September 10, 1999
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. ? The Purdue volleyball team picked up its third victory of the young season with a 15-8, 15-4, 4-15, 15-12 decision against Xavier in its first match of the Northern Arizona Fiesta Bowl Tournament on Sept. 10. The Boilermakers, now 3-1, handed the Musketeers (5-1) their first loss of the year.
?We played with a lot of confidence, especially at the beginning of the match,? first-year Purdue head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. ?Getting behind in Game 3 shook our confidence, but I was proud of the way we held our composure and fought back.?
Purdue?s victorious effort was led offensively by Aneska Arosarena and defensively by Julie Doud. Both contributed double-doubles, with Arosarena recording a match-high 20 kills on a .368 hitting percentage (20-4-47) and Doud tallying a career-high 13 digs. Arosarena added 13 digs to complement Doud?s 10 kills. Connie Paul and Sarah Emke also reached double figures in kills with 11 apiece.
But it was a team effort that helped the Boilers score the win and get back on the winning track.. Purdue outhit Xavier .234 to .134 and outblocked it 12 to 8.
The Boilermakers picked away at the Musketeers in Game 1. They scored their first point on a kill by Arosarena and quickly went up 4-1. Purdue went up by three again at 6-3, 7-4 and 8-5, at which point Xavier used a timeout. But the break did not slow the Boilermakers down. Continuing to control the momentum throughout the game, Purdue never let the Musketeers get closer than six, and exited with a 15-8 victory.
After trading eight sideouts to begin Game 2, Purdue got on the board first on a kill by Maegan Petersen. The Boilers methodically built their advantage to four at 7-3, prompting Xavier into spending another timeout. Again it failed. And Purdue picked up more steam, scoring eight unanswered points, including the last five consecutively on Doud?s serve, to win 15-4.
The Musketeers came out re-energized in Game 3, storming out of the gates to build a 7-0 lead. Two straight service aces tacked onto that put Xavier ahead by nine and forced Hulsmeyer to call a timeout. Purdue responded by getting on the board with a Paul kill, then drew to within eight at 12-4. But the Musketeers kept the Boilers at bay, holding them scoreless the rest of the way for a 15-4 win.
Purdue turned the tables to start off Game 4, reeling off four points in a row to begin the contest. Xavier fought back to close the margin to two at 5-3, but kills by Arosarena and Paul pushed the Purdue lead back to four at 7-3. The Boilers saw that lead slip away when Xavier went ahead 8-7. But Purdue reclaimed it moments later at 9-8 and held on for a 15-12 victory.
The four-game win helped the Boilers get back on track after dropping the title match in last weekend?s season-opening Mortar Board Purdue Premier to Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
?The team was excited and anxious to get back onto the court after last weekend,? Hulsmeyer said. ?It is good that they were able to re-establish that winning feeling.?
Hulsmeyer and the rest of the Boilers hopes those feelings carry over to the second and final day of competition in the Fiesta Bowl Tournament. They play UC Irvine and Northern Arizona on Sept. 11.
?The main thing for us to be successful is taking care of the ball on our side of the net,? Hulsmeyer said. ?When we pass we are formidable. And we need to be a lot more disciplined on our block because that is our first line of defense.?
Purdue?s match against the Anteaters will get underway at 10 a.m. MST (12 noon EST), while its match against the host Lumberjacks is slated for a 7:30 p.m. MST start.