Sept. 10, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Purdue continued its undefeated streak with a 3-0 sweep of Coastal Carolina Saturday evening. The Boilermakers moved to 8-0 en route to the GlaxoSmithKline Classic tournament title with the 30-14, 30-19, 30-20 win.
Game 1 began with ties at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Coastal Carolina took leads at 2-1, 3-2 and 5-4, but Purdue turned that around with a 6-0 run to make it 10-5 in favor of the Boilermakers. Purdue put up three blocks in the rally as well as a service ace by sophomore Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.). Coastal pulled within four at 11-7, but that sparked a 14-4 Boilermaker rally to make the score 25-11. Five different players tallied kills during the run. A hitting error stopped the run, but Purdue picked up with a 3-0 run including a pair of kills by senior Leah Wischmeier (Brownstown, Ind.) to make it 28-12. The teams traded the next four points, including two service errors, but freshman Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) closed the game with a kill to give the Boilermakers the 30-14 win. Purdue hit .419 in the stanza and put up four blocks, while holding Coastal to a -.025 hitting effort.
The Boilermakers started Game 2 with a 5-1 run, including four straight Coastal hitting errors. The Chanticleers tallied three straight points on two kills and a block to cut the Purdue lead to 5-4. A 4-0 Purdue run followed, featuring a kill by senior Marie Franke (Ballwin, Mo.) and an ace by junior Melanie Ukovich (Minooka, Ill.). A kill from redshirt junior Lindsay Shondell (Muncie, Ind.) and an ace from junior Brittany Dildine (West Lafayette, Ind.) made it 11-7. CCU then scored two in a row, before 9-4 Boilermaker run ensued. Senior Sarah Vitali (St. Charles, Ill.) recorded four kills and freshman Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) added two en route to the 20-11 score. An ace by Ukovich pushed the margin to 10 at 25-15. Coastal scored four of the next six points to make it 27-19, but a pair of Miller kills and a Chanticleer hitting error sealed the 30-19 win. Purdue hit .458 in the game, while serving up four aces, three by Ukovich.
Purdue finished out the sweep with a 30-20 win in Game 3. Vitali scored the first point of the game, then Ukovich added another ace to her tally to make it 3-1. Kills by Franke and Lynch made it 5-2, but Coastal stayed close, cutting the Boilermaker lead to one at 9-8. Purdue used a 3-0 run including an ace by Vitali to make it 12-8. The Chanticleers pulled within two at 17-15, sparking a 11-2 Purdue run. Four different players had kills in the stretch. Ukovich and Lynch each tallied two, while Franke and Dildine also added to the tally. Lynch also tallied two blocks, one solo in the rally. Coastal scored two straight points on Boilermaker miscues to make it 28-19. A Franke kill set up Purdue's first match-point attempt at 29-19. A kill by Katherine Jensen-Spencer thwarted the effort, but a kill by Miller capped the 30-20 victory. Lynch and Miller each tallied four kills as Purdue hit .419 for the game.
"I appreciated the way our team responded after coming into play Coastal Carolina after playing two tough opponents," head coach Dave Shondell said. "They played with good intensity and a high level of play. We put a smaller lineup on the floor for Games 2 and 3, putting Lindsay (Shondell) and Kelli (Miller) in the front row, but I thought we also had a good defensive lineup. Even with the group we had on the floor, we had three Fab 50 players in Franke, Lynch and Miller on the court. I thought they played well."
Miller led Purdue with eight kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Ukovich put up seven kills, Franke followed with six and Wischmeier, Vitali and Lynch each added five. Twelve of the 13 players who saw action registered at least one kill. The Boilermakers hit .430 for the match. Ukovich also served up a career-high five aces.
Mastandrea led the Boilermaker defense with nine digs, while Lynch posted a team-best five blocks.
Senior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.) was named MVP of the GlaxoSmithKline Classic, while Mastandrea and Merlau received all-tournament team nods.
The Boilermakers (8-0) return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they take on Ohio on the first day of Purdue's Mortar Board Premier. Mortar Board action begins at 5 p.m. when No. 16 Tennessee takes on Xavier.
"We are improving, making progress," Shondell said. "You put together your schedule make your team improve throughout the season. You try to keep your team focused, challenged and getting better. We have a lot of options, but we must continue to get better to compete in the rigors of the Big Ten."