MATCH STATS
- Ohio State def. #12 Purdue, 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 32-34, 25-23)
- Ohio State improves to 9-4, 2-0; Purdue drops to 11-2, 1-1
- West Lafayette, Indiana
- Attendance: 2415 (sellout)
- Box score
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the first time since 2012, Ohio State went into Holloway Gym in West Lafayette and upset #12 Purdue, 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 32-34, 25-23). Senior outside hitter Luisa Schirmer hit a career-high 25 kills and added 6 digs and a .385 attack clip. Indiana native Madison Smeathers tallied a career-high 16 kills (hitting .419) to go along with 5 blocks. Taylor Hughes missed a career high by two assists, yet finished running a highly efficient offense (.336) with 52 assists and 12 digs. Freshman libero Hannah Gruensfelder dug a match-high 15 digs.
The Boilermakers would not go down without a fight. The nearly-two-and-a-half-hour epic had multiple highlights from Purdue. Danielle Cuttino had an impressive attack line (23-6-51) to lead the Boilers offensively. Cuttino had 10 kills alone in set three. Sherridan Atkinson and Azariah Stahl combined for 24 kills. Senior setter Ashley Evans once again paced the Boiler offense with a double-double (44 assists, 12 digs). Libero Brooke Peters continued her run of double-digit digs with her eighth-straight match doing so, finishing with 14.
The match ended in heartbreaking fashion for Purdue. Danielle Cuttino crushed an attack at match point and, in self-defense, OSU libero Hannah Gruensfelder threw her hands up to protect her face. The ball then floated to the deep corner on Purdue’s side for the kill and the end of the match.
In all, the match featured 35 ties and 13 lead changes, most of which occurred in the third and fourth sets. OSU led Purdue in multiple categories, including kills (65-62), attack percentage (.336-.212) and blocks (13-7).
PRESS RELEASE, courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Luisa Schirmer and Madison Smeathers combined for 41 kills as the Ohio State women’s volleyball team upset No. 13 Purdue in four sets (25-19, 25-22, 32-34, 25-23) on Saturday night at Holloway Gymnasium. The Buckeyes improved to 9-4 (2-0 B1G) while the Boilermakers fell to 11-2 (1-1 B1G).
The Buckeyes extended their win streak to four matches by handing the Boilermakers their first loss at home of the 2017 season. It was also the first time the Scarlet and Gray defeated Purdue on their turf since 2012.
Schirmer was on fire with a career-high 25 kills, hitting .385 (25-5-52) on the evening. Smeathers came through with a career-best 16 kills on 31 attempts and three errors for a .419 clip.
Taylor Hughes tallied 12 digs and dished 52 assists, just two shy of her career mark. Hannah Gruensfelder scooped a match-high 15 digs while Ashley Wenz and Ayanna Swan earned seven kills apiece.
As a team, the Buckeyes recorded 13 blocks, paced by Lauren Witte with six. Smeathers and Hughes had five rejections each and Wenz finished with four blocks.
Set 1: After trialing to start the match, the Buckeyes used a 5-0 run to take a 13-9 lead. Back-to-back blocks by Ashley Wenz and Lauren Witte pushed the gap to 21-16. The squad kept grinding to a 25-19 win.
Set 2: Ohio State fell behind 7-3 early in the frame. Purdue called a timeout after its advantage dwindled to two and the Buckeyes took their first lead of the set, 20-19, thanks to five consecutive points. The Scarlet and Gray wrapped up the set on an 11-4 run for a 25-22 triumph.
Set 3: Neither team was willing to give up much ground as they tied the score 16 times in the third. The Buckeyes needed a break as they trailed 14-11. Kills from Schirmer, a service ace by Gruensfelder and blocks by Hughes and Smeathers cut the deficit to 23-22. A Purdue blocking error tied the set at 24 and the two teams traded the next 17 points until the Boilermakers were able to get a 34-32 decision.
Set 4: It was another touch-and-go outing in the fourth. After Ohio State gained a slight advantage, the Boilermakers refused to back down as they locked the score at 22. Wenz and Witte added another block to the stat sheet and Schirmer floated the ball into the left corner for the win, 25-23. The Buckeyes held Purdue to a .140 hitting percentage in the final set.
PRESS RELEASE, courtesy of Purdue Athletics
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 13 Purdue (11-2, 1-1 B1G) suffered its first loss on Belin Court this season as Ohio State (9-4, 2-0 B1G) won the match in four sets (19-25, 22-25, 34-32, 23-25) in front of a sold out crowd of 2,415 fans. The loss brings a streak of 18-consecutive sets won at home to an end and it also marks the first match of 2017 that has gone longer than three sets in Holloway Gymnasium.
Danielle Cuttino was impressive in the contest, hitting .333 with 23 kills on 51 swings. Ashley Evans and Shavona Cuttino combined for 11 kills on 26 swings with two errors and a .346 hitting percentage. Evans earned a double-double with 12 digs to accompany her 44 assists. Sherridan Atkinson and Azariah Stahl tallied 13 and 11 kills respectively. Stahl was just a dig away from a double-double. Overall, it was an uncharacteristic performance by the Boilermakers as they combined for a .212 hitting percentage while the Buckeyes managed to hit .336 on the evening.
The back row was led by Brooke Peters who continues to progress and impress at libero. The junior out of Avon, Indiana earned her eighth-straight contest with 10-plus digs with 14 on the night and after another solid passing effort, she has been aced just twice in the last 135 times she has been served. Carissa Damler and Jena Otec complimented Peters’ performance with seven and six digs respectively.
Each time the Boilermakers had Ohio State on the ropes, the Buckeyes had a response. After Ohio State controlled the first set to take a 1-0 lead, Purdue built an 18-13 advantage in the second set and appeared on its way to tying the match. However, Ohio State answered with a 10-2 run to take a 23-20 lead and eventually closed the set out 25-22. Purdue showed its resilience in the third set as it won 34-32 thanks to 10 kills by Danielle Cuttino. Atkinson delivered the final blow when she stuffed a Buckeye attack in order to send the match to the fourth set. The final stanza was a tight contest throughout with an unlucky play capping off the set to earn Ohio State the victory. Danielle Cuttino drilled a ball off a Buckeye but in an act of self defense, the defender threw her hands up and deflected the ball over the net where it landed in the back court out of the reach of the Boilermakers in position to cover Cuttino’s attack.
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