Aug. 24, 2007
DURHAM, N.C. - It took four games, but the No. 13 Purdue volleyball team managed to ‎shut down the reigning Big South Champion Winthrop Eagles, 30-18, 30-27, 28-30, 30-‎‎15 Friday afternoon to open the 2007 season and the Duke Invitational.‎
Senior Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.) led the Purdue defense with a career-high ‎tying 31 digs, which is the most ever for a Boilermaker player in a four-game match. The ‎mark surpasses Becky Kanitz's previous four match high of 29. Junior Kelli Miller ‎‎(Muncie, Ind.) added 18 digs and two aces, while junior Danita Merlau (New Palestine, ‎Ind.) and freshman Jaclyn Hart (Palos Hills, Ill.) pulled up 16 and 11 respectively. ‎
Junior Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) racked up a career-high 24 kills to lead all ‎hitters, while also adding a team-best seven blocks. Junior Danita Merlau (New Palestine, ‎Ind.) and senior Samantha Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) followed with 12 kills each. Merlau ‎paired her putdowns with a career-best 16 digs to mark the eighth double double of her ‎career.‎
Ten different players took the court for Purdue in the opening stanza, during which the ‎Boilermakers overcame an early deficit en route to a 30-18 win. Mader led the team with five kills in the game, while Mastandrea added 11 digs. After trailing 2-1, the Boilermakers scored four of ‎the next five points, including kills by freshman Kristen Arthurs (Newport, Mich.) and ‎senior Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.). After a tie at 7-7, Purdue upped its advantage to ‎seven at 15-8 as sophomore setter Sam Gray (Indianapolis, Ind.) slammed down a kill. ‎The Boilermakers led by 10 at 23-13, and closed out the game with a 6-1 run capped by a ‎block by Lynch and Merlau. ‎
‎"We played two pretty good games and we were pretty emotionless in the other two," ‎head coach Dave Shondell said. "We want our team to play with passion like they did in ‎game four when there was a sense of urgency. I think our team learned something from ‎tonight's match, something they might not have done had we steamrolled a team 3-0. It is ‎a good win, but we have 30 more tough matches ahead."‎
The Eagles took an 8-5 lead to begin Game 2. Kills by Mader and Lynch drew the ‎Boilermakers to within one and the team continued to chip away, tying the score at 12-12 ‎on an ace by Merlau. Winthrop built its lead back to three at 15-12, but Purdue tallied ‎eight of the next 10 points to turn the deficit into a three-point advanatage of its own at ‎‎20-17. Three different hitter registered kills during the stretch, which also featured a pair ‎of blocks by Merlau and Lynch. The Eagles cut the margin to one at 27-26, but a ‎Winthrop hitting error and kills by Merlau and sophomore Carrie Gurnell (Katy, Texas) ‎sealed the win. ‎
Lynch chalked up eight kills in Game 3, but it was not enough to lead Purdue to a sweep. ‎The Boilermakers hit just .157 in the stanza and lost a race to five points after a tie at 25-‎‎25. Winthrop took a 10-6 lead prompting a Purdue timeout, after which the Boilermakers ‎scored 12 of the next 15 points including a 7-0 run. A kill by Miller pulled Purdue within two at 12-10. She then served up six straight points, including ‎an ace, to give the team an 18-13 lead. The Eagles fought back, however, with a 9-2 run ‎to go up 22-20. The Boilermakers managed a tie at 25-25 and held off two Winthrop ‎game point attempts, but fell 30-28. ‎
Winthrop scored the first point of Game 4, but it was all Boilermakers after that as the ‎team raced out to an 11-5 lead. The Eagles narrowed the gap to three at 14-11, but Purdue ‎answered with 13 of the next 16 points including a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach at ‎‎27-14. Gray served up an ace, while Miller, Lynch and Mader did the damage at the net. ‎A kill by Preseason Big South Player of the Year Shannon Sitzmann slowed the ‎Boilermakers momentarily, but back-to-back kills by Lynch set up match point for ‎Purdue. Merlau delivered on the opportunity with her 12th kill of the night, to go with her ‎career high 16-dig effort.‎
Purdue topped Winthrop in every major statistical category, including blocks (12-4) and ‎hitting percentage (.253 to .087). ‎
The Boilermakers return to action at noon Saturday when they take on the East Carolina ‎Pirates. The match will be aired live on WSHY 1410 AM and on purduesports.com. Live ‎stats are available at goduke.com. ‎