Sept. 17, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A win is a win, no matter how ugly. The Purdue volleyball team discovered that in its first match of the Boilermaker Invitational tonight, as the Boilers needed five games to dispose of McNeese State 15-12, 9-15, 11-15, 15-8 before a crowd of 1,122 in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. The win was Purdue's fourth in a row and second this season in five games. The loss was the first of the season for the Cowgirls, who dropped to 9-1, while the Boilers improved to 6-1.
Julie Doud and Aneska Arosarena led the Boilermakers with 25 kills apiece, a career best for Doud and a season best for Arosarena. Arosarena led the defense, as well, contributing a career-high 20 digs. Connie Paul chipped in season highs of 18 kills and seven blocks, while Taryn Catlin recorded a season-high 69 assists.
Anissa Parker led the Cowgirls with 20 kills and 20 digs.
Purdue outhit McNeese State .286 to .228 and outdug the Cowgirls 85-78. The Boilers also bettered their opponent in blocks (12-10), service aces (9-8) and assists.
Even though the Boilers led in all the major statistical categories, they did not dominate the match. But somehow they found a way to win, which is a good sign for first-year head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer and his up-and-coming squad.
"I am pleased with the determination we showed," Hulsmeyer said. "We hung in there through some tough games and finished strong. I am very happy with how we were able to pull it out and get the win."
Purdue started off slugishly in Game 1, as poor hitting and inaccurate serving by the Boilermakers allowed the Cowgirls to open the contest on a 6-0 run. Despite the deficit Purdue regrouped in a hurry, and a block by Sarah Emke and Taryn Catlin put the Old Gold and Black into the lead at 7-6. The Boilers scored three more points consecutively to go ahead 10-6, but McNeese State rallied right back to knot the score at 10-all. The tie did not last long, though, as another Purdue block, this time by Maegan Petersen and Connie Paul, gave the edge immediately back to the Boilers. That small margin turned out to be big enough for Purdue, as the Boilers closed out the game on a 5-2 run to win 15-12.
The same scenario unfolded at the beginning of Game 2, with McNeese State capitalizing on Purdue hitting errors to race out to a 9-0 lead. But once again the Boilers fought back, closing the gap to six at 12-6 on a block by Emke and Catlin. The Boilers reached even nearer the Cowgirls, drawing to within three at 12-9. But unlike the first game, Purdue could never overtake the lead, and McNeese State finished on a 3-0 run to win 15-9.
The Boilers grabbed a 4-1 lead early in Game 3 before the Cowgirls deadlocked the score at 4-apiece. A kill by Paul put Purdue back in charge, and the Boilers pushed their lead back to three at 7-4. But that advantage quickly disappeared, and the two teams again found themselves stuck together at 10 and 11. The sharing was over from that point on, however. And despite saving four game points, the Boilers saw the Cowgirls take the contest 15-11.
Purdue saw its 3-0 lead in Game 4 slip away, too, but the Boilers again bounced back to reclaim the edge at 7-6 on a Cowgirl error. Another McNeese State mistake helped Purdue build its lead to four, and that's all the cushion the Boilers needed en route to claiming the 15-8 victory.
The fifth-game rubber match was battled as fiercely as the previous four, but Purdue utilized its right-side hitters to grab a 7-4 lead in the rally-scoring affair. A block by Emke and Catlin widened the gap to four at 11-7, and Purdue was able to cruise from there to a 15-10 win.
In other Boilermaker Invitational action, McNeese State defeated Arkansas-Little Rock 15-13, 15-10, 15-7, while Arkansas-Little Rock defeated Siena 16-14, 15-8, 15-7.
The Boilermakers will take on Siena in a rescheduled match tomorrow, Sept. 18, at 3 p.m. They will wrap up the Boilermaker Invitational with a match against Arkansas-Little Rock at 7:30 p.m. That will be Purdue's final match of the non-conference season.
"The most important thing for us is to stay focused on what we're doing on our side of the net," Hulsmeyer said. "When we pass well we are very dangerous. We just need to do the simple things well and we'll be in good shape."
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