Purdue Survives South Alabama to Stay Perfect at 12-0, Win Tourney

Crimson – White Tournament

• Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Sept. 14-15, 2018

Purdue went the distance with South Alabama rallying for the five-set win to wrap up the tournament title and remain among the ranks of the unbeaten on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Alabama bounced back from its first loss against Purdue on Friday night with a X against Southern Miss.

Standings

1. Purdue 3-0
2. Alabama 2-1
3. USA
4. Southern Miss

All-Tournament Team

• MVP – Blake Mohler (Purdue)
• Sherridan Atkinson (Purdue)
• Grace Cleveland (Purdue)
• Parker Harrell (South Alabama)

Purdue def. South Alabama 3-2 (24-26, 25-13, 23-25, 25-14, 15-7)

• Purdue moves to 11-0; South Alabama falls to 6-7
• Box Score
• Purdue Recap / South Alabama Recap

Notables

• Purdue moved to 11-0 to start the season for the first time since 2011, capturing its third five-set win in the last four matches.
• South Alabama edged Purdue in kills (54-52), but the Boilermakers won the match with help from a 16-5 lead in blocks, 12-7 advantage in aces and a .265 to .098 edge in efficiency.
• South Alabama fell apart in the final two stanzas, managing just 12 kills to 17 errors, hitting -.032 and -.190. The Boilermakers played a factor in that, notching 11 stuffs in the span.
• Sherridan Atkinson and Grace Cleveland turned in double-digit kill efforts with 17 and 14 respectively en route to all-tournament team honors. Atkinson hit at a team-best .410 effort (17-1-39).
• Hayley Bush notched a double-double with 37 assists and 14 digs, while Blake Mohler posted eight kills and a team-best six blocks.
• Three USA players registered double-digit kills: Kelley Hartman (16), Hannah Harris (15) and Meaghan Jones (12). Hartman also added a team-high five blocks and two aces.
• The Jaguars led 3-1 to start Set 5, but the Boilermakers charged back with nine of the next 12 points, including four stuffs.  Down 10-6, South Alabama called timeout and got a kill from Jones out of the break, but Purdue kept its win streak in tact with a final 5-0 push. An ace by Marissa Hornung sealed the victory.

Alabama def. Southern Miss 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-20)

• Alabama moves to 12-1; Southern Miss falls to 6-7
• Box Score
• Alabama Recap / Southern Miss Recap

Notables

• Southern Miss led Alabama in kills (39-37) and blocks (7-5). The Crimson Tide outhit the Golden Eagles .263 to .148 and outserved them 4-2 in aces.
• Ginger Perinar (12) and Hayley McSparin (10) led the way for Alabama with double-digit kill efforts. McSparin hit .471 (10-2-17) and put up a team-best three blocks.
• Kylie Grandy put down a match-high 15 kills and served up two aces for Southern Miss. Catherine Repsher added eight putaways, while hitting .400, while Alexis Coombs put up a match-leading four stuffs.
• Sarah Bell turned in a 31-assist, 10 dig double-double for the Golden Eagles.
• Southern Miss led by as many as four in Set 3, last at 10-6 and held on to the advantage, despite six ties last at 18. Down 19-18, Alabama took control, scoring seven of the final eight points, four on Eagle errors, to claim the 25-20 win and the sweep.