Sept. 7, 2010

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team is back home on the familiar boards of Belin Court this weekend as it plays host to the Active Ankle Challenge. Purdue welcomes Belmont, UConn and Duquesne to West Lafayette for the six-match affair which begins at 10 a.m. Friday.

Multimedia Live stats will be available for all six matches of the Active Ankle Challenge via the GameTracker feature on purduesports.com. Live audio for the Purdue matches will be available on WSHY 1410 AM and on purduesports.com. The free audio broadcasts on the web can be accessed by clicking on the Listen link next to each match.

Live streaming video will be available for all three Purdue matches. The 10 a.m. Friday contest and the 7 p.m. Saturday contest will be streamed live on purduesports.com and will be available as part of the All-Access Pass, which costs $9.95 per month. Click the Watch link on purduesports.com to access these broadcasts.

The 7 p.m. Friday match between Purdue and UConn will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com. A school pass may be purchased at http://video.bigtennetwork.com for $7.95 per month or 64.95 annually. A Conference pass, which allows access to content for all schools is available for $12.95 per month of $99.95 annually.

The Book on the Boilermakers
At First Glance: The Boilermakers (5-1) return home to host their second non-conference tournament of the season on a three-match win streak. The Purdue squad features 10 returning players, including six starters, as well as three redshirt freshmen and two newcomers. Head coach Dave Shondell is in his eighth season with the team.

Last Time Out: Purdue posted a 3-0 mark at the Pitt Invitational in Pittsburgh, Pa., last weekend. The Boilermakers swept Lipscomb and Pittsburgh, before securing the tournament title with a four-set win over Tulane. The victory over Pitt was the 700th in program history.

Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Ariel Turner paces the Boilermaker offense, averaging 4.19 kills per set, to go with her 1.71 digs per set. Middle hitter Tiffany Fisher adds 2.62 kills and 0.81 blocks per set, while hitting .365. Outside hitter Catherine Rebarchak follows with 2.50 kills and 0.80 blocks per set, while boasting a team-best .391 hitting efficiency. Middle blocker Anna Drewry (2.20) and outside hitter Katie Griffin (2.19) also add more than two kills per set. Drewry racks up a team-high 0.93 blocks per stanza, while middle blocker Kristen Arthurs has put up 0.89 stuffs per set.

Defensively, Blair Bashen leads the way with 3.43 digs per set, while also serving up five aces. Defensive specialists Carly Cramer (3.38) and Emily Ehlers (2.86) follow. Cramer also has served up a team-leading five aces. Setter Jaclyn Hart adds 1.72 digs per set, while also dishing out 10.94 assists per stanza. The Boilermakers have outhit opponents .270 to .130.

Series Information
Duquesne (Purdue leads the series 1-0): The Boilermakers took the lone contest in the series with a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 6, 2003, at the Rice Invitational in Houston.

Connecticut: This is the first meeting between the Boilermakers and the UConn Huskies.

Belmont: This is the first meeting between the Boilermakers and the Belmont Bruins.

The Dirt on the Duquesne Dukes
At First Glance: The Duquesne Dukes (5-2) are slated to play a Tuesday contest against Saint Francis (Pa.) before coming to the Active Ankle Challenge. The team returns nine letterwinners, including five starters from the 2009 squad which went 16-14, including a 6-9 mark in Atlantic 10 play. The squad also adds three newcomers to the mix. Head coach Steve Opperman is in his 13th year with the team. Last Time Out: The Dukes posted a 1-2 mark at the Wisconsin InnTower Invitational in Madison last weekend. Duquesne fell to the host Badgers in three sets and to Loyola (Chicago) in four, before wrapping up the tournament with a sweep of Chicago State.

Statistically Speaking: Four Duquesne players are averaging more than two kills per set. Outside hitters Nicole Wright (2.85), Allison Foschia (2.71) and Sara Scheirman (2.64) and middle blocker Liz Homan (2.26) make up the group. Homan is hitting at a team-best .336 clip and paces the team at the net with 1.04 blocks per set. Wright and Foschia aid the defensive backcourt with 3.05 and 2.71 digs per set respectively. Foschia also has served up six aces.

