Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Purdue
IU and Purdue Battle in Five-Set Marathon
9/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 27, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In the first contest of the 2008-09 AT&T Crimson and Gold Cup, the Indiana and #19 Purdue volleyball squads went the distance in a five-set match. The Boilermakers were able to squeeze by in the final set, 15-11. In front of a nearly full-capacity crowd inside University Gym, the Hoosiers came up just short 25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 25-23, 11-15.
"I am really proud of our effort tonight," said Head Coach Sherry Dunbar. "They gave everything they had the whole match, and that's all I can ask for. Sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way."
Four Hoosiers recorded double-digit kills and five players posted 10 or more digs on the night. Short paced IU in the kills department with 23 while Cox's 19 digs were tops on the team and in the match. The Hoosiers picked up 77 digs in the match, compared to just 60 for Purdue.
"Our defense was great," said Dunbar. "To out-dig Purdue, a very, very good defensive team by 17 digs says a lot about our girls' desire to win tonight."
Taylor Wittmer was the star in the opening set, hitting at a .875 pace with seven kills on eight swings. Wittmer's frontcourt mates took care of the defensive edge as Ashley Benson, Mary Chaudoin, Short and Lexie Woodson combined for 4.5 team blocks in the set. Purdue was ahead at 20-18 when the Hoosiers ripped off five straight points for a 23-20 advantage that IU transformed into a 25-23 winner.
The score was flip-flopped in set number two as the Boilermakers grabbed a 25-23 victory. Short began to heat up in the second stanza, however, putting nine kills in stat sheet. Chaudoin was also red-hot in the losing effort, setting up 11 assists in the period. Indiana then fell behind in the third set and couldn't recover as they dropped a 25-19 decision.
Purdue continued to execute well in the early goings of the fourth set, grabbing four of the first five points. Moments later, a big-time swing by Benson brought the packed house to their feet and ignited the Hoosier offensive engine. Indiana stroked 21 kills in the set while hitting .326. Benson and Short tallied seven put-aways and Kelsey Hall chipped in six. Cox and Short were a human vacuum in the IU backcourt, combining for 14 digs in the Hoosiers' 25-23 winner, extending the match to a fifth set.
"Tonight was a step forward for this program," said Dunbar. "We could have given up in that fourth set, but we didn't. The girls played with a lot of passion against a ranked team and were diving all over the floor."
Indiana was able to nab the first two points of the 15-point final frame. Purdue bounced back immediately though with the next three points. When the teams switched ends of the court, the score sat at an 8-7 advantage for the Boilers. Purdue's Stephanie Lynch then took over with five kills down the stretch as the Boilermakers snatched the 15-11 clincher.
The Hoosiers continue Big Ten play on Wednesday as the defending national champion Nittany Lions of Penn State come to town for a 7 p.m. match-up inside University Gym. That match will be nationally broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
