Purdue Fort Wayne
Oral Roberts
Mastodons Survive in Thriller over Oral Roberts
10/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 24, 2009
Fort Wayne, IN – The IPFW Mastodons were able to overcome a 2-1 deficit on Saturday evening at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center, taking the final two sets of the match in convincing fashion and putting themselves in sole possession of third place in the Summit League with a 23-25, 26-24, 17-25, 25-14, 15-10 victory over the Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts University.
Rebekah Roehm’s 17 kills were a match-high, with Maya Schlindwein adding 11, and Taryn Parker eight. Parker also added three service aces, and a match-best eight blocks, four of which were solo, as IPFW out-blocked Oral Roberts 18-to-6 for the match. Five Mastodon players, Jamie Schwartz (19), Tessa McGill (13), Schlindwein (12), Roehm (11), and Reuter (10) each finished with double figure digs, as the trio of Schlindwein, Roehm, and Reuter finished with double-doubles. Reuter dished out 14 assists to finish her double-double, as Megan Steenhuysen dished out 28 kills in the thrilling win.
IPFW scored first in all five sets in the match, as the hosts came out of the gates strong in the opening frame, taking a commanding 16-7 lead early in the contest. The Golden Eagles fought back, using three separate 3-0 runs to climb within three, and trailed by four at 23-19 before scoring the final six points of the set to win the opener 25-23.
The Mastodons once again jumped ahead in the second set, leading 5-2, before the Golden Eagles fought back and took their first lead as they capped a 4-0 run with a Serena Cate kill. The Mastodons quickly answered back, with a 3-0 run, as the match remained close throughout the remainder of the frame. An ORU 4-0 run gave the visitors a 22-19 lead, but IPFW scored seven of the last nine points to send the teams into the intermission between sets knotted at one apiece.
Oral Roberts was in control of the fourth set from the beginning, jumping ahead by four at 10-6, and did not look back, putting the Mastodons on the brink of elimination with the 25-17 third-set win.
IPFW answered back from the lopsided third set score by using two different 4-0 runs to open to a 10-3 advantage, forcing the Golden Eagles into their second timeout of the set. Things would not get any better, as the Mastodons ran off another pair of 3-0 runs to cruise to an easy 25-14 victory, forcing a fifth and deciding set in the match.
The Mastodons kept their momentum from the fourth set, and used it early in the fifth, opening on a 4-0 run, capped by a Roehm block, and led 8-2 when the benches switched sides. After the switch, the Golden Eagles ran off three straight to cut the deficit to three at 8-5, before the Mastodons ran off two straight to lead by five at 10-5. The teams traded sideouts for nearly the rest of the match, as a Roehm kill helped IPFW claim their second victory at home over ORU in as many seasons with the 15-10 fifth-set score.
Joana Gruber led the Golden Eagles with 13 kills, as Cate had 12 and Brittney Rush 10. Cassidy Holmes dug up 33 kill attempts, as Juliane Vieira dished out 50 assists.
The Mastodons cap their three-match weekend tomorrow afternoon against Missouri State, who was receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. The match is slated for a 1:00 PM first serve at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.
~Dons~
