Oct. 20, 1999
By DaVida Smith
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball team suffered a 15-6, 10-15, 15-4, 15-1 loss at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers tonight in the IAF. The Boilermakers slip to 11-7 (3-6 Big Ten), while the Badgers improve to 12-7 (5-4 Big Ten).
Wisconsin came into the match looking to snap a three-match losing skid. The Badgers accomplished that by hitting .297 and recording only 18 attack errors on 128 attacks. Purdue just hit .121 and committed 31 attack errors. Wisconsin senior Allyson Ross, the fourth-leading hitter for the Badgers, led all players with 16 kills.
"Ross hurt us from the inside," first-year Purdue head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "She always plays well, but tonight she was such a dominating force."
Despite Ross' uncharacteristic effort, it was Purdue's lack of team play that caused its downfall.
"We have known since the beginning that we need a team effort," Hulsmeyer said. "We weren't there as a team. Sarah Emke and Julie Doud had good nights, but as a team we couldn't get our offense in the game."
Game 1 was reflective of that statement. Purdue senior Connie Paul and junior Julie Doud scored the first two points of the match, but the Badgers came back on an 7-1 run, making the score 7-3. The Boilermakers struggled to stay alive despite a valiant effort from Doud but they could not answer Ross' nine kills. Purdue dropped the game 6-15.
The Boilers came into Game 2 with the desire to win. A service ace by sophomore Maegan Petersen gave the Boilers a slight 3-2 advantage. Purdue went on a 4-1 run before Wisconsin jumped back into the game, reducing the Purdue lead to 8-7. The Badgers would score one more to tie the game 8-all. An error by Wisconsin and a kill by Doud would put Purdue up by two. Wisconsin sophomore Sherisa Livingston got in two blocks to deadlocked the score once more at 10. A kill by senior Sarah Emke keyed a 5-0 run that led the Boilers to a 15-10 victory.
Wisconsin scored six unanswered points to begin Game 3, then went on a 9-2 run to win 15-4. The Badgers continued to pour it on in Game 4, allowing Purdue just one point on a -.130 hitting percentage.
For Hulsmeyer, whose team was coming off a 3-1 win over Ohio State last Saturday, being tired was just not an acceptable excuse for the midweek loss.
"We can't blame things on being tired," Hulsmeyer said. "We have to be able to gut it out and perform as a team. After all, Wisconsin is on the same schedule we are."
Doud led the Boilers with 14 kills, while Senior Aneska Arosarena added 12 and Emke was good for 10. Senior setter Taryn Catlin had 40 assists and 10 digs for the night.
The Boilermakers will have one more chance to "gut it out" this week as they hit the road to face Northwestern on Oct. 22 in Evanston. The battle will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on WAZY (1410 AM) and www.purduesports.com.