Sept. 7, 2007

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Despite a close showing in the first game, the Furman Lady Paladins fell to Purdue in 3 games in the opening match of Clemson's Big Orange Bash.

The Boilermakers led during the majority of game one and, despite several tied scores late in the game, were able to hold on to win by a score of 30-28, helped by Danita Merlau's seven kills and .312 hitting percentage.

Purdue jumped to an early 9-2 lead in game two, and took the game 30-19, aided by Furman's numerous attack errors. The Boilermakers also controlled game three, winning by a score of 30-9, led by Stephanie Lynch's five kills, and helped by the fact that Furman failed to post a hitting percentage above zero.

Furman's offense was led by junior Alison West, who posted 11 kills for the match. Junior libero Pamela Gehrke led the defense with 15 saves, while senior Chibuzo Aguocha added 10 digs to the losing effort.

With the loss, Furman falls to 4-2 on the season, while Purdue improves to 4-3. The Lady Paladins will face host team Clemson tomorrow morning at 11:00 in their second match of the weekend.