Nov. 12, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - No. 19 Ohio State used a stout blocking effort to edge the No. 14 Purdue volleyball team 3-2 Saturday night. The Buckeyes won the match 30-24, 30-24, 24-30, 22-30, 15-11.
The deciding fifth game was a back and forth battle from the start as the teams tied at 1, 2, 3 and 4, before the Buckeyes managed a 6-4 lead. Purdue answered with five of the next six points, including four on kills by freshman Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) to go up 9-7. Ohio State then posted a 4-0 run of its own to go up 11-9. A kill by Lynch stopped the run, but the Buckeyes tallied three more points after the break. A kill by freshman Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) stopped the rally at 14-11, but a Purdue hitting error gave Ohio State the 15-11 victory.
Purdue used a service ace by junior Brittany Dildine (West Lafayette, Ind.), a block by sophomore Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.), a kill by sophomore Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) and two OSU miscues to take a 5-1 lead to start the match. The Buckeyes cut the points margin to one at 7-6, then tied the score at 8-8. That started a string of seven ties last at 15-15. Ohio State went up 19-15 with five straight points. Purdue cut the deficit to two four times, last at 25-23 on a kill by freshman Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.), but the Buckeyes scored five of the last six points to take the 30-24 win. Mader tallied five kills in the stanza.
The teams tied at 1, 2, 3, and 4, before the Boilermakers took an 8-5 lead with four of the next five points, including kills by Jacques and Dildine. The Buckeyes pulled within one on four occasions, last at 12-11, but senior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.) chalked up a solo block and back-to-back aces to give Purdue a 15-11 advantage. Ohio State fought back to tie the score at 15, but the Boilermakers answered with four straight points, including an ace by Dildine, to make it 19-15. The Buckeyes then scored seven straight to turn the deficit into a 22-19 lead. An OSU service error and a kill by Mader made it a one-point game, but Ohio State would not relinquish the lead, instead boosting it to four at 25-21. An ace by Miller made it 26-24, but OSU used a 4-0 run including an ace of its own to earn the 30-24 win. Jacques recorded four kills in the game.
Purdue led Game 3 from start to finish, allowing the Buckeyes to tie the score only at 1-1. The Boilermakers led 5-3 after a pair of kills by Merlau, then upped their advantage to five at 10-5 on a kill by Dargan. Down 12-7, Ohio State used a 4-0 run to make it a one-point game at 12-11, but Purdue held strong. The Buckeyes made it 14-13 moments later, prompting a 5-0 Boilermaker rally, including three OSU errors, which pushed the score to 19-13. Purdue raised the margin to seven at 23-16 on an ace by freshman Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.). OSU fought to within four at 25-21, but Purdue scored three of the next four to make it 28-22. A Merlau kill gave Purdue the 30-24 win. Merlau posted nine kills in the stanza.
After a tie at 1-1, the Boilermakers owned at least a one-point advantage for the rest of Game 4, raising the point margin to 10 at one point. Purdue led 19-14, then scored four of the next five points on kills by Mader, Jacques and Merlau to make it an eight point game at 23-15. After a one-serve pause, Purdue added three more points, including two on Buckeye miscues, to make it 26-16. The teams split the next six points leading to a 29-19 score. The Buckeyes held off three Boilermaker game point attempts, before a Merlau kill sealed the 30-22 victory for Purdue. Merlau added six kills to her tally, while Mader posted five.
Merlau led the Boilermakers with 20 kills, while Mader and Jacques each added 15 and Lynch tallied 13. Sophomore Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.) pulled up 20 digs to lead the Purdue defense.
The Boilermakers (21-6, 10-6 Big Ten) return to action Wednesday night when they take on Illinois in Champaign, Ill.