Aug. 27, 2011
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team won the Mortar Board Premier title for the first time since 2008 with its third sweep of the weekend, topping College of Charleston, 3-0. Purdue took the match 26-24, 25-14, 25-14 behind the stellar play of rookie middle blocker Kierra Jones, senior middle blocker Tiffany Fisher and junior outside hitter Ariel Turner. Jones was named tournament MVP for her efforts, while Fisher and Turner garnered all-tournament team nods.
Fisher and Turner paced Purdue offensively with 15 kills apiece. Fisher racked up her putaways while hitting at a .458 clip and chipping in two blocks, while Turner hit .278 and added four digs. Jones gave Boilermaker fans a glimpse at their bright future, posting nine kills in 11 swings for an .818 hitting percentage, the second best effort in a three game match in Purdue history. The Fishers, Ind., native also paced Purdue at the net with nine blocks. Rookie outside hitter Val Nichol added seven kills.
Defensively, redshirt sophomore Rachel Davis pulled up a team-leading 12 digs to go with 43 assists, marking her first career double double. Senior Emily Ehlers and junior Carly Cramer managed eight and seven respectively, while four others chipped in defensively. Cramer also served up two aces.
Purdue hit .362 in the match, while holding the Cougars to a .110 effort. The Boilermakers also outblocked CofC 11-4.
Set 1 was an up-and-down affair as both teams looked to gain their footing. The Boilermakers led 5-3 early, but soon trailed 8-6. After taking a timeout, the Boilermakers registered six of the next eight points to turn the deficit into a 12-10 advantage. Jones tallied three blocks in the stretch, combining with redshirt sophomore Katie Griffin on two and Nichol on the third. Four CofC miscues also aided the effort, but the Cougars righted the ship with a 4-1 run, which put them on top 14-13. It took 10 points, including another Nichol/Jones block and kills from Fisher and Turner, for the Boilermakers to regain the lead at 19-18. CofC went up 22-21, but Purdue countered with three straight points on kills by Jone and Fisher and a Cougar miscue. With the Boilermakers up 24-22, the set was far from over. A pair of Cougar kills held Purdue at bay, before Fisher pounded down back-to-back kills to snag Purdue the 26-24 win. Turner and Fisher each tallied five kills, while Jones chipped in four kills and four blocks.
Turner cranked up the heat in Set 2, racking up seven kills while hitting .545, to pace Purdue in the 25-14 win. Purdue jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the set, but the Cougars surged back with four straight points to go ahead. The Boilermakers used a pair of kills by Fisher and two more by Nichol and Turner to go up 8-7, taking a lead which they would not relinquish. Eight of the next 10 points went Purdue's way, including a solo stuff by Jones and kills by Turner, Fisher and redshirt sophomore Catherine Rebarchak. After going up by seven at 16-9, the Boilermakers kept CofC at bay, allowing them no closer than six the rest of the way. Four Turner putaways and a pair of blocks from the rookies Nichol and Jones helped Purdue cap the 25-14 win. The Boilermakers outhit the Cougars .379 to .000 in the stanza.
College of Charleston would not go away quietly, instead matching Purdue point for point through 16 serves. Fisher pounded down four kills and combined with Davis and Nichol on blocks to give Purdue some cushion at 16-10. A Cougar kill paused the Boilermaker attack, but Purdue responded with five straight points. Jones, Nichol, Rebarchak and Turner were in on the offensive action. With the Boilermakers up 22-14, sophomore Hilliary Fox got her chance to shine in the front row, burying three straight kills to close out the match at 25-14.
Joining the Purdue players on the all-tournament team were Torri Campbell and Briana Tolbert from Baylor, Courtney Hott from Virginia Commonwealth and Sarah Havel from College of Charleston.
The Boilermakers return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they take on Air Force at the Denver Invitational.