Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Purdue
Purdue Squeaks by Hoosiers in Five-Setter
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Three Hoosiers tallied double-digit kills, led by Erica Short's 17 put-aways. Caitlin Cox was the top dig collector for Indiana, totaling 18 on the night. Lexie Woodson made a big impact in the defensive front-court with her six blocks.
Speaking of Miss Short, she became Indiana University's all-time leader in career kills during the match. She surpassed the previous school record of 1,808 kills set by Christina Archibald from 2001-04.
Much of Indiana's success coming into the match relied on limiting the Purdue middle blockers Stephanie Lynch and Kristen Arthurs. They did just that with Lynch, holding the All-Big Ten performer to just nine kills and a .172 hitting efficiency, but not so with Arthurs and her .474 clip and 12 kills.
Following a 21-25 setback in the opening set, the Cream and Crimson caught fire in set number two. Short and Taylor Wittmer combined to hit .615 in the second stanza, connecting for eight kills on 13 attempts with no errors. The IU defense was also up to the task, forcing the Boilermakers to hit at a minus-.032 pace thanks in large part to five rejections for the Hoosiers. Short, Woodson and Ashley Benson each took part in a pair of blocks. After Purdue snagged the first point of the set, it was all Hoosiers the rest of the way in a 25-13 lambasting.
The third set was exactly what you would expect when two in-state rivals meet in a crucial, late-season match; a tightly-contested slugfest. There was a total of 10 lead changes and the score was tied on 15 different occasions in the third set alone. Neither squad could take a substantial advantage up to the 18-17 mark. That is when the Boilermakers ripped off seven straight points, however, to go head 24-18. A kill by Wittmer ended the run, but Purdue notched the very next point for a 25-19 winner.
The Hoosiers would not go away quietly, picking up ball after ball in the fourth set en route to 21 digs. Hayley Koetter led the charge with eight digs, followed by Cox and her six-dig total in the fourth frame. The offense ran through Short and Kelsey Hall as the duo took a combined 29 attack attempts. Short recorded six kills while Hall put down five balls of her own. Head Coach Sherry Dunbar burned a timeout with the score tied at 21-21 that proved to make a difference. Indiana came out of the huddle poised and refocused, taking four of the next five points for a 25-22 victory. All four points came via the kill.
It was déjà vu inside Holloway Gymnasium with Indiana and Purdue heading to a fifth set for the second time this season. The Boilermakers grabbed the early lead, owning a three-point edge at 5-2. Indiana was then able to knot the score at 7-7 though. Indiana trailed 7-8 as the teams switched ends of the court. The one-point deficit remained moments later after Woodson slapped one down for a 9-10 score. The Hoosiers later fended off two match points, but it was not enough in the end as Purdue snuck out a 15-12 triumph.
Indiana takes the court again Saturday night at 8 p.m. eastern time, taking on #17 Illinois in Champaign. Live audio for that match is available at IUHoosiers.com. The broadcast is scheduled to begin 10 minutes prior to first serve. Matt Taylor will provide the play-by-play duties and Assistant Director of Athletics Communications Kyle Kuhlman offers color commentary.
Players Mentioned
