Nov. 9, 2007
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - An offense barrage and a strong blocking effort helped the Boilermaker volleyball team to a 3-0 win over Iowa Friday night. Purdue won the match 33-31, 30-14, and 30-20 as four players contributed double-digit kill tallies and the Boilermakers outblocked the Hawkeyes 14-6.
Juniors Stephanie Lynch and Danita Merlau posted 14 kills apiece, while freshman Kristen Arthurs and senior Samantha Mader added 10 each. Arthurs led the team with a career-best .615 hitting percentage with 10 kills in 13 swings, while the Boilermakers hit .347 on the night.
Lynch provided seven blocks, including four solo efforts, while Mader added five stuffs, including three solo efforts. In the back court, junior Kelli Miller posted a match-high 18 digs, while Merlau added nine and senior Anne Mastandrea tallied seven.
The Boilermakers raced out to a 9-3 lead to start Game 1 as Miller and Lynch chalked up aces and Purdue capitalized on Iowa miscues. Purdue boosted its lead to seven at 15-8 on a solo block from sophomore Carrie Gurnell. The Hawkeyes, however, charged back to within one at 16-15. The teams split the next 14 points, before Iowa tied the score at 23-23. The Boilermakers responded with a 4-0 run, including a pair of kills from Lynch and a solo block by Mader, to go up 27-23. Iowa turned the game on its head with a 6-1 scoring rally to set up its first game-point attempt at 29-28. A net violation kept things going. A kill from Arthurs thwarted another game-point attempt at 30-29, then a kill from Merlau put the Boilermakers in control at 31-30. A service error evened the score, but Merlau and Lynch supplied kills to end the game at 33-31 in favor of Purdue. Merlau posted eight putdowns in the stanza, while Lynch added six.
Purdue rebounded from the close call by posting a convincing 30-14 win in Game 2. The Boilermaker block came alive and freshman Jordan Fullove provided a spark from the service line in the game. Purdue posted five blocks en route to a 10-4 lead. The Boilermakers boosted their advantage to 14 at 27-13 on an ace by Mastandrea, and finished the game off at 30-14 after kills from Arthurs and Lynch.
The Boilermakers hit .436 in Game 3 and six different players contributed kills in the 30-21 win. Fullove served up three points, including an ace as Purdue took an early 6-2 lead, but the Hawkeyes cut the margin to two at 7-5. Redshirt freshman Lisa Pierce added two kills and Lynch posted two solo blocks as the Boilermakers built a 19-10 lead. A kill and a block from Iowa slowed Purdue momentarily, but the Hawkeyes could not break through. The Boilermakers led by 12 at 28-16, but Iowa would not give up the fight, scoring three straight on a Laura Kremer kill and two Purdue miscues. Mader and Arthurs countered with kills to seal the game at 30-21. Arthurs tallied five kills on five swings in the final stanza.
Purdue (15-11, 8-7 Big Ten) returns to action at 8 p.m. Saturday when the Minnesota Golden Gophers visit the IAF.