Defensively, libero Amy Palko leads the way with 4.52 digs per eset. Wright and Foschia follow, while middle blocker Brittany Poling (2.73) and setter Sarah Svorinic (2.39) also add more than two digs per set. Poling has served up a team-best nine aces, while Svorinic has chalked up five aces and dished out 9.87 assists per set. The Dukes have outhit opponents .220 to .096.

Understanding UConn
At First Glance: The Connecticut Huskies (1-2) come to the Active Ankle Challenge with just one weekend of play under their belts in 2010. The team is looking to build on a 14-17 mark, including a seventh-place finish in Big East play. The Huskies return eight letterwinners from the 2009 squad, including four starters, while adding five newcomers. UConn is coached by Holly Strauss-O'Brien, who is in her sixth year with the team.

Last Time Out: The Huskies posted a 2-1 mark at their own UConn Toyota Classic last weekend. The team swept Hartford and Brown to start the 2010 season, but ended the weekend with a 3-0 loss to Southern Illinois.

Statistically Speaking: Middle blocker Rebecca Murray paced the team on opening weekend with 2.44 kills per set. Outside hitter Jordan Kirk (1.89), middle/right side hitter Morgan Freeman (1.56), outside hitter Mattison Quayle (1.44) and middle/right side hitter Cayla Broadwater (1.33) also contributed to the Huskies' offense. Broadwater is hitting at a team-best .206 clip, while Murray has served up a team-leading seven aces. Middle blocker Allison Nickel and Freeman pace the team at the net, each with 1.22 blocks per set.

Defensively, libero Kelsey Maving racked up 5.44 digs per set on opening weekend. Quayle follows with 3.11 digs per set, while Murray (2.33) and outside hitter Jordan Kirk (2.22) also add more than two saves per stanza. The Huskies have served up 21 aces in their three contests, with six different players contributing to the tally.

A Bit About Belmont
At First Glance: The Belmont Bruins (3-4) is set to face off with Chattanooga at home on Tuesday night before making the trek to West Lafayette on Friday. The team is looking to improve on its18-15 mark and fourth-place Atlantic Sun finish from 2009, with a cast including nine returning three letterwinners, including six starters. Five newcomers will help the squad toward its goals.Belmont is coached by Deane Webb, who is in his eighth season with the team.

Last Time Out: The Bruins posted a 1-2 record at the Nevada Invitational in Reno last weekend. The team fell to Notre Dame in five sets and the host Wolf Pack in four sets, before rebounding with a five-set win over Weber State to close the tournament.

Statistically Speaking: Outside hitters Maggie Johnson and Kayla Albritton pace the Bruin offense with 3.34 kills per set apiece. Middle blocker Tara Blood follows with 2.10 kills per set, while outside hitter Katie Marshall has added 1.50 kills per stanza. Albritton is hitting at a team-best .351 clip and has served up 11 aces, while Blood is hitting .341 on the year and paces the team at the net with 0.90 blocks per set.

Defensively, libero Megan Clements leads the way with 3.00 digs per set. Johnson follows with 2.07 digs per set, while outside hitter Jen Myer (1.69), setter Hannah Miranda (1.64) and Albritton (1.48) also contribute. Miranda also has dished out 10.04 assists per set. Seven players have combined to serve up 50 aces in the team's seven matches, led by Albritton's 11 and Myer's 10.

What a Difference a Win Makes...
If the Boilermakers top Duquesne on Friday ...

• They will move to 6-1 on the season and extend their current win streak to four matches.

• They will own a 2-0 advantage in the series with the Dukes.

• They will move to 9-2 all-time when playing on Sept. 10.

• They will improve to 245-142 all-time when playing in the month of September and 165-54 all-time in non-conference home contests.

