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Date VOLLEYBALL EARNS MUCH- NEEDED WEEKEND SWEEP GnBManager@GoldandBlack.com BY BRANDAN ALFORD After losing five out of six season was teetering on an un- comfortable position. With a pair of home matches last weekend, the Boilers (16-7 overall, 7-5 in the Big Ten) had a chance to put themselves back on solid ground. They did just that, taking a games, Purdue's volleyball 3-0 sweep over Michigan (17-9, 5-7) before grinding out a five-set victory over Michigan State (17-7, 5-7) the next night. The 22nd-ranked Boilers were paced on the weekend by senior Ariel Turner, who posted 18 kills and six digs against the Wolverines before a double-dou- ble against the Spartans with 20 kills and 11 digs. "I thought Ariel's match against Michigan was a real work- manlike effort, dell said. "She had great focus. I thought the next night, she had a " Coach Dave Shon- gutsy performance. For a player of her caliber, it's tough to get good looks all the time. You can't have success on every opportunity. Turner had help in the five- " set victory on Saturday as Val Nichol turned in one of her best performances of the season REMAINING VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE Oct. 31 Nov. 3 Nov. 8 Opponent at Illinois Nov. 10 Time at Northwestern at Iowa Nov. 16 OHIO STATE Nov. 17 Nov. 21 Nov. 23 WISCONSIN INDIANA at Nebraska PENN STATE 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. Clintock continued a stand- out first season at Purdue with a top-ten showing at the Big Ten Championships last weekend. McClintock crossed the finish line in 24:04, a per- sonal best in the 8,000 meters and good enough for ninth place. McClintock's DAVID MCCLINTOCK Freshman David Mc- top-ten finish was the first by a Boiler since David Rae finished ninth in 2005. He was the only freshman to finish in the top 15 in the race. For his per- Val Nichol helped Purdue to two victories in the last week, and was especially effective against Michigan State, finishing with 15 kills. Purdue against Michigan State, finishing with 15 kills in the match. "Val is a special athlete, dell said. "The last three weeks, she has changed her mentality. Her focus, work ethic, and atten- tion have all improved. Nichol played a huge role in " OLYMPIC SPORTS PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: formance, McClintock was named Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year. The rookie was also named second-team All-Big Ten as well as Purdue's Sportsmanship Award recipient. Twice this season, McClintock was named Big Ten Player-of-the-Week. " Shon- the victory over Michigan as well, serving a string of nine straight points, taking the Boilers from down six to up two in Game 1 of the match. "Against turned the match around with her serving, Michigan, she " Shondell said. "That stretch was really important for us. She may have very well turned out season around with that stretch." The mood has certainly im- proved around the Boiler pro- gram after two important losses back in the friendly confines of GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 23, EXPRESS 9 • 39