Dec. 5, 2008
Final Stats | Quotes | Match Action 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 17 Boilermaker volleyball squeaked past Louisville in what has become typical fashion, topping the Cardinals in five sets Friday to advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. Purdue moved to 10-1 in five-set matches with the 25-22, 21-25, 29-27, 23-25, 16-14 win, including each of their last three contests. The Boilermakers are now 25-8 on the season, reaching the 25-win milestone for just the second time since 1985 (34-4). Purdue went 25-9 in 2005 including a Sweet 16 appearance.
A balanced and efficient offensive attack guided the Boilermakers as five players posted double-digit kill tallies and the team managed a .318 hitting effort. Senior Stephanie Lynch led the way with 15 putaways, while also tacking on a match-high 10 blocks. Junior Carrie Gurnell and senior Danita Merlau chipped in 12 kills apiece. Redshirt sophomore Lisa Pierce added a career-high 11 putdowns, while sophomore Kristen Arthurs contributed 10.
Sophomore setter Jaclyn Hart nearly pulled off a triple-double adding eight kills to her 51-assist and 14-dig tallies. Defensively, senior Kelli Miller racked up a match-high 23 digs, while Merlau added seven. Miller also served up three aces, while Pierce added two perfect serves.
"I feel very fortunate to sit in this spot after that exciting match tonight," head coach Dave Shondell said. "I was very surprised when I saw the draw and found out we had to play a team of Louisville's magnitude; one who had won 12 straight matches, won the Big East Tournament and was playing very good volleyball. We need every minute this week to prepare for them.
"I was very proud of our volleyball team and the way they hung in there tonight. It was a great team effort. We won a lot of statistical categories, but our team played with a lot of heart and beat a very good volleyball team tonight."
The teams split the first eight points of the deciding fifth set, but Purdue scored four of the next five to go up 8-5 at the changeover. A pair of Cardinal hitting errors, a block by Lynch and Gurnell and a Lynch putaway accounted for the Boilermaker points. Louisville would not go down easy, instead tying the score at eight moments later after two blocks and an ace. The teams traded points over the next 10 serves, tying at each point nine through 13. Purdue held a 13-12 advantage, forcing a U of L timeout. The Cardinals scored two straight after the break to earn an opportunity at match point. Lynch and Hart teamed up for a block to thwart the effort and even the score at 14. Gurnell slammed the next point to the floor to put the Boilermakers in the driver's seat. Lecia Brown gave Purdue the final point as she sliced the ball out of bounds for her first hitting error of the night. Purdue hit .294 in the set, while holding Louisville to a .083 effort.
The match was a back-and-forth battle from the start as the team tied eight times in the opening set. The Boilermakers broke the game open with a 5-0 run including a pair of Merlau kills and a block to go up 15-10. Louisville cut the margin to one at 18-17, but Purdue held strong, pushing its advantage to three at 20-17 with a Gurnell kill and a UofL hitting miscue. The teams eventually tied at 22, before Purdue scored three straight and capped the 25-22 win on an ace by Pierce.
The Boilermakers led 7-4 in the early part of set two, but Louisville charged back to tie the score at 10. The Cardinals then score four of the next six, including an ace to take a 14-12 lead of their own. Purdue fought back, tying the score at 15 and 16, but soon trailed by five at 22-17. Kills from Gurnell and Arthurs and a block by Pierce and Lynch narrowed the gap to three at 23-20, but Louisville took the set 25-21. The Cardinals outblocked the Boilermakers 4-2 in the set, while also serving up four aces and allowing none.
Louisville carried the momentum into the third set, going ahead 10-6 to start the stanza. Purdue chipped away, tying the score at 12 and 13 as Hart downed two kills and sophomore Jessica Ullrich added an ace. The Cardinals led by four again at 18-14, but the Boilermakers turned things around with a 6-1 run. Gurnell and Arthurs tallied two kills apiece in the stretch which put Purdue on top 20-19. It was Louisville, however, that got the first chance at the set, going up 24-23. The Boilermakers thwarted that effort and two more, tying the score at 26 and getting a shot of their own at 27-26. A Cardinal kill knotted the set for the 14th time, but an Arthurs kill and an ace by Miller sealed the 30-28 win for Purdue. The Boilermakers were bested in nearly every statistical category in the set win.
The Cardinals were determined to the send the match to a fifth set and led set four from start to finish, save ties at 1-1 and 4-4. Louisville led by as many as six at 13-7, but Purdue cut the deficit to one at 18-17 thanks to two Lynch putaways and four Cardinal miscues. The advantage teetered between three at one for the remainder of the stanza. A Miller ace made it 22-21, but Louisville had its first shot at the set at 24-21. A service error and an ace by Pierce made it 24-23, but a putaway by Jana Matiasovska forced the fifth set.
The Boilermakers (25-8) return to action at 5 p.m. when they will take on Middle Tennessee State (27-7) with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Tickets are still available for the event.