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Purdue Fort Wayne
Pacific
Mastodons Tame Tigers
3/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
March 6, 2009
Fort Wayne, IN - The IPFW men's volleyball team (8-5) may have stumbled early on Friday night against the visiting Tigers of the University of the Pacific (2-17), but it was how they finished that made the difference, winning three straight sets and the match 3-1 (25-30, 31-29, 30-17, 32-30).
Sophomore outside Darryl Shank led all players with 22 points on 19 kills (19-7-46). Sophomore opposite Ben Duckworth finished with 19.5 points with 14 kills (14-7-31), while junior middle Oliver Kook collected 10 (10-3-16). Phil Peterson added seven markers, Jonathan Meyer tallied four as Nathaniel Berg and Chris Brigson chipped in three and two respectively.
Duckworth shoveled a match and career-high 14 digs while also serving up four aces. Setter Dan Mader and Meyer each had nine digs to their credit. Mader also handed out a career-high tying 44 assists.
IPFW's Kook scored the match's first kill from the middle, but after being tied at 9-9, Pacific went on a 6-1 run that the `Dons could never recover from. After trailing at 15-22, IPFW went on a 3-0 run forcing a Tiger timeout, but Pacific never forfeited the lead in the first frame, leading by as many as six the remainder of the way and eventually capturing the first game, 30-25.
In the second set, IPFW kept things close until a kill and an ace from Pacific's Joe Forbes gave the Tigers a two point cushion at 12-10. IPFW trailed by four at 14-18, but a 9-4 run gave the `Dons the lead for the first time at 23-22. UP's Jason Borchin marked a kill giving the Tigers a game point at 29-28, but after an IPFW timeout, Pacific served a ball into the net, and a block by Shank and Brigson gave the `Dons game point before Pacific attacked an error, 31-29.
The third set was unlike any other in the match as the `Dons won by a large margin and hit .441. IPFW went on a 4-0 run early on to obtain a 13-7 advantage. Another 4-0 run gave IPFW a 10 point lead at 26-16. The third set concluded on a kill from Shank 30-17.
The Tigers attempted to make a run in the fourth set and win a game, but IPFW prevailed. Pacific led 15-14 at the officials' timeout. A 4-1 run gave the Tigers a comfortable lead but the `Dons wouldn't go away and rallied late holding the Tigers on two game points. As IPFW trailed 24-28, things looked nearly out of reach for the `Dons, but Mader found Meyer for a kill and Kook collected a rare assist as he found Shank for a strike forcing a Pacific timeout. Meyer then aced the Tigers coming out of the break and IPFW tied things up at 29-29 with a kill from Duckworth. The match was knotted up at 30 before a Tiger error and a big block from Shank and Berg ended the set 32-30.
With the win, the `Dons move to 8-5 on the year as the Tigers fall to 2-17.
Forbes led the Tigers with 18 points on 15 kills.
The same two teams play Saturday, March 7 at the Gates Sports Center. Match time is set for 7:00 PM.
~Dons~
