Oct. 28, 2008

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 20 Boilermaker volleyball returns to the friendly confines of Belin Court for a pair of weekend Big Ten matches. Purdue will face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Halloween night, followed by a Big Ten Network televised match against No. 18 Michigan on Saturday.

Promotions
10/31 Halloween Costume Contest -- It will be a scary good time when the Boilermakers host the Ohio State Buckeyes. Wear your best costume and participate in the costume contest and youth costume parade for great prizes. Bring your trick-or-treat bags to the IAF for some spook-tacular Big Ten volleyball.

11/1 Alumnae Night -- Volleyball alumnae will be recognized at this event celebrating the outstanding history of the Boilermaker program.

The Book on the Boilermakers
At First Glance: The No. 18 Purdue Boilermakers are 17-5 on the season, including a 6-4 mark in the Big Ten, good for a fourth-place tie with Michigan. Purdue is just two wins away from matching its 2007 total (19-14).

Last Time Out: The Boilermakers split road matches with No. 19 Illinois and Michigan State last week. No. 19 Illinois swept Purdue on Wednesday night, but the Boilermakers rebounded with a five-set win over the Spartans on Saturday.

Statistically Speaking: Middle hitter Stephanie Lynch paces the Boilermaker offense with 3.62 kills on a team-best .421 hitting effort, while also leading the team at the net with 1.28 blocks per set. Outside hitter Danita Merlau is right behind with 3.08 kills per set. Middle hitter Kristen Arthurs tacks on 2.07 kills and helps out at the net with 0.95 blocks per set. In the backcourt, libero Kelli Miller racks up a team-best 4.29 digs per set. Merlau adds 2.08 digs per set, while defensive specialist Jessica Ullrich and setter Jaclyn Hart pull up 1.88 and 1.80 respectively. Hart also has dished out 9.94 assists per set, while adding 0.81 blocks per set. Purdue has served up 77 aces, paced by Miller's output of 21. Ullrich and junior outside hitter Sam Ainsworth have added 16 and 15 respectively.

Series Information
Ohio State (OSU leads the series 40-30): The series began with a 2-1 Buckeye victory on Oct. 31, 1975, and stood at 7-6 Ohio State after the first 13 meetings. Purdue then won 17 of the next 20 matches including an eight-match streak from Nov. 21, 1980 to Nov. 4, 1983. Ohio State has won 30 of the last 35 meetings, dating to 1990. The teams split the 2003 and 2006 contests. Purdue took both 2007 meetings and the Oct. 12 meeting earlier this season.

Michigan (Purdue leads the series 39-20): The series began with a 2-0 Boilermaker victory at the Big Ten Tournament on Oct. 31, 1975. Purdue won the next three before the first Wolverine win on Oct. 24, 1981. The Boilermakers won the next 19 from 1981 to 1990. The teams traded wins over the next several years, then Purdue won five straight from 1998 to 2000. Michigan answered with a four-match streak, which came to an end on Nov. 22, 2002. UM had won four in a row, before Purdue swept the 2005 meetings. The teams split the 2006 contests. Purdue swept the 2007 series, but Michigan took the Oct. 10 match earlier this season.

Buckeye Bits
At First Glance: The Ohio State Buckeyes (10-12, 1-9 Big Ten), in their first season under head coach Geoff Carlston, have lost their last seven matches dating to October 5. Outside hitter Anna Szerszen, who was pacing the OSU offense with 3.52 kills per set, and defensive specialist Laura Kastein, who added 1.71 digs per set, are out for the rest of the season with injuries.

Last Time Out: The Buckeyes dropped both of their conference contests last weekend, falling to No. 11 Minnesota in three sets and to Iowa in four sets.

Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Katie Dull leads the Buckeye offense with 3.58 kills per set. Middle hitter Kristen Dozier (2.87) and outside/middle hitter Kaila Calhoun (2.00) follow. Defensively, Calhoun leads the way with 2.78 digs per set. Defensive specialists Chelsea Noble (2.74) and Susan Halverson (2.38) are right behind. Noble also leads the team with 19 aces, while Halverson has added 10. Middle hitter Kelli Barhorst chalks up a team-leading 1.12 blocks per set.

