Nov. 12, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team gutted out a five-set win over No. 24 Northwestern Friday night, moving to 18-9 on the season and 9-7 in conference play. Purdue won the match 25-22, 16-25, 26-24, 24-26, 15-10 behind a 22-kill hitting effort by sophomore Ariel Turner and a dominant defensive effort.
Turner le all hitters with the 22 kill tally, while sophomore Anna Drewry chipped in 13. Senior Kristen Arthurs and junior Tiffany Fisher registered 10 apiece, while senior setter Jaclyn Hart managed nine kills amidst an all-around effort. Hart wrapped the night with 57 assists, nine kills, seven digs and six blocks.
Defensively, sophomore Carly Cramer pulled up 19 digs, while junior Emily Ehlers and redshirt junior Blair Bashen shared the load with 17 and 16 respectively. At the net, Fisher led the way with seven blocks, while Hart followed with six. Purdue pulled up 78 digs to just 58 for Northwestern and tied the Wildcats in blocks with 11.
Purdue shook off a close fourth-set loss by scoring four of the first five points in the deciding fifth stanza, forcing an early Wildcat timeout. The Boilermakers would not trail in the set and led by as many as five en route to the 15-10 win. After the early lead, Northwestern pulled within two at 6-4 and 7-5, but a Drewry putaway gave Purdue the 8-5 lead at the changeover. A trio of kills from Turner pushed the score to 11-8 prompting NU to use its final timeout. The Wildcats scored first out of the break, but Drewry put down two kills and Hart and Arthurs combined on a block to make it 14-9. A service error kept the match going, before Drewry pounded down the final kill. Turner posted five kills in the final stanza, while Drewry added four as Purdue outhit Northwestern .385 to .125.
The Boilermakers fought off a couple of Northwestern comeback efforts and captured the opening set 25-22 on their third set point attempt. Purdue boasted an early 4-1 lead. The Wildcats managed to tie it up at 4, but Purdue pushed the margin to four at 9-5 after back to back kills by Fisher, a pair of Turner putaways and an ace by Griffin. Northwestern rallied to tie it up at 9 and 10, but the Boilermakers maintained control, using back-to-back kills by Griffin and an NU net violation to go up 14-11 and force a timeout. The Wildcats cut the deficit to one at 16-15, but Purdue surged ahead 20-16 with a 4-1 rally, including three straight points on a Drewry kill, a block by Arthurs and Hart and an ace by Fisher. Northwestern took its final timeout and scored two points out of the break, but Purdue edged ahead 24-20 thanks to kills by Arthurs, Drewry and Turner. A net violation and NU kill kept the set going, but Turner pounded down the final kill at 25-22.
The Wildcats gained the early lead and never looked back, going up by as many as nine en route to a 25-16 win. Northwestern hit .517 in the set, while holding Purdue to a .100 effort. It was a one-point game at 5-4, but NU surged ahead 12-5 after a 7-1 run including five straight points. Griffin posted two kills and an ace over the next several points, but the Wildcats held an eight-point edge at 17-9. A hitting error and a block by Fisher and Ehlers brought it to 17-11, but Purdue could not break through. Arthurs managed a pair of kills down the stretch, while Turner and Fisher each added one, but the Boilermakers could not prevent the NU victory.
Turner posted five kills, while Hart and Arthurs added four apiece as the Boilermakers withstood a late NU charge to snag a 26-24 victory. Purdue took a 6-3 lead to start the stanza as Turner registered three kills and a solo block and Fisher added a kill and a block assist. The Boilermakers pushed their advantage to five at 10-5 after back-to-back putaways by Arthurs. Northwestern charged back to within one at 11-10, but a pair of kills by Turner, one by Fisher and one by Hart combined with a block by Fisher and Griffin put Purdue back up by four at 16-12. The Boilermakers extended their lead to five at 19-14 after a kill by Turner, but that sparked a 9-3 rally by the Wildcats. The run which featured three blocks and a handful of Purdue miscues put NU up 23-22. A service error leveled the score, but the Boilermakers gave one back to give the Wildcats a shot at the set. Hart won a joust at the net to thwart the effort, then added another kill to put Purdue up 25-24. A kill by Drewry secured the 26-24 win.
Northwestern battled back from a four-point deficit to steal a 26-24 win in the fourth set. The Boilermakers started the set on a 7-2 run as Turner laid down three kills and Hart and Drewry added one apiece. The Wildcats called a timeout and scored six of the next eight o make it 9-8. NU tied it up at 10 and 11, but a block by Hart and Fisher and a Turner kill kept Purdue on top 13-11. Northwestern knotted the score at 14 and 15, before taking advantage of back to back Boilermaker miscues to go up 17-15. Purdue managed five of the next seven to surge ahead 20-19. A kill by Turner and a NU error prompted a timeout at 22-20. A pair of Boilermaker errors again gave the Wildcats new life, knotting the score at 22. Hart put down a kill after a Purdue break, but Northwestern tied it up with a kill of its own. A Purdue hitting error gave NU its first shot at the set, but a Drewry kill thwarted the effort. A pair of kills by Christina Kaelin finally captured Northwestern the 26-24 win and prompted the deciding fifth set.
The Boilermakers (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten) return to action on Friday, when they face off with the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor.