Ohio State Tops Marathon 5th Set to Beat Purdue

Match Stats

• Ohio State def. Purdue 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 16-25, 25-20, 19-17)
• Ohio State moves to 19-12 (9-10 Big Ten); Purdue falls to 18-13 (8-12 Big Ten)
• St. John Arena, Columbus, Ohio
• Attendance: 1,726

In spite of being significantly out-played in almost every important statistical category, the Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Purdue Boilermakers 3-2 at home on Friday.

Purdue hit .303 on the game to just .216 for Ohio State. Purdue had 13 blocks in the game to just 5 for Ohio State. Even in the final set, Purdue hit a whopping .550 as the teams climbed, someone looking for separation.

But Ohio State was big at the baseline, recording 7 aces, and the timing of those aces was enough to carry the day. That was the name of the day for the Buckeyes – they got the right plays at the right time. Luisa Schirmer had just 1 block on the day, but it was a solo stuff to finally give the Buckeyes a 19-17 win in the 5th set. Abby Fesl had a service run that included 2 aces and took the first set from 19-17 to 24-17. A 3-point run, when tied at 16 in the 4th set, forced a Purdue timeout, and they were never able to recover. This win was all about moments.

Ohio State got 21 kills by Taylor Sandbothe. Purdue was led by 20 kills from Danielle Cuttino and 11 digs and 6 blocks from Faye Adelaja in a losing effort.

Press Releases

Courtesy Ohio State Athletics:

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Action spilled over into extra time in the fifth set before a victor was finally determined between Ohio State and Purdue, going in favor of the Buckeyes 19-17. The Buckeyes (19-12, 9-10 Big Ten) climbed out of a two-sets-to-one deficit by seizing the final two frames and completing the comeback (25-21, 19-25, 16-25, 25-20, 19-17) over the Boilermakers (18-13, 8-12 Big Ten).

Ohio State overcame 13 Boiler blocks on the night, rising up for a .310 team hitting percentage in the decisive fifth set. The Buckeyes made up ground from the service stripe, ripping seven aces while committing just three reception errors. Five different Buckeyes posted eight or more kills, paced by Taylor Sandbothe’s 21 terminations at a .250 attacking rate. Valeria León continued to add to her school record career digs total, piling on 19 more versus the Boilermakers. She now owns 1,728 digs since arriving on campus in 2013.

SET 1: Abby Fesl launched the serving onslaught quickly, following up an Ashley Wenz kill on the opening rally with her first of three aces in the frame. Ohio State would not relinquish its early edge for the remainder of a 25-21 triumph. Fesl’s third service stint resulted in two more aces and essentially closed the door as part of a five-point run that handed the Buckeyes a 24-17 advantage.

SET 2: Sandbothe did her best to carry Ohio State in the second stanza, putting away seven kills on 11 swings with a lone error (.545). The Herculean effort was not enough, however, as Purdue’s Danielle Cuttino matched the seven kills and was backed by an overall team attacking efficiency of .419 for the set. The Boilers’ high octane offense led to a 25-19 equalizer.

SET 3: Momentum remained on Purdue’s side of the net in the third, racing out to 10-3 cushion and rolling in a 25-16 winner.

SET 4: Ohio State regrouped at intermission, returning to the hardwood ready to put up a fight. The Boilermakers refused to back down either as the set witnessed 14 tied scores and a half dozen lead changes. Tied up 16-all, the Buckeyes strung together three consecutive points to force a PU timeout and jump on top for good. Ohio State utilized a balanced barrage, allowing for six different Buckeyes to contribute multiple kills in the 25-20 victory.

SET 5: Despite the truncated nature of a fifth set, back-and-forth drama was aplenty with seven lead swaps and 12 tied scores. Trailing 8-6 after switching sides of the net, Audra Appold stepped up and delivered a kill and ace on back-to-back points. A similar feat by Sandbothe later in the set served as the turning point. Sandbothe thwarted a Purdue match-point opportunity at 14-13 and replaced it with a match-point chance for the Scarlet & Gray at 15-14 thanks to Sandbothe’s kill and subsequent ace. The Boilermakers would go on to fend off three OSU match-points before ultimately falling, 19-17, capped off by a solo stuff for Luisa Schirmer.

Ohio State is back at it again Saturday, hosting the Indiana Hoosiers in a regular season finale also acting as the 2016 Senior Night celebration.

Courtesy Purdue Athletics:

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Boilermakers outdid Ohio State in nearly every statistical category but found themselves on the short end of a five set match Friday night to end the regular season. OSU won the match 25-21, 19-25, 16-25, 25-20, 19-17.

Four Boilermakers posted double-digit kills in the match. Junior Danielle Cuttino led the way with 20 kills, followed by redshirt sophomore Sherridan Atkinson (13), redshirt senior Faye Adelaja (11) and redshirt freshman Blake Mohler (10). Purdue outhit OSU .303 to .216. Adelaja led the Boilermakers at the net with six blocks, while Atkinson, Cuttino and Mohler added four apiece. Purdue outblocked the Buckeyes 13 to 5.

In the backcourt, freshman Natalie Haben led the way with 19 digs. Redshirt junior setter Ashley Evans posted 14 digs to go with her 44 assists. Junior Azariah Stahl added 10 digs, while sophomore Brooke Peters chipped in eight. Purdue posted 61 digs to OSU’s 59.

Ohio State served up seven aces to Purdue’s three and had 70 kills to the Boilermakers’ 63.

In the decisive fifth set, Purdue hit at a .550 clip, while OSU hit .310. Cuttino and Atkinson had three kills apiece. The Boilermakers took a 7-4 lead to start the stanza as four players put down kills. Purdue led 8-6 at the changeover, but Ohio State scored three straight to go up 9-8 and force a Boilermaker timeout. Purdue scored three of the next four to go ahead 11-10. Down 13-12, Purdue got a kill from Mohler and a Buckeye miscue to set up a match-point chance at 14-13. OSU called timeout and scored the next two out of the breakto earn the first of four match-point chances. Purdue answered each, tying the score at 15, 16 and 17, but a kill and a block ended the match at 19-17 for Ohio State.

Ohio State jumped ahead 14-9, prompting a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers scored six of the next eight out of the break, including a pair of kills by Evans. A Cuttino putaway forced an OSU timeout at 16-15. The Buckeyes scored eight of the next 10 to go up 24-17. Purdue cut the margin to three at 24-21, thwarting four set point attempts, with a kill by Shavona Cuttino, a stuff by Adelaja and Atkinson and an ace by Mohler. Ohio State took a timeout and came back with a kill to win the set 25-21. Atkinson and Cuttino downed three kills apiece in the set.

The Boilermakers led Set 2 nearly wire to wire, going up 4-2 early and leading by as many as six en route to a 25-19 win. Cuttino pounded down seven kills and Atkinson added four as Purdue outhit the Buckeyes .438 to .212. Four players tallied kills as the Boilermakers went up 8-4. Cuttino chipped in three more putaways and a block to lift Purdue to a 14-9 edge. Ohio State made it a three-point game at 14-11, but the Boilermakers answered with three straight points, including two by Atkinson, and six of the next nine to go up 20-14. OSU was within four at 22-18, but Purdue ended the set with kills by Atkinson, Stahl and Adelaja.

Purdue jumped out to a 9-2 lead in Set 3 and never looked back in a 25-16 win. The Boilermakers outhit OSU .320 to .054 in the stanza, which featured three kills and two blocks each from Mohler and Cuttino. Ohio State was plagued by 10 hitting errors in the set. OSU took a timeout down 5-1 and an ace by Peters forced the second Buckeye timeout at 13-6. Kills by Adelaja, Mohler and Cuttino and an ace by Haben made it 20-10. Purdue led by 10 again at 23-13. OSU scored three straight to prompt a Boilermaker timeout. A Stahl kill and Buckeye error clinched the set at 25-16 after the break.

The teams split the first 20 points of Set 4 with neither leading by more than two, but Ohio State closed the stanza with a 5-2 run for a 25-20 win. OSU went up 12-10 prompting a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers scored three straight out of the break, including two Cuttino kills, to make it 13-12. The Buckeyes took a timeout and scored eight of the next 11 to go up 20-16. A block by Evans and Adelaja cut the margin to two at 20-18, but Ohio State ended the set to extend the match. Cuttino put down four kills in the set and the Boilermakers added four stuffs.

The Boilermakers (18-13, 8-12 B1G) now await their postseason fate, which will be announced at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPNU.