Oct. 1, 2011
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In a battle between the final two unbeaten teams in the country, No. 1 Illinois outlasted the No. 12 Purdue volleyball team 3-1 Saturday night. The Fighting Illini won the match 26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23.
Junior Ariel Turner led all hitters with 20 kills, while also adding 12 digs and an ace. Senior Tiffany Fisher followed with 16 kills, while hitting at a .583 clip and putting up a team-leading five blocks. Redshirt sophomore Catherine Rebarchak added 11 kills.
Defensively, redshirt senior Blair Bashen led the way with 29 digs. Redshirt sophomore Rachel Davis added 12 digs and 44 assists, while Turner (12) and senior Emily Ehlers (11) also contributed double-digit efforts.
The Boilermakers could not stave off a late Illini charge, falling 26-24 in Set 1 despite outhitting the Illinois .294 to .152. Purdue scored three of the first points of the night as Fisher posted a kill and a block and Turner added a putaway. After a tie at three, the Boilermakers pushed ahead 6-3 on as Turner put down two kills and a served up an ace. The teams tied at a 7, 8 and 9, before a 4-0 run gave the Boilermakers some separation. Purdue held Illinois at bay, leading by four again at 18-14 after a trio of kills and an ace by Fisher. The Illini tie it up 19 and the teams trade the next eight points to lead to a 23-23 tie. An ace puts Illinois on the hill, but a kill by Davis keeps the set going. Two more UI putaways steal the set 26-24.
Illinois scored first in Set 2, but Purdue responded with three straight points and went on to a 6-4 advantage. An ace by Bashen and kills by Fisher and Rebarchak aid the effort. The Illini take eight of the 11 points to turn the deficit into a 12-9 lead and prompt a Purdue timeout. Illinois boosted its lead to six at 18-12, but a pair of kills by Turner and a block by Drewry pulled the Boilermakers within four at 19-15. Down 24-17, Purdue mounted another rally. Turner putaway two kills and combined on a block with Fisher to keep hope alive and make Illinois use a timeout. An Illini kill out of the break capped the 25-20 win. UI hit .140 in the set, while holding Purdue to a -.024 effort with help from four blocks.
Set 3 was close throughout, featuring 16 ties and six lead changes. The teams split the first 12 points, but Purdue managed three straight kills by Jones, Turner and Rebarchak to go up 9-7. Illinois scored six of the next nine to go up 13-12. Down 16-14, Rebarchak pounded down a pair of kills to knot the score, but the Boilermakers couldn't break through. Turner supplied two kills and teamed up with Fisher on a block to make it 20 all. A solo stuff by Fisher and another by freshmen Val Nichol and Kierra Jones put Purdue on top 22-21. Illinois countered with two point to go up 23-22, but back-to-back UI hitting errors and a kill by Rebarchak gave Purdue the 25-23 win to extend the match.
Purdue led 5-3 to start Set 4 as Turner pounded down four kills. Illinois took a one-point lead at 6-5 and clung to it for 10 serves at the teams traded points. The Illini eventually pushed ahead by three at 13-10 and upped their lead to four at 18-14 forcing a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers scored four of the next five out of the break to cut the margin to one at 19-18. Rebarchak put down two kills and Fisher pounded down an overpass to cap the rally. Illinois led 22-20, but kills by Griffin, Turner and Rebarchak gave Purdue the 23-22 advantage. After an Illini timeout, a kill and a block gave UI a shot at the match. A Boilermaker timeout came first, but another block wrapped up the match at 25-23 for Illinois.
The No. 12 Boilermakers (14-1, 3-1 Big Ten) return to action at 8 p.m. ET Friday when they take on No. 7 Nebraska in Lincoln.