Comparing the Teams

Stat.    Purdue    Duquesne    UConn     Belmont
Hit. %   .270      .220        .102      .223
Kills    13.81     12.09       9.44      12.07
Assists  12.52     11.43       8.78      11.20
Aces     0.86      1.30        2.33      1.72
Blocks   2.40      1.96        2.11      1.81
Digs     14.86     17.09       14.89     11.10

Breaking Into the Records Book
Middle blocker Kristen Arthurs is just three block assists away from breaking into the career Top 10 in the category. The Newport, Mich., native has put up 298 block assists thus far and trails Jill Whiteman (1987-1990), who posted 301 as a Boilermaker. Arthurs also is approaching the Top 10 for total blocks, having accumulated 341 stuffs in her career, just 26 outside of Becky Held (1977-80)'s 10th-place mark of 367.

The 700 Club
With its Sept. 3 sweep of Pittsburgh, the Boilermaker volleyball team recorded the 700th win in program lore. Purdue posted 469 wins under Hall of Fame Coach Carol Dewey (1975-94), 45 under Joey Vrazel (1995-98), 44 under Jeff Hulsmeyer (1999-2002) and 143 thus far in the Dave Shondell era.

An Efficient Effort
The Boilermaker offense finished off the Central Michigan Chippewas in just one hour and 10 minutes on Aug. 28, thanks in large part to a stellar offensive performance. Purdue hit at a .474 clip in the match, making just nine errors in 78 swings. The effort was the program's best since 2004 and the ninth-best performance in Purdue volleyball history.

All eight of the Boilermakers with a hitting attempt in the match registered at least a .400 hitting effort, led by sophomore middle blocker Anna Drewry's .667 effort (7-1-9). Sophomore Ariel Turner paced the team with 17 kills, while hitting .419. Purdue also out-blocked CMU 9-4 in the match and served up five aces, while allowing just one. The Boilermaker effort is even more impressive due to the fact that the team used two setters, senior Jaclyn Hart and redshirt freshman Rachel Davis, in the match.

A Challenging Slate
The Boilermakers have a loaded schedule in 2010, with 17 of their 31 matches against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams. Purdue also is slated to face five teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll: No. 1 Penn State, No. 6 Illinois, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 12 Michigan and No. 24 Northern Iowa. Four Boilermaker foes received votes outside the Top 25: Ohio State, Cincinnati, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

During the Dave Shondell era, Purdue has beaten 19 Top 25 teams, including three Top 10 opponents. The Boilermakers posted wins over No. 10 Wisconsin and No. 9 Minnesota in 2005 and a victory over No. 9 Colorado State in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Purdue owns a 56-182 all-time record in matches against the Top 25.

All-Tournament Honors
Sophomore outside hitter Ariel Turner and junior middle blocker Tiffany Fisher were named to the Mortar Board Premier all-tournament team for their efforts, Aug. 27-28. Turner managed 3.82 kills per set, including double-digit kill efforts in all three matches and a team-leading 17 against Central Michigan. In addition to a team-best 42 kills, Turner also added 18 digs and nine blocks. For her part, Fisher managed 34 kills (3.09 per set), while hitting .354 and racking up nine blocks. Fisher posted a team-leading 17 kills against No. 24 Northern Iowa in the tournament finale.

Senior setter Jaclyn Hart was named MVP of the Pitt Invitational, while defensive specialist Carly Cramer and outside hitter Catherine Rebarchak garnered all-tournament team honors for their efforts Sept. 3-4 as Purdue won the tournament title. Hart dished out 12.12 assists per set on the weekend, while also adding 2.12 digs and 1.12 blocks per stanza. Cramer paced the defense with 4.80 digs per set, while serving up five aces. Rebarchak racked up 2.75 kills per set on a .425 hitting effort, while also adding 0.88 blocks per set.

2009 In A Nutshell
Purdue finished the 2009 season tied for seventh place in the Big Ten with a 14-17 overall mark and a 6-14 record in conference play. The Boilermakers played 11 matches against Top 25 foes and defeated a pair of ranked opponents, downing No. 21 Kansas State and No. 16 Michigan State. Purdue was ranked 19th in the preseason poll and fell to 24th the following week, before spending five weeks among the vote getters outside of the poll.

Middle blocker Tiffany Fisher earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades, while outside hitter Ariel Turner received all-freshman team honors. Outside hitter Carrie Gurnell surpassed the 1,000-kill milestone. Middle blocker Kristen Arthurs, a speech/language and hearing sciences major, was hoored for her work in the classroom with Academic All-District V and Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year.

Turner and middle blocker Anna Drewry garnered a combined five Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, matching the most rookie honors from any one conference school in 2009. Turner, a Highlands Ranch, Colo., native, became the first Purdue rookie to earn the newly-minted honor on Sept. 21. She then added a second accolades on Oct. 19. Drewry garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors three times in 2009, earning the accolade three straight weeks: Nov. 9, Nov. 16 and Nov. 23.

Four Boilermakers averaged two or more kills per set in 2009 and each led the offense at least once in the team's 31 contests. Gurnell paced the team 17 times, while posting double-digit kill tallies in 24 matches.Turner led the offense seven times and has tallied 10 or more kills in 19 matches. Fisher led the team three times, while posting 13 double-digit efforts. Arthurs posted a team-best kill tally three times, while reaching double-digits on 12 occasions. Drewry led the offense against Michigan State on Nov. 14, and posted four double-digit efforts.

Perfect 10
Middle blocker Kristen Arthurs joined elite company as she tied the Purdue, Big Ten and NCAA records with a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage vs. Ball State on Aug. 28, 2009. The junior tallied 10 kills on 10 swings in the match, making her one of just four conference players and one of just 23 players in NCAA Division I history to achieve the distinction of a 1.000 hitting mark.

Purdue now boasts two of the 23 players, as Debbie McDonald went 13-for-13 at North Carolina State on Sept. 25, 1987. Stanford is the only other school with two players on the record list.

Triple Play
Junior setter Jaclyn Hart became the 14th Boilermaker in program history and first since 2005 to post a triple-double when she tallied 12 kills, 41 assists and 10 digs against UCF on Sept. 5, 2009. The last Boilermaker to achieve the feat was setter Renata Dargan, who tallied 13 kills, 61 assists and 13 digs against No. 8 Wisconsin on Sept. 30, 2005.

After three seasons directing the Purdue offense, Hart is already among those in the career record books, ranking sixth in assists with 3,780.

Looking To The Future
Purdue University has been selected as one four NCAA Volleyball Regional host sites for the 2012 season, the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball committee announced June 25.

The Boilermaker program, which has made three Sweet 16 appearances in the last five years, will play host to its first NCAA Regional event since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1998. The Boilermakers have played host to NCAA First and Second Round events six times in program history, most recently in 2006 and 2008, and also played host to the NCAA Regional Semi finals and Finals in 1982 and 1983, when the championship field featured 28 teams.

Purdue was selected along with the University of California, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Texas at Austin as the four Regional sites.

The Boilermakers will host the event in Mackey Arena, which is undergoing a $99.5 million renovation set to be completed in November 2011. In order to host a regional event, the arena must have a minimum seating capacity of 4,000. (Holloway Gymnasium in the IAF boasts a capacity of 2,288.)

The winners from the four regional sites will advance to the NCAA Semifinals and Finals at the UofL Athletics Downtown Arena in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 13 to 15, 2012.

Tracking The Boilermakers
Follow Purdue volleyball on the web with streaming video, live audio and live statistics on purduesports.com. Live statistics are available via the GameTracker feature, while free audio broadcasts are available by clicking the listen links on the schedule page. Streaming video is available for a monthly fee via the Purdue All-Access Pass.

Be a part of Purdue volleyball online via the social networking services Facebook and Twitter. Join the Official Purdue Volleyball group on Facebook, or follow Boilermaker coach Dave Shondell's tweets at twitter.com/PurdueVB.

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