Oct. 5, 2007
Madison, Wis. - The No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers proved to be too strong for the Purdue volleyball team, posting a 3-0 sweep Friday night. The Badgers won the match 30-25, 30-23, 30-19.
Junior Danita Merlau led the Purdue offense with 12 kills, while senior Samantha Mader and junior Stephanie Lynch added eight and seven respectively. Sophomore Carrie Gurnell also contributed six kills to the cause.
Defensively, senior Anne Mastandrea led the Boilermakers with nine digs, while junior Kelli Miller and Merlau pulled up dig tallies of seven and six respectively. Freshman Kristen Arthurs led Purdue at the net with three blocks, including a solo effort.
Wisconsin took an early 7-3 lead in Game, but the Boilermakers scored seven of the next 10 points to go up 11-10. Miller served up an ace during the stretch, which was capped by a 4-0 run. The teams tied at 11 and 12, before UW managed a 10-3 run to take a seven-point lead at 22-15. Down by seven at 28-21, Purdue mounted a comeback effort. The Boilermakers scored four of the next five points and held off two Badger game-point attempts to narrow the margin to four at 29-25. A kill by Brittney Dolgner, however, sewed up the 30-25 win for Wisconsin. Merlau and Mader each tallied four kills in the stanza for Purdue.
The teams split the first 10 points of Game 2. The Badgers led briefly at 7-5, but Purdue responded with a 4-0 run, including kills from Mader and Merlau, to take a two-point lead at 9-7. Purdue continued on to a 17-15 advantage, before Wisconsin took over with six straight points, turning the deficit into a 21-17 lead. The Badgers boosted their lead to nine at 29-20, but a kill by Merlau and a pair of Wisconsin miscues kept the game going. A kill by Taylor Reineke sealed the 30-23 UW win.
The Badgers led Game 3 from start to finish, save a tie at 3-3. Wisconsin led 7-3 early on and maintained at least a two-point lead from that point on, en route to the 30-19 win. Merlau posted five kills during the stanza for the Boilermakers.
The Boilermakers (9-7, 2-3 Big Ten) return to action on Monday, Oct. 8, when they take on the Illinois Fighting Illini at 8 p.m. EST. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network.