Sept. 17, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team, now 10-0, used a strong and diverse offensive stand to push past Xavier in three games on Saturday morning. Purdue posted a .410 hitting percentage, while three players tallied double-digit kill totals, en route to the 30-25, 30-21, 30-25 win.
The Boilermakers kicked off Day 2 action at the Mortar Board Premier with a 7-0 run to begin Game 1 against the Musketeers. Freshman Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) served all of the points, while freshman Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) and sophomore Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.) combined for five kills in the stretch. Xavier cut the point margin to four at 9-5, but Purdue responded with six of the next eight points to go up by eight at 15-7 on a service ace by junior Melanie Ukovich (Minooka, Ill.). Sophomore Annie Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.) also served up an ace during the run. Xavier pulled within five on three occasions, but the Boilermaker lead grew to seven at 21-14 on a kill by Merlau. The Musketeers scored four of the next five to make it a 22-18 game. Kills by sophomore Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.), Jacques and Miller followed pushing the lead back to seven and forcing an Xavier timeout. The teams traded the next six points out of the break leading to a 28-21 score. XU scored four of the next five points, thwarting a pair of Purdue game-point attempts, before a kill by Miller capped the game at 30-25. Merlau posted seven kills in the stanza.
Xavier took its first lead of the match at 1-0 in Game 2, but it was short-lived as Purdue rattled off five straight points to go up 5-1. Jacques, Lynch tallied kills in the stretch, while senior Marie Franke (Ballwin, Mo.) put down both a kill and a solo block. Up three at 7-4, the Boilermakers added to their lead with three straight points, two on kills by Miller. Xavier answered with a 3-0 run of its own. Purdue led 12-8 moments later, but the Musketeers would not go away, instead scoring four of the next five points to pull within one at 13-12. Up 16-14, Lynch, Miller and junior Brittany Dildine (West Lafayette, Ind.) accounted for four kills to push the lead to five at 20-15. The lead teetered between three and five over the next eight serves, leading to a 23-20 score. The Boilermakers put up five straight points on kills by Franke, Jacques and Lynch to make it 28-20. After a one-point pause, a kill by senior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.) and a Musketeer hitting error gave Purdue the 30-21 win. Miller tallied six kills and Franke added five in the game as Purdue hit .588, with just two errors on 34 swings.
Purdue owned an early 5-2 lead in Game 3, but Xavier quickly turned the tables, taking a 7-6 lead of its own minutes later. The Boilermakers tied the score at 7-7, but the Musketeers maintained control pushing their lead to 9-7 with a pair of kills. Purdue used a kill from Jacques and a block by Dargan and senior Sarah Vitali (St. Charles, Ill.) to tie it up at 9-9, before taking the lead on an XU hitting error. Xavier rebounded, however, to retake the lead at 11-10 on a service ace by Carley Horvath. The Musketeers held Purdue at bay, leading by as many as three. Down 17-15, Purdue scored six straight points to turn the deficit into a 21-17 advantage. Franke, Dargan, Jacques and Merlau all got in on the offensive effort. Xavier cut the point margin to two on four occasions, the last at 25-23, which prompted a 4-0 run by the Boilermakers, including three points off of XU errors. Facing a match-point attempt, the Musketeers responded with a kill and a service ace by Kate Duchek. A kill by Miller finally sealed the Boilermaker sweep with a 30-25 win. Franke posted six kills in the game as Purdue hit .359.
Miller led the Boilermakers on both sides of the ball, with a 13-kill, 13-dig double-double, her second of the season, on a career-best .522 hitting effort. Franke and Jacques each added 11 kills to the team's totals. Franke posted a career-best .688 hitting percentage in the match. Mastandrea also reached double-digits in digs with 12.
Purdue hit .410 in the match to Xavier's .283 effort.
The Boilermakers (10-0)wrap up the Mortar Board Premier with a 7 p.m. contest against No. 16 Tennessee.