Purdue Fort Wayne
Drake
Mastodons Fall in Invitational Finale
8/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 29, 2009
Fort Wayne, IN – With a shot at the IPFW Invitational title on the line with a victory, the IPFW Mastodons fell in the finale of the five-team tournament 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-19).
Mayara Schlindwein led IPFW with nine kills, while adding 11 digs for the near double-double. Jamie Schwartz dug up 17 kill attempts, as Alli Hook had six blocks and a career-high four kills, and Megan Steenhuysen dished out 21 assists.
Drake jumped out on IPFW in the first set, using a pair of 2-0 and a 3-0 run to lead by four at 6-2. IPFW would close to within two on a pair of occasions, the latest at 9-7, before Drake scored the next three points to push ahead five at 12-7. IPFW cut the gap to four, before a 5-0 run gave the Bulldogs all the momentum they would need in the frame, and cruised the rest of the way to the 25-15 first-set win.
IPFW came out firing in the second set, taking a five-point, 7-2 lead early in the set before the strong Drake squad steadily fought back, eventually tying the set at 16, and used an 7-0 run to turn a 17-17 tie into a 24-17 lead, before securing the 25-19 second-set win.
Like in the second set, IPFW led early in the third frame, including by four at 13-9 until Drake once again used a steady push and eventually tied the match at 14 apiece. The teams were tied at 18, before the Bulldogs ended on a fury, out-scoring IPFW 7-1 the rest of the way to claim the match win by a 25-19 third-set score.
Alisa DeBerg Roth and Emily Heffernen each had eight kills in the victory, with Chelsea Lauersdorf dishing out 25 assists. Emily Madden dug up a match-high 18 kill attempts, with Alana Wittenburg and Lindsay Schryver adding 17 and 14 each. Heffernen blocked a match-high eight shot attempts, as the Bulldogs had 13 total blocks in the match, to just seven for IPFW.
Senior Rebekah Roehm was named to the All-Tournament team, along with Kent State’s Meredith Paskert, Eastern Illinois’ Brit Wallace and Jess Wheeler, Drake’s Lauersdorf and Heffernen, and Butler’s Katie Daprile, Gina Vera, and Jessica Wolfe, the latter of which was named the tournament Most Valuable Player.
Overall, IPFW took fourth in the tournament with a 2-2 record. Butler was the team champion going 3-1 over the two days, with Drake losing in the head-to-head with Butler to take second overall. Eastern Illinois and IPFW were each 2-2; however, with EIU’s 3-1 victory over IPFW in the Mastodons’ opening match of the tournament, they took the third spot over the hosts.
The Mastodons, now 2-2 on the young season, host Eastern Michigan University on Tuesday, September 1, with first-serve set for 7:00 PM at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.
~Dons~
