Sept. 11, 1999
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. ? The Purdue volleyball team won the 1999 Northern Arizona Fiesta Bowl Tournament with a hard-fought 15-7, 15-11, 15-12 victory against the host Lumberjacks tonight in the Rolle Activity Center. The Boilermakers went 3-0 to take the title in the round-robin event, with a win on Friday against Xavier and a win this morning against UC Irvine. This marks the first tournament championship in the new tenure of first-year Boilermaker head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer. Purdue is now 5-1, while Northern Arizona falls to 4-2.
?I?m very excited about our performance against such a tough defensive team,? Hulsmeyer said. ?I am very happy with how we played in the tournament overall. Our passing was steady and we put hitters in a position to be successful.?
Purdue got the day off to a good start with a 15-8, 15-10, 15-7 decision against UC Irvine. It was offense that made the difference against the Anteaters. The Boilers hit at an astounding .389 clip (55-13-108) compared to UC Irvine?s paltry .097 (41-29-124). Aneska Arosarena led the way for Purdue, registering 19 kills (on a .471 hitting percentage) to lead all players, while Connie Paul and Julie Doud contributed 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Paul hit .474 (11-2-19) and Doud hit .350 (10-3-20).
It was more of the same against the host Lumberjacks in the evening?s title match, as Purdue hit .343 compared to Northern Arizona?s .179. Arosarena again led the Boilers offensively, this time recording 19 kills. Doud and Paul filled in the gaps with 17 and 10 kills, respectively. Doud keyed the defense with a career-high 16 digs. Both Doud and Paul shared the team lead with three blocks apiece.
Purdue shook off some nerves early in Game 1 to fight back from a 3-1 deficit and build a 7-3 lead. After a Northern Arizona timeout the onslaught continued with the Boilers scrapping their way to an eight-point advantage. A second Lumberjack timeout failed, as well, and Purdue hustled its way to a 15-7 victory.
The Boilermakers jumped out to a four-point lead in Game 2 before the Lumberjacks rallied to knot the score at 7-all. One play later they claimed the edge, only to give it back to the Boilers moments later on a kill by Doud followed by an error of their own. A service ace by Maegan Petersen put Purdue up 10-8, and that?s as close as Northern Arizona would get. The Boilermakers held the Lumberjacks down through the stretch to post a 15-11 win.
Northern Arizona used strong serving and a bit of fortune to go ahead 4-1 at the start of Game 3. But old-fashioned hard work helped Purdue overtake the lead at 5-4 on a kill by Paul. Unfortunately for the Boilers, however, the one-point edge quickly eroded, and the Lumberjacks built a 12-5 lead. Purdue fought back, though, closing the margin to one at 8-7 and 12-11. A kill by Paul knotted the score at 12, and another Paul kill put Purdue back into the lead at 13-12. A block by Doud sealed the deal, giving the Boilers the game (15-12), match and championship victory.
Arosarena and setter Taryn Catlin were both named to the all-tournament team. Arosarena totaled 58 kills and 29 digs, while Catlin engineered Purdue?s efficient offense with 136 assists in three matches.
?Aneska showed all weekend that she is capable of being a dominating hitter,? Hulsmeyer said. ?And Taryn kept our offense in balance. They both did a great job offensively and defensively, and more importantly with their leadership.?
Purdue returns to action next weekend when it hosts Siena, McNeese State and Arkansas-Little Rock in the Boilermaker Invitational on Sept. 17-18. The round-robin tournament will be the Boilers? final non-conference tune-up before they begin Big Ten action Sept. 24 at Iowa.
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