Oct. 5, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 12 Boilermaker volleyball team could not find an answer for No. 4 Nebraska, falling in three sets Friday night. The Cornhuskers won the match 25-23, 25-16, 25-22 to issue Purdue its first Big Ten loss of the season.
Redshirt junior Catherine Rebarchak and senior Ariel Turner each tallied 14 kills in the match, but Rebarchak did so at a .444 clip, leading all hitters on either team. Senior Anna Drewry chipped in six kills and sophomore Kiki Jones tallied five putaways.
Turner finished out a double-double with 11 digs, while redshirt junior Carly Cramer also managed 11 saves. Purdue topped Nebraska in blocks 4-3, including two each by Jones and redshirt junior setter Rachel Davis.
The Boilermakers won every statistical category in the first set except service aces and errors, but lost the stanza 25-23. Nebraska took the early 4-1 lead, but Purdue battled back with five of the next six points, including kills by Jones, Turner and Rebarchak to go up 6-5. The teams tied at 6, 7 and 8, before the Huskers regained the advantage at 10-8. Purdue played from behind from that point, but outscored NU 9-5 en route to a 17-15 lead. Rebarchak pounded down three kills in the final four points of the rally. The Huskers countered with eight of the next 12 points and went ahead 23-21. A block by Jones and Davis made it a one-point game and an NU hitting error to plays later staved off a set point attempt at 24-23, but a kill by Meghan Haggerty capped the Nebraska comeback win.
Purdue scored two of the first three points in Set 2, but the Huskers dominated the remainder of the set, winning 25-16. After the kills by Turner and Drewry started the set for the Boilermakers, Nebraska scored eight of the next 10 points, including three aces to go up 10-4. The Huskers went up eight at 14-6 after two Purdue miscues. Trailing 17-9, Purdue scored used a 4-1 run to pull within five at 18-13 and force an NU timeout. Turner had a kill and an ace in the stretch, while Rebarchak capped it with an overpass putaway. Nebraska wrapped the set with seven of the final 10 points. The Huskers hit .538 to Purdue's .143 in the stanza.
The Boilermakers took the first two points of Set 3 on a Turner kill and an ace by Cramer and went on to a 5-4 lead on a stuff by Jones and Davis. Nebraska scored three straight to make it 7-5, but Purdue took a 10-9 as Rebarchak tallied three kills and freshman Amanda Neill added an ace. NU went ahead 12-10, but Purdue scored seven of the next 10 thanks to three Turner kills and a solo block and kill by Rebarchak, which made it 17-15 and forced a Nebraska timeout. The Huskers scored three straight out of the break to go up 18-17. The teams tied at 18, 19, 20 and 21, with Turner providing three Boilermaker kills. A kill on a joust and a Purdue hitting miscue put Nebraska on top 23-21. Turner pulled the Boilermakers within one, but an overpass kill and a Purdue hitting miscue gave the Huskers the 25-22 win and the match.
The Boilermakers (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) return to action at 8 p.m. Saturday when they take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Fans with a Purdue/Michigan football ticket stub may receive $2 admission as supplies last.