COLUMBUS, Ohio ââ'¬" The Boilermakers outdid Ohio State in nearly every statistical category but found themselves on the short end of a five set match Friday night to end the regular season. OSU won the match 25-21, 19-25, 16-25, 25-20, 19-17.
Four Boilermakers posted double-digit kills in the match. Junior Danielle Cuttino led the way with 20 kills, followed by redshirt sophomore Sherridan Atkinson (13), redshirt senior Faye Adelaja (11) and redshirt freshman Blake Mohler (10). Purdue outhit OSU .303 to .216. Adelaja led the Boilermakers at the net with six blocks, while Atkinson, Cuttino and Mohler added four apiece. Purdue outblocked the Buckeyes 13 to 5.
In the backcourt, freshman Natalie Haben led the way with 19 digs. Redshirt junior setter Ashley Evans posted 14 digs to go with her 44 assists. Junior Azariah Stahl added 10 digs, while sophomore Brooke Peters chipped in eight. Purdue posted 61 digs to OSU's 59.
Ohio State served up seven aces to Purdue's three and had 70 kills to the Boilermakers' 63.
In the decisive fifth set, Purdue hit at a .550 clip, while OSU hit .310. Cuttino and Atkinson had three kills apiece. The Boilermakers took a 7-4 lead to start the stanza as four players put down kills. Purdue led 8-6 at the changeover, but Ohio State scored three straight to go up 9-8 and force a Boilermaker timeout. Purdue scored three of the next four to go ahead 11-10. Down 13-12, Purdue got a kill from Mohler and a Buckeye miscue to set up a match-point chance at 14-13. OSU called timeout and scored the next two out of the breakto earn the first of four match-point chances. Purdue answered each, tying the score at 15, 16 and 17, but a kill and a block ended the match at 19-17 for Ohio State.
Ohio State jumped ahead 14-9, prompting a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers scored six of the next eight out of the break, including a pair of kills by Evans. A Cuttino putaway forced an OSU timeout at 16-15. The Buckeyes scored eight of the next 10 to go up 24-17. Purdue cut the margin to three at 24-21, thwarting four set point attempts, with a kill by Shavona Cuttino, a stuff by Adelaja and Atkinson and an ace by Mohler. Ohio State took a timeout and came back with a kill to win the set 25-21. Atkinson and Cuttino downed three kills apiece in the set.
The Boilermakers led Set 2 nearly wire to wire, going up 4-2 early and leading by as many as six en route to a 25-19 win. Cuttino pounded down seven kills and Atkinson added four as Purdue outhit the Buckeyes .438 to .212. Four players tallied kills as the Boilermakers went up 8-4. Cuttino chipped in three more putaways and a block to lift Purdue to a 14-9 edge. Ohio State made it a three-point game at 14-11, but the Boilermakers answered with three straight points, including two by Atkinson, and six of the next nine to go up 20-14. OSU was within four at 22-18, but Purdue ended the set with kills by Atkinson, Stahl and Adelaja.
Purdue jumped out to a 9-2 lead in Set 3 and never looked back in a 25-16 win. The Boilermakers outhit OSU .320 to .054 in the stanza, which featured three kills and two blocks each from Mohler and Cuttino. Ohio State was plagued by 10 hitting errors in the set. OSU took a timeout down 5-1 and an ace by Peters forced the second Buckeye timeout at 13-6. Kills by Adelaja, Mohler and Cuttino and an ace by Haben made it 20-10. Purdue led by 10 again at 23-13. OSU scored three straight to prompt a Boilermaker timeout. A Stahl kill and Buckeye error clinched the set at 25-16 after the break.
The teams split the first 20 points of Set 4 with neither leading by more than two, but Ohio State closed the stanza with a 5-2 run for a 25-20 win. OSU went up 12-10 prompting a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers scored three straight out of the break, including two Cuttino kills, to make it 13-12. The Buckeyes took a timeout and scored eight of the next 11 to go up 20-16. A block by Evans and Adelaja cut the margin to two at 20-18, but Ohio State ended the set to extend the match. Cuttino put down four kills in the set and the Boilermakers added four stuffs.
The Boilermakers (18-13, 8-12 B1G) now await their postseason fate, which will be announced at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPNU.