Oct. 14, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The third time was the charm for the Purdue volleyball team, as it knocked off its first Top 10 opponent in three tries with a 3-1 win over No. 9 Minnesota Friday night. The Boilermakers chalked up their first regular season win over a Top 10 team since 1990 with the 16-30, 30-24, 30-24, 30-27 victory. Purdue had previously taken No. 4 Penn State and No. 8 Wisconsin to five games in 2005.
Minnesota went up 6-2 early in Game 1. Purdue kept the Gophers close, pulling to within two at 8-6 on kills by sophomore Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) and freshman Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.). The Golden Gophers recorded 11 of the next 12 points to take a 19-9 advantage. A kill by freshman Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) ended a six-point UM run. A four-hits violation and a kill by Mader made it 20-13, but Minnesota upped its margin to 10 at 23-13. UM scored seven of the last 10 points in the stanza en route to a 30-16 win. Mader and Lynch each put down four kills in the game.
Purdue took its first lead of the night at 2-1 in Game 2. An ace by senior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.) made it 4-2, but the Gophers tied the score at 4-4. The knot-up prompted a 4-0 Boilermaker run, including a pair of aces by junior Brittany Dildine (West Lafayette, Ind.). Minnesota was within four again at 11-7, but Purdue rattled off four straight points on a kill by freshman Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) and a pair of blocks by Lynch. The Gophers made it a six-point game at 15-9, but kills by Lynch and Merlau pushed the margin back to eight. Minnesota cut the margin to five at 20-15, but Purdue answered with a pair of points off UM errors. The Boilermakers pushed their lead to nine at 26-17 after a kill by Lynch and a block by Lynch and Dargan. The Gophers would not go away, cutting the Purdue lead to four at 26-22 and 27-23. A solo block by Dargan and a UM net violation set up Purdue's first attempt at the game. A Kelly Bowman kill thwarted the effort, but a Gopher service error gave the Boilermakers the 30-24 win. Lynch added four kills in the game, while Dargan and Lynch each tallied four blocks.
A pair of Minnesota miscues put Purdue up 2-0 to begin Game 3. The Gophers tied the score at two and three, before a kill by Merlau and another Gopher error made it 5-3 Boilermakers. The teams tied again at 5-5, sparking a 7-1 Boilermaker run. Jacques posted an ace during the run, while Dargan and Mader tallied kills. Purdue pushed its lead to eight at 17-9 after kills by Lynch, Miller and Merlau. A kill by Miller and an ace by Dargan made it 19-10. The Gophers pulled within eight three times last at 21-13, but Purdue answered with a 4-0 run, including two kills and a block by Lynch. Minnesota responded with a 4-0 run of its own to make it 25-17. The teams split the next six points to make it 28-20. A kill by Merlau set up Purdue's first game-point attempt at 29-20. A block and two hitting miscues thwarted three attempts, before a kill by Mader sealed the game at 30-24. Merlau posted five kills, while Lynch, Dargan and Miller each added four in the stanza.
A block and two kills by Dargan gave Purdue at 3-2 lead to kick off the fourth game. Minnesota tied the score at 4-4, but kills by Mader, Miller and Lynch made it 7-4 Boilermakers. The Gophers hung around, tying the score at nine, 10, 11, 12 and 13. A block by senior Sarah Vitali (St. Charles, Ill.) and Miller and a UM miscue put Purdue up 15-13, but Minnesota tied it up at 16. The Boilermakers then posted a 4-1 run, including a block by Lynch and Merlau and three Minnesota errors, to make it 20-17. The Gophers responded with a 4-1 run of its own to make it 21-21. The teams tied at 22 and 23, before Purdue used kills by Mader and Miller to take a two-point lead at 25-23. A kill by Lynch and an ace by Miller pushed the score to 27-24. A Boilermaker net violation made it 28-26, but a Merlau kill gave Purdue its first chance at the match. A kill by Meredith Nelson kept the game going, but Merlau put the final nail in the coffin with a kill to give Purdue the 30-27 win. Lynch, Merlau and Mader each put down four kills in the game.
Lynch led all hitters with 16 kills, followed by Merlau and Mader with 14 and 12 respectively. Dargan and Dildine each served up two aces. Sophomore Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.) pulled up a team-best 21 digs, while Miller added 13. Dargan chalked up seven blocks, while Lynch added six.
Purdue's last regular season Top 10 win came when the team toppled No. 7 Illinois on Sept. 19, 1990. The Boilermakers last overall Top 10 victory came as the team downed No. 9 Colorado State on Dec. 2, 2004 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Boilermakers (15-3, 4-3 Big Ten) return to action at 8 p.m. Saturday, when they take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (13-7, 3-4 Big Ten).