Oct. 1, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue exemplified the word "team" tonight in a 15-11, 15-10, 15-13 volleyball victory over Big Ten rival Michigan State. The Boilermakers came together to pull off their first win against the Spartans since 1993, as well as their first Big Ten win of the season. First-year head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer felt good about the win.
"It's great when the team wins with lots of contributions," Hulsmeyer said. "If you want to beat top 10 teams, everyone has to contribute like we did tonight."
The Old Gold and Black had a great night hitting at .357 percent (81-25-157), compared to Michigan State's .233 (61-27-146). Purdue also outdug the Spartans 45 to 40, and recorded 20 more kills than the Green and White (81-61).
Aneska Arosarena led the Boilers with 29 kills, marking the 11th time in 12 matches that Arosarena has registered double-figure kills. Julie Doud added 20 kills and Sarah Emke contributed a double-double with 11kills and 10 digs. Setter Taryn Catlin had 62 assists.
Purdue began Game 1 on a 9-0 run behind three kills by Arosarena. The Spartans came back to challenge the Boilermakers, despite being down 13-3, and reached within two at 13-11. Michigan State could get no closer than that, however as two kills by Arosarena gave Purdue a 15-11 victory.
The Boilermakers scorched the Spartans in Game 2 hitting .380. Arosarena tallied eight kills in that stanza, as did Doud. Purdue again dominated play and ran away to a 15-10 win.
Michigan State led in Game 3 for the first time in the match, but the Boilermakers rallied. Down 13-10, Purdue went on a 5-0 run to overtake the lead and win the game 15-13. Arosarena led Purdue in the final game with nine kills, including the kill that ended the match.
This is an upset for the Boilermakers, who had lost 11 straight matches to the Spartans.
"This proves that on any given night, any team in the Big Ten can win," Hulsmeyer said. "We are certainly glad that it was our night tonight, and we share this victory with the crowd."
A total of 1,163 fans were on hand to witness the victory. It was Purdue's third largest crowd of the season.
The Boilers' next competition will be Oct. 2 in West Lafayette in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility against Michigan at 7 p.m. The 18th-ranked Wolverines lost at Wisconsin tonight in three games.