Schlindwein's Big Night Leads 'Dons to Win

Friday, October 15

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

13-8, 8-2Summit

South Dakota State

8-11, 4-6Summit

South Dakota State

IPFW

Maya Schlindwein had a season-high 26 kills as the IPFW Mastodons moved into a tie for first place in the Summit League

10/15/2010 9:40:45 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

Fort Wayne, IN - Behind a season-high 26 kill effort from senior Maya Schlindwein, the IPFW Mastodons climbed into a tie for first place in the Summit League with a five-set (25-17, 23-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-9) victory over the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State University.

The Mastodon win, which improves the team to 13-8 on the season and 8-2 in the Summit League, coupled with a North Dakota State five-set loss at Oakland, puts the 'Dons into a three-way tie for first place in the Summit League with the Bison and Southern Utah Thunderbirds. IPFW currently holds the tiebreaker of the group, having beaten each of the other two teams at the top, and sets up a battle in tomorrow night's match against the Mastodons and Bison.

Of Schlindwein's 26 kills, 10 came in the crucial fourth set in which the team was able to knot the match up and send it to a fifth and deciding set. Stephanie Lamberti also added 10 kills, as did Tessa McGill and Megan Steenhuysen. The kill totals for McGill and Steenhuysen's are new career-highs, the first kill/assist double-double of Steenhuysen's career, and the first for the Mastodon program since Melissa Meinhart had 11 kills and 26 assists against Oakland on October 6, 2001.

The other half of Steenhuysen's double-double came with 46 assists, while Jen MIlligan had a match-high 20 digs. Tessa McGill added 17 digs from her new outside hitter position, recording the first double-double of her career, while Lamberti chipped in 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. Taryn Parker had five blocks to go with her three kills, as Alli Hook and Steenhuysen each added three stops.

The two teams opened the match going back-and-forth, seeing the match tied at eight apiece before the Mastodons ran off ten of the next 12 points to lead 18-10. The lead grew to as many as nine at 21-12, before the visitors ran off five straight to cut the gap to four at 21-17. A 4-0 run to end the match; however, damped any Jackrabbit hope of a comeback in the opener.

The second set saw 13 ties and four lead changes, and the largest lead gained by either team was three when the Mastodons led 20-17. SDSU fought back and tied the score at 21, and proceeded to tie the set at 22- and 23-all, before scoring the final three points of the set to take a split of the first two frames with a 25-23 win.

The Jackrabbits (8-11, 4-6 Summit League) came out of the gate in the third set firing on all cylinders, and jumped ahead to a 5-2 lead early on in the frame. The Mastodons, behind strong serving from Schlindwein, rattled off six consecutive points to lead 8-5. The 'Dons would hold onto their lead through the next half of the set, as the next SDSU lead came at 21-20 after an Ellyce Youngren kill. IPFW would not back down, and took a one-point lead at 23-22, before the visitors, for the second consecutive set, scored the final three points of the frame to secure at 25-23 win, and put the 'Dons a set away from elimination in the match.

The fourth set was all Schlindwein, as the senior had 10 kills on just 11 swings for an attack percentage of .818, as the 'Dons hit .321 for the entirety of the set (14 kills, 5 errors, 28 attempts). The set opened with a back-and-forth battle, before the 'Dons secured a lead at 8-5. The lead remained three at 9-6 before the visitors rattled off a 6-1 run to lead for the the team's final time in the set at 12-10. IPFW quickly responded with a 7-2 run of their own to lead 17-15, and IPFW never trailed again, despite a late push from the 'Jacks, with the Mastodons forcing a fifth set with a 25-23 fourth-frame victory.

In the fifth set, the Mastodons jumped ahead 3-1, and never trailed in the set, using a series of short runs to lead 14-9 before Lamberti closed the match with a kill, giving IPFW a 15-9 fifth-set victory, and improving the team to 5-2 overall on the year in five-set matches.

The Mastodons hit .237 for the match on 63 kills, 26 errors, and 156 attempts, and led in digs 70-56. SDSU had a one ace advantage (6-5), and doubled up IPFW in blocks 16-8.

The Jacks were led by Youngren who had 17 kills with Kelli Fiegen adding 13 to go with her match-high nine blocks, and Kaitlin Klingemann chipping in 10. Thyele Rechatiko dished out a match-high 49 assists, with Shay Birtah digging up 15 IPFW kill attempts.

The Mastodons return to action at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center tomorrow evening when the team hosts its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night in which the team will wear pink jerseys, and $1 from every ticket sold will go directly to the American Cancer Society.

~Dons~