Nov. 26, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The No. 22 Purdue volleyball team put up a valiant effort but could not overcome No. 17 Minnesota Saturday night. The Gophers earned the 30-26, 28-30, 30-27, 30-20 win, as the Boilermakers finish the Big Ten season in fifth place, its best since 1990, with a 12-8 conference mark.
After ties at one and two, Minnesota scored three straight to take a 5-2 lead. The Boilermakers pulled within one at 5-4 after back-to-back Gopher miscues. Purdue trailed by four at 9-5, but a pair of kills by freshman Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) and another by sophomore Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) made it 10-8. Another Merlau kill made it 16-14, but Minnesota posted a 4-0 run to go up six at 20-14. The Boilermakers cut the margin to three at 21-18 on a kill by Mader, but Minnesota scored five of the next eight to make it 26-20. An ace by senior Lauren Berg (Indianapolis, Ind.) made it a three-point game at 27-24. The teams split the next four points leading to a 29-26 score, but a Purdue hitting attempt sailed out of bounds to give the Gophers the game. Merlau tallied six kills in the stanza.
The teams tied seven times to begin Game 2, last at 8-8. A kill by Mader and a Gopher miscue gave Purdue a two-point advantage, but Minnesota answered with three straight points to take an 11-10 lead. The Boilermakers regained the lead at 13-11 after a kill by freshman Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) and another UM miscue. The teams tied at 14 and 15, which prompted a 4-0 run by Purdue including kills by sophomore Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.) and Merlau as well as a block by Jacques and Mader. The Boilermakers took their largest lead of the game at 23-18 after an ace by junior Brittany Dildine (West Lafayette, Ind.) and another Gopher error. That lead evaporated as Minnesota scored seven of the next nine points to tie the score at 25-25. The teams tied at 26 and 27, before the Gophers took the lead at 28-27. A UM hitting error tied the score, before a kill by Mader and a long hit by the Minnesota gave the Boilermakers the 30-28 win to tie the match at a game apiece. Purdue outhit Minnesota .303 to .150 in the stanza.
The Golden Gophers took a 5-2 lead to start the third stanza, but a kill by Lynch and a block by Lynch and freshman Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) cut the lead to one at 5-4. From that point, Minnesota outscored the Boilermakers 13-4 to take a 10 point lead at 18-8. Purdue did not go away, however, slicing the Gopher advantage to six at 21-15 with five straight points including an ace by Miller. Down seven at 28-21, the Boilermakers managed a 5-0 run including a kill by senior Sarah Vitali (St. Charles, Ill.) to make it a two-point game at 28-26. A Megan Bowman kill set up Minnesota's first chance at the game at 29-27, but a Gopher service error kept the game going. A kill by Meghan Cumpston ended Purdue's bid for the come-back win at 30-27.
Purdue fought back from at 3-1 deficit to take a 5-4 lead in Game 4. The teams tied at five, six and seven, before the Gophers used a 4-0 run to go up 11-7. The Boilermakers rallied, pulling within one at 14-13 on a kill by senior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.). Minnesota answered with eight of the next nine points to extend its lead to eight at 22-14, forcing Purdue to call their second timeout of the stanza. A kill by Merlau stopped the run. The teams split the next four points leading to a 24-17 score. The Gophers scored the next four points to make it 28-17, but Purdue did not give up. Merlau tallied a kill and Dildine added an ace to hold off Minnesota. A Boilermaker hitting miscue set up UM's first chance at the match, but a Lynch kill kept hope alive for Purdue. A kill by Athena Mallakis sealed the match with a 30-20 win for the Gophers. Merlau led the Boilermakers with 21 kills, followed by Mader and Lynch who posted 14 and 10 kills respectively. Dildine led Purdue in the backcourt with 15 digs, while Miller posted 14 and Dargan added 10 for her sixth double-double of the season.
The Boilermakers wrap up the regular season with a 23-8 overall record, including a 12-8 mark in the Big Ten, which is good for a fifth-place finish, Purdue's best since 1990. The Boilermakers will learn of their postseason schedule during the NCAA Tournament selection show on ESPN News at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.