Mastodons Keep Summit Lead with Win over Golden Eagles

Sunday, October 24

Tulsa, Okla.

3:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

17-8, 11-2

Oral Roberts

8-12, 6-6

IPFW

Oral Roberts

Stephanie Lamberti had 13 kills and nine digs in IPFW's four-set win over Oral Roberts

Mastodons Keep Summit Lead with Win over Golden Eagles

10/24/2010 4:39:06 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOX SCORE

Tulsa, OK - The IPFW Mastodons were able to rally in three separate sets, improving to 17-8 on the season, and 11-2 in the Summit League, with a four-set win over the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, 26-24, 25-22, 17-25, 28-26).

IPFW's win over the Golden Eagles was the Mastodons' first-ever win in Tulsa, and the tenth straight victory for the 'Dons, all in the month of October.

Senior outside hitter Maya Schlindwein totaled a team-best 17 kills, her 16th straight match with double-figures in the category, moving into sole possession of fifth place in the IPFW record books. Stephanie Lamberti added 13 kills, while middle hitters Alli Hook and Taryn Parker had nine apiece.

Megan Steenhuysen dished out 39 assists in the four sets while Parker had a pair of service aces. Jen Milligan dug up 20 kill attempts, while Schlindwein and Tessa McGill had 16 digs apiece. Three players, Hook, Parker, and Schlindwein, had three blocks apiece in the victory.

Oral Roberts (8-12, 6-6 Summit League) jumped out quickly to open the match, leading early at 5-2, and holding onto the lead throughout the majority of the first set. The lead grew to as many as five at 13-8, before the Mastodons fought back to tie the score at 19 apiece. The teams found themselves tied at every increment from 19 until 24. Trailing 24-23, IPFW ran off three straight points on a kill from Parker, a Golden Eagle attack error, and a Lamberti kill to, to give the Mastodons the 26-24 opening-set win.

In a repeat of the first set, Oral Roberts jumped ahead early, leading by four at 5-1, and by three at 14-11 until IPFW ran off three consecutive points to tie the score at 14 all. A few quick back-and-forths, the Mastodons pushed ahead to a two-point, 21-19 lead, one that the team would not give up for the remainder of the set, as IPFW rattled off three of the last four points to go into intermission leading two sets to none.

In a reversal of the norm, the Mastodons jumped ahead early in the third set, and led 8-2 through the first ten points. The strong ORU squad would not go quietly into the night, and climbed back into the set, tying the frame at ten apiece. The Golden Eagles used a late 7-0 run to turn a 17-14 lead into a 24-14 advantage, cruising to the 25-17 third-set win.

ORU scored the first three points of the fourth set, and led 9-2 early in the set. The Golden Eagles kept at least a two-point advantage over the majority of the frame, and served for set point at 24-21 before IPFW rallied to score four consecutive points to lead 25-24, and serve for a match-point of their own.

The two teams traded kills, with the teams tied at 26 apiece, before back-to-back attack errors ended the hopes of forcing a fifth set for the Golden Eagles, giving IPFW the 28-26 fourth-set win.

Oral Roberts had an attack percentage a fraction ahead of IPFW's (.172-to-.171), and led in kills (58-53), blocks (9-7), digs (73-70), and service aces (7-4); however, the Mastodons came up on the positive on the side that matters, winning the three sets by a combined seven points.

Tatum Fredeen had a match-high 20 kills, with Jocelyn Swier adding 14. Anna Rossi dished out 35 assists, while Bruna Silva dug up 31 IPFW kill attempts.

The Mastodons next take to the court on Friday, October 29, when the team travels north to Rochester, Michigan, to take on the Grizzlies of Oakland University, with first-serve slated for 7:00 PM.

~Dons~