Purdue Fort Wayne
Wright State
Roehm's Career Night Leads IPFW to Thrilling Victory
9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 29, 2009
Dayton, OH – IPFW senior Rebekah Roehm recorded a career-high 26 kills, as the Mastodons were able to hold on for a thrilling five-set victory over the Wright State Raiders on Tuesday evening, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 15-13.
Roehm also moved into sole possession of second place on the IPFW career-kill record book, as the senior now has c,ccc for her career, passing former teammate Jessica Miller, who ended her career last season with 1,254.
Also setting a new career-high for kills was Stephanie Lamberti, who ended the match with 15, with Maya Schlindwein finishing just off of the double-figure pace with nine. Senior setter Shannon Reuter picked up a double-double with 51 assists and 17 digs, with Roehm leading the team with 20 digs. Jamie Schwartz added 14 digs, while freshman Tessa McGill added 10 digs in the win.
A match after her 11-block effort, sophomore Ali Hook added eight, with Stephanie Lamberti chipping in five and Reuter three.
IPFW jumped out quickly in the match, scoring five of the first seven points, jumping ahead 5-2 after the second of two straight Schlindwein kills. Despite not trailing early, the Mastodons would only lead by as many as three points, with the Raiders taking their first lead of the match after a Michelle Hammond kill gave the hosts a 10-9 advantage.
After seeing their early lead taken away, IPFW ran off a 4-1 run to lead again by three at 15-12. After a pair of sideouts, the Raiders used a 3-0 run of their own to knot the set at 16, forcing the ‘Dons into their first timeout of the match. IPFW ended the rally, and pushed ahead to a one-point, 20-19 lead, before the host Raiders put together their largest streak of the set, scoring the next five points, taking a four-point, 24-20 lead. IPFW made the set interesting by scoring the ensuing three points, but after a WSU timeout, Lexi Leonhard pounded down her sixth kill of the set to give the Raiders the 25-23 opening-set win.
The Mastodons came out firing on all cylinders to open the second set, not trailing in the set after scoring the first five points of the frame, which included a Hook kill, a Taryn Parker ace, and a Lamberti/Hook combination block, giving the visitors a lead they would not give up for the remainder of the set.
The five-point lead would be threatened in the middle of the run, as Wright State evened the match at 15-15 to cap a Raider 3-0 run. IPFW quickly by scoring six of the next eicht points to lead 21-17. A 3-0 WSU run closed the gap to just one at 21-20, but the Mastodon squad showed its character by ending the frame on a 4-1 run, including a trio of Roehm kills, giving the Mastodons the 25-21 second-set win.
IPFW carried its momentum from the end of the second set throughout the entirety of the third set, as the ‘Dons led wire-to-wire after jumping ahead 4-1 to start the set. The Blue and White weren’t able to pull away from the feisty Raider squad, until the visitors used a 6-0 run to put the match out of reach, putting IPFW ahead 2-1 after the 25-19 third set
As much as IPFW dominated the third set, Wright State seemed to be destined to win the fourth, as the host Raiders used runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to lead by as many as eight at 18-10. With the Raiders seemingly securely ahead, the ‘Dons climbed back, using a late 3-0 run to close the gap to four at 23-19, before Wright State scored two of the last three points to win 25-20.
In the fifth and deciding set, Wright State scored first for the first time in the match, before IPFW quickly jumped on the hosts with a 6-0 run to lead 6-1. Wright State would claw their way back, and eventually take a two-point, 12-10 lead.
With the lead, the crowd, and more importantly, the momentum, in the Raiders’ favor, IPFW buckled down and out-scored Wright State 5-1 to end the match, giving the ‘Dons the 15-13 deciding set win.
Shaunda Sanifer led Wright State with 24 kills, as Lexi Leonhard added 17. Leonhard and Stefanie Shiramizu had 20 and 23 digs to lead the team, respectively.
IPFW returns to action on Friday, October 2, when the team travels to Rochester, Michigan to take on the Golden Grizlies of Oakland University, with first-serve set for 7:00 PM.
~Dons~
