Oct. 29, 2011
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 11 Boilermaker volleyball team overcame a slow start to take Michigan State 3-1 Saturday night and secure Purdue's first season sweep of the Michigan schools since 2005. Purdue won the match 14-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-22.
Junior Ariel Turner pounded down 28 kills, while hitting at a .365 clip and adding 11 digs to pace the Boilermakers. Freshman Val Nichol added 12 kills, while redshirt sophomore Catherine Rebarchak and senior Tiffany Fisher chipped in seven and six respectively.
Senior Blair Bashen led the way in the backcourt with 14 digs, followed by Turner's 11 and eight from redshirt sophomore Rachel Davis. Freshman Kierra Jones, Rebarchak and Fisher each managed four blocks as Purdue outblocked MSU 8-7. Rebarchak and Bashen also added aces in the match.
Michigan State led Set 1 nearly from start to finish, save a 1-0 deficit, as the Spartans posted a .615 hitting effort in the 25-14 win. Purdue scored first on a kill from Turner and the teams tied at 1, 2 and 3, before MSU pushed ahead with four straight to go up 7-3. The Boilermakers pulled within two at 8-6 and again at 10-8 as Nichol, Jones and Rebarchak chipped in kills, but the Spartans responded with a 4-0 run prompting a Purdue timeout. Turner put down a pair of kills to make it a four-point game at 14-10, but MSU closed out the set with 11 of the next 15.
The Boilermakers hit .375 in the second set as Turner registered eight kills and Nichol added five en route to a 25-19 win to even the match. Tied at five after the first 10 points, Purdue scored three of the next four to go up 8-6 on a block by Rebarchak and Jones. MSU knotted the score at 10, but the Boilermakers would not give up the advantage, instead extending the lead to five at 19-14. Turner and Nichol supplied offensive firepower, while Rebarchak added an ace and Fisher posted a solo stuff. Purdue upped its lead to five at 23-18 on a Fisher putaway. A Nichol kill gave the Boilermakers their first set point attempt. A solo stuff by Nichol two points later sealed the win.
Purdue led Set 3 from start to finish, boasting as many as an eight point advantage in the 25-18 victory. The Boilermakers scored four of the first five, thanks to a couple of Spartan miscues, and boosted their lead to five at 10-5 on a solo stuff by Jones. A block by Jones and Rebarchak and kills by Fisher and Turner gave Purdue the 18-10 edge. MSU cut the margin to five at 22-17, but kills by Nichol, Turner and Rebarchak capped the set at 25-18. Purdue hit .324 in the set and stuff the Spartans three times.
The Boilermakers carried the momentum into Set 4, taking an early 6-3 lead as Turner pounded down four kills and Bashen served up an ace. Purdue led 10-7 after a pair of kills by Turner and Nichol, but the Spartans tied the score at 10 and 11 soon after. The last tie sparked a 4-0 Boilermaker run, including a block by Rebarchak and Fisher and two MSU errors. Purdue led by five at 19-14 after a trio of Spartan miscues, prompting Michigan State to use its final timeout. MSU got a pair of blocks out of the break and made it a two-point game on a net violation. The lead wavered between two and three over the next 10 serves. A couple of Turner putaways and a stuff by Jones helped Purdue to a 25-21 lead. MSU slowed the Boilermakers for a moment, but setter Rachel Davis set the ball into the Spartan backcourt for the final point at 25-22.
No. 11 Purdue (20-3, 9-3 Big Ten) returns to action at 8 p.m. Wednesday, when the No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini come to West Lafayette for a match that will air live on the Big Ten Network.