Purdue Fort Wayne
North Dakota State
IPFW Swept by Bison
10/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 4, 2008
Fort Wayne, IN – The IPFW Mastodons were swept by the Summit League-leading North Dakota State Bison on Saturday night, falling by scores of 25-21, 25-17, and 25-17 in front of a crowd of 645, the eighth largest crowd to see a women’s volleyball match in the Gates Center since 1998.
For the first time since the school changed school colors from red & gold to blue & white prior to the 1987 season, IPFW women’s volleyball wore a color other than its own when they sported pink jerseys to help honor survivors of breast cancer in the program’s “Pink Out” contest, helping to signify the beginning of National Breast Cancer Awareness month. IPFW donated $1 from every ticket sold to the American Cancer Society, in addition to the funds raised prior to the Fort Wayne group’s “Making Strides” walk earlier in the day, pushing the full donation total to over $4,000.
Junior middle hitter Rebekah Roehm finished with a match-high 12 kills, while adding 15 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Shannon Reuter also dug up double-figure digs with 11, while adding 18 assists for second double-double of the 2008 campaign.
Jamie Schwartz, who had the team’s only service ace in the contest, dug up a team-best 16 kill attempts, with Taryn Parker leading the squad with four blocks, as Fort Wayne natives Jessica Miller and Ashley Dillon each had three, as the ‘Dons lost in three sets at home for the first time since September 6, 2003, when the University of Washington accomplished the feat.
The two teams battled to start the opening set, with the Bison leading 5-4 before the visitors went on a 5-1 run, pushing ahead at 10-5. IPFW clawed back, using a 3-0 run to climb to within two at 10-8, and a 5-0 run to turn a 16-11 deficit into a 16-16 tie. After the ‘Dons tied the set at 16, North Dakota State went on a 5-0 run of their own, pushing ahead to a 21-16 score. IPFW scored five of the next six points to cut the deficit to one at 22-21 before the Bison ended the set on a 3-0 run, claiming the 25-21 victory.
Roehm pounded out a team-best three kills, with Dillon adding a pair. Jessica Dominiak dished out four assists, while Schwartz had a team-best nine digs in the frame.
NDSU jumped ahead 4-1 in the second set, before IPFW fought back, tying the frame at four, and eventually taking a 7-6 lead. The teams were tied at nine apiece before the visitors ran off three straight points to take a lead they would not relinquish. IPFW closed to within one at 12-11 and 13-12, until the Bison scored five straight to lead 19-13. North Dakota State kept its foot on the gas pedal, winning the center set 25-17.
Roehm once again led the team in kills, finishing the set with six, as Dillon and Miller had three and two, respectively. Reuter dished out 10 assists, with Roehm digging up a team-best six kill attempts.
The ‘Dons never led in the third and eventual final set, as NDSU jumped ahead 6-1. Despite the 25-17 final score, IPFW kept the margin between two and four points for the majority of the frame, including as late in the match as 19-17. The Bison pulled away after the ‘Dons cut the deficit to two at the aforementioned score, scoring the final six points of the match, to sweep IPFW 3-0.
North Dakota State was led by Jennifer Lopez, who had 10 kills and 10 assists for the double-double. Her sister, Kelly Lopez dug up a match-best 21 kill attempts, while Brooke VandenBergh and Lauren McLaughlin each finished with eight kills. Mattie Johnson dished out 25 assists, as VandenBergh also added 16 digs. Lopez and Janna Deyle each finished the match with five blocks, with Chrissy Knuth adding a trio of blocks.
The ‘Dons next take to the road on October 11, when the team travels to Kansas City, Missouri for a one-match road trip, facing off against the Kangaroos of UMKC starting at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
~Dons~