Words About the Wolverines
At First Glance: The No. 18 Michigan Wolverines (18-4, 6-4 Big Ten) won their first 13 contests of 2008 before hitting a buzzsaw in instate rival Michigan State on Sept. 27. The Wolverines, who are in their 10th year under head coach Mark Rosen, bring a three-match win streak into the weekend.

Last Time Out: The Wolverines swept Iowa and No. 11 Minnesota last weekend to wrap up the first half of conference play at 6-4, tied for fourth place with the Boilermakers.

Statistically Speaking: Outside hitter Juliana Paz headlines a group of five Wolverines averaging more than 2.00 kills per set. Paz has racked up 3.42 putdowns, while middle hitter Beth Karpiak (3.11), outside hitter Alex Hunt (2.75), outside hitter Megan Bower (2.31) and outside hitter Veronica Rood (2.03) follow. Karpiak is hitting at a team-best .382 clip, while Paz has served up 24 aces. Defensive specialist Sloane Donhoff paces the UM defense with 2.85 digs per set. Setter Lexi Zimmerman (2.81), libero Kerry Hance (2.69), Bower (2.54) and Paz (2.00) also average more than two digs per set. Middle hitter Karlee Bruck leads the team at the net with 0.89 blocks per set, followed by Karpiak's tally of 0.85 per set. The Wolverines have served up 116 aces, including double figure efforts from six players and 26 by Donhoff.

Comparing the Teams

Statistic     Purdue    Ohio State     Michigan
Hitting %     .233      .203           .265
Kills         12.52     12.83          14.64
Assists       11.29     12.04          13.51
Aces          0.93      1.13           1.57
Blocks        2.55      2.55           2.04
Digs          13.25     12.99          14.22

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

• They will move to 18-5 on the season, including a 7-4 conference mark.

• They will sweep the season series for the second straight year, marking Purdue's most consecutive wins against the Buckeyes since sweeping the 1987 and 1988 meetings.

• They will have won five of their last six contests against OSU, including their last three meetings on Belin Court.

Block Party
Middle hitter Stephanie Lynch became Purdue's all-time career blocks leader with five stuffs against Michigan State on Oct. 25. Lynch, who also is the all-time leader in block assists, took the career mark from Marianne Smith, who tallied 567 from 1982-85. Lynch now has tallied 569 total blocks.

Lynch snapped Kim McConaha (2001-04)'s career record mark of 382 block assists against Tennessee State on August 30. She now owns the record with 466. She then surpassed the 500 total blocks milestone on Sept. 13 and ranks among the career top 10 in solo blocks (4th with 103).

Movin' On Up
Outside hitter Danita Merlau sits second in career attempts with 4,737, just 46 off the record of 4,783 set by Debbie McDonald (1986-1989). Merlau also ranks among the Top 10 in career kills with 1,574, a mark which ranks fourth. Setter Jaclyn Hart moved into the Purdue Top 10 in career assists with 1,820.

Can You Dig It?
Libero Kelli Miller became Purdue's career digs leader on Sept. 13 against Utah State, surpassing Becky Kanitz (1985-88)'s mark of 1,564. The overall record now stands at 1801. Miller began her senior season with a tally of 1,445 and inched her way to the record in the team's opening eight matches. The Muncie, Ind., native moved into second place on the Purdue career digs list on Nov. 4, 2007.

Among the Nation
The Boilermakers rank among the nation's top 50 in several team and individual statistical categories. As a team, Purdue ranks 25th in blocks per set (2.55). Individually, middle hitter Stephanie Lynch ranks sixth in hitting percentage (.421) and 24th in blocks per set (1.28).

Rank And File
The Boilermakers dropped two spots to No. 20 in this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll after splitting weekend matches with then-No. 19 Illinois and Michigan State.

Purdue has been ranked among the nation's top 25 throughout the 2008 season, peaking at No. 15 on Sept.8, which marked the Boilermakers' highest ranking since earning the No. 13 spot in the 2007 preseason listing.

Since rankings began in 1982, Purdue has been ranked in 88 polls, including preseason and postseason listings.

Against the Top 25
The Boilermakers were slated to face four ranked teams in 2008, based on the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll. The team will face its seventh rank foe of the season, however, in No. 18 Michigan on Saturday. During the Dave Shondell era, Purdue has beaten 15 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 53-165 all-time record in matches against the Top 25.

Packing The House
The Boilermakers rank fifth in national attendance average with 3,205 per match. In seven home matches, 22,435 fans have watched the team play. Purdue's Oct. 17 Mackey Madness event, which saw the volleyball team take on No. 19 Wisconsin prior to the basketball tipoff celebration, brought in 10,579 fans, the second most ever to see the Boilermaker volleyball team play at home in program history. The tally was second only to the Pack Mackey event on Oct. 29, 1985, when a then-NCAA record 10,645 people came to watch Purdue take on Western Michigan.

TV Time
The Boilermakers are slated to play in five nationally televised matches in 2008, one on ESPN2 and four on the Big Ten Network. The Boilermakers' next TV match, a Nov. 1 affair with Michigan will air live at 7 p.m. A Nov. 15 date with Penn State and a Nov. 19 contest with the Illini round out the television slate.

Tale of the Century
Head coach Dave Shondell recorded his 100th collegiate coaching victory when the Boilermakers swept Tennessee State, August 30. His team's have posted a 115-71 mark in his five plus years as the Boilermaker boss.

Dig For A Cure
On October 4, Coach Shondell and the Boilermaker volleyball team celebrated breast cancer awareness month with Dig for the Cure, a national initiative by college volleyball teams to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. The team raised $1,546 for the Indianapolis Affiliate of Komen for the Cure through dig pledges and a silent auction.

In 2007, the Purdue volleyball team raised more than $1,300 as fans pledged fund for each dig the team tallied during its Dig for a Cure match against Michigan State on October 13. The Boilermakers wore pink ribbons and fans received pink rally towels to show support.

Dynamic Duo
Seniors Stephanie Lynch and Kelli Miller swept the Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the second time this season, nabbing Big Ten Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week accolades Oct. 20. The duo, which also swept the honors on Sept. 15, are the only pair from a single team to earn honors in the same week this season.

Lynch tallied 4.4 kills per set on the strength of a .439 hitting percentage, also adding 1.9 blocks per stanza to move into second place on Purdue's all-time total blocks list. Against the nationally ranked Badgers, the senior put down 20 kills at a .459 clip with a match-high seven blocks in a 3-2 win. The next day against the Wildcats, she tallied 15 kills at a .414 mark with a service ace and eight stuffs in a 3-0 sweep. With 15 total blocks on the weekend, Lynch owns 563 in her career and needs just four more for the school record. The offensive accolade is her second of the season and the fourth of her career.

Miller earns Big Ten defensive accolades after averaging 5.0 digs and 0.6 aces per set as Purdue defeated nationally ranked Wisconsin and Northwestern over the weekend. Miller also executed on 44 of 45 (98 percent) of her service reception attempts and helped the Boilermakers to a .320 hitting mark on the weekend with her passing. Against No. 19 Wisconsin on Friday, Miller recorded 20 digs and five service aces, which is the highest total in any Big Ten match this season. Versus Northwestern, the libero posted her fifth 20-dig match of the year while executing on all 13 of her service reception opportunities as she helped pass her squad to a season-high hitting percentage of .352. The award is Miller's second this season and the fifth of her career.

Conference Honors
Middle hitter Stephanie Lynch and libero Kelli Miller were named Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week on Sept. 15 after leading the Boilermakers to their third straight tournament title and marking career milestones at the Utah Classic last weekend.

Lynch garnered offensive honors after earning MVP honors at the Utah Classic, racking up 4.1 kills, 1.4 blocks and 0.6 digs per set over the weekend. The senior totaled 19 stuffs in 14 sets to surpass the 500 blocks milestone, now with 510 in her career. The New Albany, Ind. native led the Boilermakers in kills in all three matches, recording 14 against St. Louis, 18 versus Utah State and a season-high 25 against Utah in the tournament's championship game. In all, Lynch tallied 57 total kills on a .533 hitting percentage, including a .564 mark against Utah in which she put down 10 hits in Set 4 alone. The award is the third of Lynch's career as she was also honored once as a junior (Nov. 5, 2007 Defensive) and once as a sophomore (Nov. 20, 2006).

On the defensive side, Miller became Purdue's all-time digs leader, tallying 76 saves over the weekend to total 1,602 in her career. The senior recorded 19 digs in the Boilermakers' opening match vs. Saint Louis before breaking the previous school record of 1,564 against Utah State with 23 saves. Miller tacked on 34 digs against Utah in the championship game of the Utah Classic, posting the Big Ten's third-highest single-match digs total this season. The effort was Miller's fifth career 30-dig effort, giving her three of the top five single-match totals in Purdue annals. On the weekend, Miller executed on 97 percent of her service reception opportunities and also recorded six assists and one ace in 14 sets. Behind Miller, the Boilermaker defense held opponents to just a .123 combined hitting percentage. The weekly honor is the fourth of Miller's career as she was recognized twice in 2006 (Sept. 4 and Oct. 9) and once last season (Oct. 22).

Accumulating Accolades
The Boilermakers have been well represented on the all-tournament teams at each of its non-conference ventures this season. At the season opening Mortar Board Premier, senior outside hitter Danita Merlau garnered MVP honors, while senior middle hitter Stephanie Lynch and senior libero Kelli Miller earned all-tournament team nods. At the Active Ankle Challenge, Miller took MVP honors, while Lynch and Merlau were named to the all-tournament team. At the Utah Classic, Lynch brought home MVP accolades, while setter Jaclyn Hart and Miller garnered all-tournament team nods. Lynch also was named MVP of the Dayton Flyer Invitational, while Miller and Merlau received all-tournament team recognition.

Lauds For Lynch
Senior middle hitter Stephanie Lynch was one of 12 players named to the preseason All-Big Ten team as announced by the conference on Aug. 14. The honor is the third straight for Lynch, who garnered honorable mention All-America, first team all-region and first team All-Big Ten acclaim in 2006 and 2007.

Lynch averaged 3.53 kills per game on a .318 hitting effort, while also posting 1.38 blocks per game in Purdue's 33 matches. In conference play, the New Albany, Ind., native tallied 3.24 kills per game on a team-best .289 hitting effort, while racking up 1.51 blocks per game. Lynch was a preseason All-Big Ten selection and also earned Defensive Player of the Week honors from the conference on Nov. 5.

Preseason Picks
The league's coaches have high expectations for the Boilermakers this season as Purdue was tabbed to finish fourth in the conference race in the Big Ten preseason poll. The Big Ten coaches chose defending national champion Penn State, which has won the conference title the past five seasons, to repeat as Big Ten champions, Minnesota was picked to finished second, followed by Wisconsin and Purdue.

In 2007, the Boilermakers finished tied for third with the Golden Gophers, marking their best conference placing since 1990.

Fresh Faces
Fans will notice five new faces on the court for the Boilermakers in 2008. Junior setter/outside hitter Sam Ainsworth (Stouffville, Ontario) joined the team in January after transferring from Syracuse. Four freshmen also add depth to the Purdue roster. Middle hitters Laura Boldig (Mattoon, Ill.) and Tiffany Fisher (Topeka, Ind.) could see time at the net, while Emily Ehlers (Mishawaka, Ind.) and Amanda Miller (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) look to make their marks in the back court.

Staff Additions
After completing her volleyball and basketball playing careers, former Boilermaker Brittany Dildine took on a new role this spring as the team's volunteer assistant coach. Dildine, who head coach Dave Shondell has credited as being a major part of the program's turn around, ranks fifth on Purdue's all-time career digs list with 1,243. She averaged 2.67 digs per game, while also tallying 142 aces and 226 kills in her time in the Old Gold and Black.

Katie McGuine, a native of Rochester, Minn., is in her first year as Director of Operations for the Boilermaker volleyball team after serving in the same position at the University of Iowa for the last two years.

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