Creighton volleyball takes down No. 6 Purdue in four sets
LAWRENCE, Kan. — No. 9 Creighton volleyball's offense ran hot and cold during the first three sets against No. 6 Purdue on Friday afternoon.
But with the finish line in sight, the Bluejays were able to cross the line following a back-and-forth fourth set, securing a 25-21, 17-25, 25-16, 27-25 victory over the Boilermakers.
Creighton, which lost two five-setters to top five teams Nebraska and Louisville last week, faced two set points in the fourth set as Purdue led 24-22.
But following a Purdue service error, a Kendra Wait kill tied it and an Ava Martin kill gave Creighton a 25-24 lead. Purdue tied it when Creighton missed a serve, but Martin's kill put the Jays up 26-25 before Wait and Kiara Reinhardt teamed for an ace block on match point.
Creighton hit .274 for the match as Martin and Norah Sis led four Jays in double-digit kills with 15 each. Wait did a little bit of everything as she finished with 51 assists, 11 digs, six blocks and five kills.
Both teams hit better than .415 in the opening set, but it was Creighton that put together a late push for an early lead.
Tied 18-18, Creighton won four straight points as Jaya Johnson delivered three consecutive kills. The teams traded sideouts after that as CU won the set on a Norah Sis kill — the Jays' 22nd kill in their 25 points.
Johnson, who like Wait is from suburban Kanas City, finished the match with 10 kills and hit .412.
Creighton was up 13-12 in the second when Purdue finished the set on a 13-4 run. After hitting .488 in the first set, the Jays hit minus-.105 in the second, committing 10 hitting errors to go with six kills.
Creighton responded in the third set as a 6-0 run put the Jays up 13-7. They were in control the rest of the set when they hit .538.
That set the stage for a fourth set that was the only one that went to the wire. CU built a 14-9 lead, the Boilermakers tied it at 18-18 and stayed close until Wait and Reinhardt's block.
Purdue was led by Eva Hudson with 19 kills and nine digs.
Creighton plays another top-10 opponent at 3 p.m. Saturday when it faces No. 10 Kansas.
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