The Boilermakers dominated the Hawkeyes in the opening stanza, putting together several long rallies en route to a 25-12 win. After trailing 2-1, Purdue scored four straight, including an ace by Cramer, to build a lead. Iowa pulled within one at 5-4, but the Boilermakers countered with another 3-0 run with kills by Rebarchak, Fisher and Hart to force an Iowa timeout at 8-4. The Hawkeyes paused the Boilermaker attack for two points, but Purdue mounted an 8-0 run including a pair of blocks and a kill by Hart, an ace by Turner and two kills by Griffin to go up 16-6. The teams split the next 10 points leading to a 21-11 score, but Purdue scored four of the next five to wrap up the set. Turner and Fisher each pounded down two kills in the final rally. Purdue hit .379 in the stanza, while holding the Iowa hitters to a -.037 effort.
The Boilermakers carried the momentum into Set 2, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. Turner pounded down four kills in the early run. Purdue boosted its advantage to eight at 11-3, prompting an Iowa timeout. The Boilermaker lead stood at 14-5 as the team scored three of the next five points after the break. The Hawkeyes pulled within seven at 17-10, sparking a Purdue rally. Hart started things with a kill and Griffin added a kill and a block as the Boilermakers went up 22-11. Iowa managed three of the next four, but a Hawkeye service error and a stuff by Turner and Arthurs clinched the set at 25-14. Purdue put up four blocks in the set and outhit the Hawkeyes .296 to .030.
The Hawkeyes scored first in Set 3, taking their first lead since 1-0 in the opening stanza, and maintained the advantage until Purdue turned a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead with a kill by Hart and an Iowa hitting error. A service error tied the score at 5-5, but the Boilermakers pushed ahead by four at 12-8 after three Hawkeye miscues and a kill by Turner. Purdue went up by five at 18-13 after a pair of Griffin putaways and a third by Turner. The Hawkeyes battled back with eight of the next 11 points to knot the score at 21 and prompt a Purdue timeout. An ace put Iowa on top 22-21, but a service error followed leveling the score. A block by Arthurs and Griffin made it 23-22 Boilermakers, but Iowa countered with a kill. A pair of Hawkeye miscues, a service error and a setting error, however, gave Purdue the 25-23 win.
The Boilermakers (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) return to action when they welcome No. 2 Penn State to Belin Court at 7 p.m. Friday. The match will be streamed live at video.bigtennetwork.com.