Nov. 19, 2010
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Boilermaker volleyball team put up a valiant comeback effort, but couldn't overtake No. 20 Michigan Friday night, falling 3-1. The Wolverines won the match 25-15, 25-16, 23-25, 28-26.
Sophomore Anna Drewry carried the Boilermaker offense with 16 kills, while junior Tiffany Fisher and redshirt freshman Catherine Rebarchak chipped in nine apiece. Senior setter Jaclyn Hart added seven kills.
Defensively, Purdue outblocked the Wolverines 11-6, led by a seven stuff effort by senior Kristen Arthurs and a five-block night by Hart. With the net performance, Arthurs moved into second place all-time on Purdue's block assists list with 383, just ahead of Kim McConaha (2001-04)'s tally of 382.
In the backcourt, sophomore Carly Cramer and redshirt junior Blair Bashen each managed 10 digs. Cramer moved into the single-season top 10 for digs with 443, ahead of Daren Poe's mark of 439 in 2002.
Purdue snapped a 4-4 tie in the early part of the match with a pair of blocks involving seniors Jaclyn Hart and Kristen Arthurs. Trailing 6-4, Michigan scored four in a row prompting a Boilermaker timeout. Purdue trailed by as many as five at 16-11, before a pair of Drewry kills and a service error cut the margin to three at 17-14. The Wolverines wrapped up the set on a 8-2 run to take the 25-15 win. Purdue managed four blocks in the set, including three by Hart.
Michigan carried the momentum into the second set, scoring six of the first eight points. After giving Purdue a pair of points on service errors, the Wolverines pushed ahead by seven at 12-5. The Boilermakers called a timeout and scored the next two points out of the break on a Turner putaway and a redirect at the net by Arthurs. Drewry added two more kills as Purdue was within five again at 14-9. Down by seven at 17-10, a trio of UM hitting errors gave the Boilermakers new life. Arthurs then added a pair of kills to make it 20-15, but Michigan closed out the set on a 5-1 run. A block by Arthurs and Rebarchak broke up the rally momentarily. Arthurs and Drewry each put down three kills in the set.
Set 3 was a back-and-forth battle, but the Boilermakers survived a late Wolverine run to take the 25-23 win. Purdue trailed early, but managed a ties at four and five after kills by Hart and Turner. Michigan went up by two at 11-9, but the Boilermakers scored four in a row, including kills by Rebarchak, Drewry and Fisher, to take a 13-11 lead of their own. A kill by Hart and an overdig kill by Cramer put Purdue up three at 15-12. UM battled back to turn the deficit into a 17-16 advantage, but a joust won by Hart and a Michigan hitting error put the Boilermakers back on top at 18-17. A hitting error, a kill by Rebarchak and a solo stuff by Drewry pushed the score to 21-18 Purdue. Kills from Rebarchak and Fisher and a service error put Purdue on the hill at 24-21. A pair of UM kills kept the set going, before a double-hit violation sealed the Boilermaker win at 25-23. Rebarchak managed five kills as Purdue outhit Michigan .275 to .211 in the stanza.
The Boilermakers had two shots at the set and Michigan had a couple of match point attempts before the Wolverines finally snagged the 28-26 win to end the night. The teams split the first 10 points of the set with Drewry managing a pair of kills, Rebarchak serving an ace and Hart posting a solo block for Purdue. UM went on lead 12-9, before the Boilermakers began their comeback. Rebarchak put down a kill and Drewry added three more to tie it up at 13. A hitting error tied the score at 14, then a pair of kills by redshirt freshman Katie Griffin vaulted Purdue into the lead at 16-15. Hart added a kill, then Rebarchak and Arthurs combined on a block to keep the Boilermakers in front. A pair of Drewry putaways made it 20-18 and forced a Michigan timeout. The Wolverines tied the score at 21 and 22, but a Fisher kill and a stuff by Arthurs and Hart put Purdue up 24-22. Michigan called a timeout and took advantage of a service error and net violation out of the break to thwart a pair of Boilermaker set-point attempts. A hitting error gave Michigan a shot at the match, but a Griffin kill leveled the score at 25. Rebarchak and Arthurs teamed up on a block to stop another attempt at 26-25. A net violation put the Wolverines up 27-26, then a Jennifer Cross kill clinched the UM win.
The Boilermakers (18-10, 9-8 Big Ten) return to action at 6:30 p.m. Saturday when they take on the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing. A live radio broadcast and live stats will be available at purduesports.com. Purdue football fans in East Lansing will get into the volleyball match for free with their Purdue/Michigan State football ticket stub.