Aug. 25, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Thirteen players earned court time and all contributed as No. 9 Purdue dispatched George Washington via 3-0 sweep, winning 25-12, 25-12, 25-16 to move to 2-0 on the year. The Boilermakers committed just three hitting errors in the contest, posting a stellar .529 hitting efficiency. The effort was the third best in program history and best in the rally scoring era, topping a Sept. 18, 2004 effort vs. East Tennessee State in which Purdue hit a .495 clip.
Rookies Sam Epenesa and Annie Drews made their collegiate debuts and both made an impact offensively. Epenesa led the Boilermakers with eight kills on a .533 hitting effort. Redshirt juniors Catherine Rebarchak and Katie Griffin added seven and six respectively. Sophomores Val Nichol and Kiki Jones and Drews each chipped in five putaways. Rebarchak hit at a .750 clip, while Drews came in at .714 making no errors in seven swings.
Defensively, 11 players posted at least one dig with redshirt junior Carly Cramer and junior Hilliary Fox leading the way with six apiece. Senior Courtney Gosewisch and Nichol each added five saves. At the net, redshirt freshman Kaisley Fisher put up four stuffs, while Drews was in on three as Purdue outblocked GW 7-0. The Boilermakers served up five aces in the match, including two each by Jones and Cramer.
Purdue started things on the right foot with a nearly flawless first set, posting 11 kills on 16 swings for a .688 hitting effort in a 25-12 win. The Boilermakers dominated the match from the early goings, leaping out to a 13-4 advantage. Epenesa, who was tabbed to start by head coach Dave Shondell, put down her first kill to make it 4-1 after a Cramer ace. Colonial errors piled up and Purdue mixed up its offensive attack en route to the lead, which was capped by a Jones ace. GW scored three of the next four points to make it 14-7, but would get no closer. Kills by Epenesa and Nichol helped Purdue go up 19-8. The teams split the next six points to make it 22-11, then the Boilermakers finished it off with three of the last four. Griffin had a kill and a block in the final stretch, which ended on a GW service error. Epenesa racked up four kills in the stanza.
Drews, Jones and Rebarchak split the load in the second set, with each chalking up four kills, while Epenesa chipped in three more in the 25-12 win. Purdue had just two hitting miscues in 30 swings, while also serving up two aces. The Boilermakers quickly went ahead 7-2 as Rebarchak and Epenesa scored putaways. An ace by Gosewisch and more offensive firepower by Rebarchak upped the lead to 11-4. Drews pounded down her first kill the next play and would another as well as a block as Purdue surged ahead 17-5. A few net violations slowed the team down temporarily as the Colonials pulled with 10 at 20-10. A service error and another Drews kill swung the momentum back to Purdue. An Epenesa kill made it 23-11, before Jones and Drews finished off the set.
George Washington came out of the intermission break ready to play and ran out to a quick 6-1 lead, including a pair of aces. A kill by Nichol and a block by Epenesa and Jones cut the margin to three, but Purdue was soon trailing 10-6. The Boilermakers wiped out the deficit as Nichol, Fisher and Griffin heated up in a 6-0 run which put Purdue on top 12-10. A few plays later, Purdue led 18-12, thanks in part to a Cramer ace and a stuff by Jones and Nichol. GW pulled within four at 19-15, but the Boilermakers secured the match sweep with a 6-1 run. Fisher teamed up with Griffin and Drews respectively on a pair of blocks which set up match point. A Colonial hitting error sealed the win at 25-16.
No. 9 Purdue (2-0) closes out the Mortar Board Premier with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Pittsburgh (1-1).