Aug. 25, 2007
DURHAM, N.C. - Senior Sammi Mader recorded her 1,000th-career kill, but the No. 13 Boilermaker volleyball could not overcome No. 18 Duke in the title match of the Duke Invitational. The Blue Devils won their 34th-straight home match by scores of 30-32, 30-21, 30-20 and 30-26.
Junior Danita Merlau (New Palestine, Ind.) led Purdue with 18 kills, while also racking up a career-best 20 digs. Junior Stephanie Lynch (New Albany, Ind.) followed with 12 kills, while three other players were near double digits. Junior Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) posted nine kills to go with her 14-dig effort, while sophomore Carrie Gurnell (Katy, Texas) and Mader each added eight.
"We certainly could have played better, but Duke is quite honestly a better team than we are right now this early in the season on their court," head coach Dave Shondell said. "They are better blockers and better hitters than we are right now and they haven't lost on their home court since 2004. We weren't marvelous, but that is why we play a non-conference schedule like this, so that you can learn something and find out what we need to work on against a quality opponent."
Senior Anne Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill) pulled up 29 digs to lead the Boilermaker defense. Merlau, sophomore setter Sam Gray (Indianapolis, Ind.) and junior Kelli Miller (Muncie, Ind.) followed with 20, 16 and 14 respectively. Mastandrea and Merlau earned all-tournament team honors for the efforts on the weekend.
Trailing two games to one, Purdue put up a valiant effort in trying to overcome a late deficit, but could not. The Boilermakers led 8-6, but Duke used a 4-0 run to take a 10-8 advantage of its own. Three straight points put Purdue back on top 11-10, but the Blue Devils scored eight of the next 11 to make it 18-14 and prompt a Boilermaker timeout. Purdue scored three straight out of the break, including an ace by Merlau, but Duke raised the point margin to eight at 27-19. Back-to-back kills by Mader, including the milestone putdown, sparked a 7-1 Boilermaker run, which cut the Blue Devil lead to 28-26. A kill and a block sealed the upset win for Duke at 30-26. Mader racked up five kills in the final stanza, while Miller added four.
The Boilermakers took a 13-7 lead to begin Game 1. Five different hitters posted kills and sophomore Sam Gray (Indianapolis, Ind.) served up back-to-back aces during the stretch. Duke turned the tables, however, with a 10-3 rally, which put the Blue Devils on top 17-16. Purdue regained the lead with a 5-0 run, which included a pair of kills from Miller and a solo block by Lynch. Duke would not go away, however, tying the score at 23. From there, the Boilermakers managed six of the next eight points to set up game-point at 29-25. The Blue Devils held Purdue at bay with a 5-0 run to give Duke its first shot at the game at 30-29. A kill by Lynch thwarted the effort, then a Duke hitting miscue and a block by Lynch and freshman Kristen Arthurs (Newport, Mich.) sewed up the 32-30 win for Purdue. Lynch and Merlau each posted five kills in the stanza.
Purdue carried the momentum into Game 2, earning four of the first five points.The Boilermakers maintained a small lead until the 9-8 mark, when Duke rattled off three straight points to go up 11-9. Trailing by three at 15-12, Purdue managed four straight points to regain the lead at 16-15. Gurnell posted back-to-back kills, then Merlau added another before a Duke miscue put the Boilermakers on top. The Blue Devils displayed their dissatisfaction with a 12-3 run of their own to make it 27-19. A kill by Jacques stopped the bleeding, but a Duke kill made it 29-20. A solo block by Merlau held off Duke's first attempt at the game, but it was not to be as another kill wrapped up the game.
The Blue Devils led Game 3 from start to finish. The Boilermakers trailed 6-0 and pulled to within two at 10-8, but could not push through. Duke led by as many as 10 at 27-17 and was content to trade the final six points with Purdue to close out the game 30-20.
The Boilermakers return to action on Friday, when they return home to Belin Court to take on Dayton in their first match of the Mortar Board Purdue Premier.