Nov. 4, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - A feisty Northwestern team snapped No. 15 Purdue's nine match conference win streak by pulling out a five-game heartbreaker over the Boilermakers Friday night. The Wildcats overcame a 2-0 deficit to manage the 28-30, 20-30, 30-26, 30-27, 15-12 victory.
The Wildcats opened the deciding fifth game with a 3-0 run. Purdue rallied to tied the score at 6-6 behind kills from Merlau and Mader and a block by Jacques and Miller. The teams tied at 7-7, but Northwestern owned an 8-7 lead at the break. After switching sides, Purdue regained the lead at 9-8 with a kill by Dargan and a solo block by Merlau, prompting a Northwestern timeout. Purdue owned a 10-9 lead after a NU ball handling error, but the Wildcats scored two in a row on a Boilermaker service error and a block by Paulus to take an 11-10 lead. A kill by Merlau tied the score, but Northwestern put up three in a row to make it 14-11. A Merlau kill kept Purdue alive, but a kill by Brittney Aldridge gave the Wildcats the upset win.
Purdue took a 4-2 lead to begin the match, putting up a pair of blocks and a kill by freshman Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) in the opening moments. Northwestern rallied to take a 5-4 lead, but the Boilermakers strung together nine of the next 10 points to make it 13-6 in their favor. A block by senior Sarah Vitali (St. Charles, Ill.) and freshman Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) capped the run, while senior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.) and junior Brittany Dildine (West Lafayette, Ind.) served up aces in the stretch. Northwestern pulled within one at 13-12 with a 6-0 run of its own. Purdue stopped the rally with points off a kill by sophomore Sam Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) and an ace by Vitali. The Wildcats finally tied the score at 17-17, starting a string of four ties, last at 22-22. A kill by Mader and a solo block by freshman Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) gave Purdue a small cushion at 24-22, but the teams traded the next six points leading to a 27-25 score. A Boilermaker miscue and a block by Northwestern tied the score at 27. A kill by Merlau and a Wildcat error set up Purdue's first chance at game points at 29-27. An NU kill saved the first effort, but a block by Mader and classmate Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.) sealed the 30-28 win for Purdue. Mader put up six kills in the game.
The Boilermakers took a 3-1 lead to begin the second game, but again Northwestern rallied to take a 5-3 lead. Purdue posted a 3-0 run, including kills by Mader and Miller to regain the lead at 6-5. The teams then tied at six, seven, and eight, before the Wildcats managed a 9-8 lead. The Boilermakers responded with four straight points to go up 12-9. A block by Lynch and kills by Merlau and Miller helped Purdue take the lead. Northwestern hung around, pulling within one at 13-12, but the Boilermakers pulled away by chalking up six of the next eight points to take a 19-14 lead. A service error stopped the run, but Purdue picked up where it left off with seven more points following the miscue. Mader served up two aces, while Miller and Lynch put down kills in the rally. The Boilermakers upped their lead to 12 at 29-17 on a Northwestern service error, but could not close the door right away. Hitting miscues thwarted the team's first three efforts, before a kill by Jacques put the final nail in the game at 30-20. Miller tallied four kills to lead Purdue in the stanza as the Boilermakers outhit Northwestern .294 to .033.
Northwestern took an early 3-1 lead in Game 3 and maintained the advantage, spreading the point margin to four at 13-9. The Boilermakers cut the deficit to one at 16-15 with a 7-3 run. The Wildcats rejected Purdue's chance for a tie, instead pushing their back to four at 20-16. Purdue again battled from behind, using a 3-0 run to make it a one-point game at 21-20 on a kill by Jacques. Northwestern again thwarted the Boilermakers' attempt at a tie and boosted its lead to three at 26-23. A kill by Merlau and an NU miscue made it 27-26. Northwestern then used a pair of kills and a block to keep the match going with a 30-26 win.
Purdue took a 2-1 lead to kick off the third game, but it was shortlived as Northwestern rallied to take a 4-2 advantage. The score remained close, until the Wildcats managed a 5-0 run to push the score to 15-8. The Boilermakers fought back with eight of the next 12 points to make it 19-16. Lynch and Merlau put down kills, while Lynch and Dargan supplied a block in a 5-0 run which capped the effort. Northwestern pushed its advantage to five at 27-22, but Purdue put together four of the next five points to make it 28-26. The Wildcats had their first chance at the game at 29-26, but served it into the net to keep the game going. A kill by Courtnie Paulus sent the match to five games with a 30-27 win.
Merlau led all hitters with 22 kills, while Mader added 19 and Lynch posted 11. Lynch racked up seven blocks, while Mastandrea chalked up 28 digs. Miller added 14 digs and five blocks, while Dildine tallied 12 digs. Lindsay Anderson led the Northwestern charge, while Christie Gardner pulled up 36 digs, marking the first opposing player to chalk up more than 35 digs against Purdue since 1992.
The Boilermakers (20-4, 9-4 Big Ten) look to begin a new win streak when they take on No. 10 Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., Saturday night.