Sept. 16, 2011
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 14 Boilermaker volleyball team outlasted the Louisville Cardinals in a five-set win to open the Big Ten/Big East Challenge Friday afternoon thanks to a balanced offensive attack. Purdue won the match 3-2 by scores of 21-25, 25-19, 25-18, 16-25 and 15-10.
Junior Ariel Turner led the way with a 20-kill, 15 dig double double and also chipped in two aces and two blocks. Senior Tiffany Fisher (15), redshirt sophomore Catherine Rebarchak (11) and freshman Val Nichol (10) rounded out the offense with double digit efforts as well. Purdue outhit the Cardinals .238 to .157 and outdug UofL 73 to 66.
Redshirt senior Blair Bashen pulled up a match-high 24 digs, followed by Turner (15), senior Emily Ehlers (10) and redshirt sophomore Rachel Davis (9). Rebarchak and freshman Kierra "KiKi" Jones each put up five blocks.
The teams split the first 10 points in the decisive fifth set. Purdue trailed 5-3, but a service error and kill by Nichol knotted the score. Down by two again at 7-5, the Boilermakers scored five straight, prompting Louisville to burn both of its timeouts. Turner pounded down two kills, while Nichol managed a putaway and teamed up with Jones for a block to make it 10-7 Purdue. The Cardinals pulled within two twice, but the Boilermakers scored four of the last five to take the 15-10 win. A solo stuff by Rebarchak and a kill by Turner moved Purdue to 10-0 on the season.
The Cardinals took a 10-6 lead in Set 1, including a pair of aces, to force a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers battled back with a 6-0 run, including a pair of Rebarchak kills and block by the redshirt sophomore and Jones, to go ahead 12-10. Two more Rebarchak putaways and a triple block put Purdue on top. Louisville scored four straight to take an 18-15 lead, one which the Cardinals would not relinquish. The Boilermakers pulled within one at 20-19 after three straight points including an ace by Fisher and a block by Griffin and Jones. UofL took a timeout and closed out the set with five of the last seven points, including four kills by Lola Arslanbekova, who had nine kills in the stanza.
The Boilermakers rebounded with a 25-19 win in Set 2, hitting .312 to Louisville's .037 effort. Purdue raced out to a 7-4 advantage and then went up by six at 17-11, forcing the Cardinals to use both of their timeouts in the process. Rebarchak, Turner and Fisher contributed kills, while Rebarchak and Turner each added an ace in the first half of the set. UofL cut the margin to two at 18-16 with a 5-1 run, but Purdue responded with a seven of the next 10 points to cap the stanza at 25-19. Purdue led 24-18 after an overpass putaway by Fisher and a Cardinal hitting error. A Louisville serve into the net sent the match to intermission at a set apiece. Fisher tallied six kills in the set, while Rebarchak added four.
After splitting the first 14 points of Set 3, the Boilermakers took control and never looked back despite a few Cardinal rallies. A 4-0 run, including a pair of UofL miscues, gave Purdue some cushion. Louisville cut the margin to one twice, last at 11-10, but that only sparked the Boilermakers on to a 5-1run. Fisher added a pair of kills and block in the run. The Cardinals used a 3-0 run to come within two at 15-13 on an ace. Up 18-15, Purdue scored six straight points, including kills by Turner, Fisher and Nichol to give the team its first shot at the set at 24-15. UofL fended off three set point attempts, before serving the ball into the net to give the Boilermakers a 25-18 win.
Louisville led Set 4 from start to finish, leading by as many as nine at 19-10. Purdue sliced the margin to five at 20-15 with a 5-1 run. Turner served up an ace and Nichol added to kills in the rally, but it was not enough as UofL sewed up the 25-16 win with a 6-0 run, including an ace.
The Boilermakers (10-0) wrap up non-conference action with a 5:30 p.m. ET contest with Cincinnati on Saturday.