Nov. 11, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - No. 3 Penn State spoiled No. 14 Purdue's bid for an upset with a 3-0 win in front of a standing-room only crowd of 2,151 Friday night. The Nittany Lions won the match by scores of 30-28, 30-22, and 30-18.
The Boilermakers scored the first point of the match on a kill by freshman Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.), but Penn State took a 3-1 lead moments later. Purdue tied the score at 3-3 with a kill by freshman Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) and a block by sophomore Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.) and senior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.). The teams tied again at 5-5, before the Nittany Lions used a 5-0 run to take a 10-5 advantage. The Boilermakers pulled within one at 13-12 after a 7-3 rally that included an ace by junior Brittany Dildine (West Lafayette, Ind.). Purdue tied it up at 14, then took a 17-16 lead on a kill by freshman Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.). The teams tied at 17 and 18, but PSU scored five straight to make it 23-18. Down five at 25-20, Purdue rattled off six points in a row, capped by an ace from Miller. Penn State answered with a 4-0 run of its own to make it 29-26. A kill by Dargan and a block by Jacques and Merlau kept the game going, but a kill by Melissa Walbridge gave the Nittany Lions the 30-28 win.
Penn State took an early 5-2 lead in Game 2, but the Boilermakers fought back to tie the score at 7-7. Purdue's 5-2 rally included kills by Merlau, Jacques, Lynch and sophomore Sam Mader. The Nittany Lions regained the lead at 8-7 and held Purdue at bay, raising the point margin to four at 12-8. An ace by sophomore Annie Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.) and a kill by Jacques cut the margin to one at 12-11. Penn State answered with an 8-3 run to make it 20-14. The Boilermakers pulled within four at 20-16 and 21-17, but could not break through. Kills by Merlau and Mader and a block by Jacques and Miller made it a five-point game at 27-22, but Penn State scored used a kill by Nicole Fawcett and two Boilermaker miscues to take the game at 30-22. Merlau chalked up six kills in the stanza.
The Nittany Lions carried the momentum into the third game, jumping out to a 6-1 lead to begin the stanza. A kill by Mader at 3-1 served as Purdue's lone point early on. Another kill by Mader and a PSU service error made it 7-3, but Penn State boosted their lead to 12-3. PSU scored 14 of the next 20 points to make it 26-9, but Purdue did not back down. Instead, the Boilermakers tallied eight of the last 12 points, and held off four match point attempts, before a service error sealed the Penn State sweep at 30-18. Jacques posted three kills and three blocks in the run.
Jacques and Merlau led the Boilermakers with nine kills each, while Lynch and Mader added seven apiece. Jacques tallied a team-best five blocks, while Mastandrea led the team with 14 digs.
Purdue (21-5, 10-5 Big Ten) looks to rebound against No. 19 Ohio State on Saturday night.