Nov. 6, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - No. 19 Minnesota edged the Purdue volleyball team 3-1 Saturday night in a match that featured 33 tie scores and 14 lead changes. The Golden Gophers took the match 25-18, 21-25, 31-29, 25-22.
Four Boilermakers posted double-digit kill tallies led by sophomore Ariel Turner's 15. Senior Kristen Arthurs chipped in a season-high 13 kills and a team-high six blocks, while redshirt freshmen Katie Griffin and Catherine Rebarchak added 12 and 10 kills respectively.
Rebarchak rounded out a double-double with a career-high 10 digs, while sophomore Carly Cramer and junior Emily Ehlers paced the defense with 14 digs apiece.
Minnesota took an early 6-2 lead in Set 1 by way of a handful of Purdue miscues, but the Boilermakers charged back, cutting the margin to one at 7-6 after kills by Hart and Turner and a pair of Gopher errors. A pair of Arthurs putaways made it a one-point game again at 9-8, but the Gophers scored four straight to go up 13-8 and prompt a Purdue timeout. A kill by Turner snapped UM's five-point streak and began a 4-0 Purdue run. Arthurs chipped in a kill and a solo block in the rally. Minnesota stretched its advantage to six at 18-12 with a 4-0 run of its own. The Boilermakers called a timeout and Arthurs dropped in a tip shot to slow the Gophers temporarily, but UM added four more after it to take a 22-13 lead. Purdue scored five of the next seven and thrwarted two Minnesota set point attempts, but could not stop the 25-18 UM win. Griffin and Turner tallied kills in the stretch, while Fisher contributed an ace.
The teams split the first 16 points of Set 2 as four different Purdue players contributed offensively. The Gophers pulled away with a 7-2 run, which made it 15-10, but the Boilermakers came charging back, tying it up at 15, forcing a UM timeout. Minnesota managed the first point out of the break, but Purdue kicked off a 7-0 run the following point, vaulting the team into a 22-16 lead. Turner provided four kills, including three in a row, as the Boilermakers gained the lead, while Rebarchak added a kill and a block. An Arthurs putaway and a Gopher hitting error gave Purdue its first shot at the set at 24-18. Minnesota used two kills and a block to prolong the stanza, but Rebarchak capped the 25-21 Boilermaker win. Turner posted six kills in the set, while Arthurs added four.
The third set was a battle royale with seven-set point opportunities between the teams, a host of ties and seven lead changes. The Golden Gophers led by three early in the set, but Purdue turned a 7-4 deficit into a 14-10 lead with 10 of the next 13 points. Purdue managed to tie the score at 7-7 with a 3-0 run, featuring kills by Hart, Rebarchak and Turner. The teams tied again at 8 and 9, but Purdue surged ahead 12-9 with four straight points. Rebarchak tallied a kill and a solo stuff in the rally, while Cramer served up an ace. A Gopher hitting error and a Drewry putaway capped the run. Minnesota managed six of the next eight to tie the score at 16. Purdue pushed ahead by two thanks to kills by Hart and Arthurs, but UM tied it again at 20. Griffin supplied a pair of kills and Turner added another as the Boilers went up 23-21. The teams tied at 23, but a Fisher kill gave Purdue a shot at the set at 24-23. Minnesota thwarted that effort and another at 25-24, before going ahead 26-25. A kill by Rebarchak and an ace by Turner gave Purdue its third change at 27-26. A hitting error and a block made it 28-27 Gophers. A kill by Arthurs and a UM hitting error put the Boilermakers up 29-28. A hitting error and back-to-back blocks, however, helped Minnesota steal the 31-29 win.
Purdue led 4-3 to start Set 4 after kills by Griffin , Fisher and Rebarchak, but Minnesota turned the deficit into a 7-4 advantage and continued to hold the edge, boosting it to four at 13-9. Trailing by four again at 16-12, the Boilermakers put together a 6-1 run to surge into the lead at 18-17. A pair of blocks by Arthurs, the first with Hart and the other with Rebarchak aided in the run as did three Gopher miscues. Back-to-back kills put Minnesota up 19-18, but Purdue took a timeout to regroup and scored three straight out of the break to retake the lead at 21-19. A Turner kill and an overpass putaway by Arthurs coupled with a UM error accounted for the advantage. The Gophers turned things around with a 4-0 run, including a block and a pair of Purdue hitting miscues, to go up 23-21. A kill by Griffin stopped the rally, but a block and a kill by setter Mia Tabberson gave Minnesota the 25-22 win.
The Boilermakers (16-9, 7-7 Big Ten) return to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday when they play host to the Indiana Hoosiers for control of the Monon Spike travelling trophy. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network.