Nov. 20, 1999
By DaVida Smith
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball suffered an unfortunate 3-2 (15-8, 15-12, 15-13, 5-15) loss to Northwestern tonight. The Boilermakers fall to 15-12 (7-11 Big Ten), and Northwestern improved to 4-24 (2-16 Big Ten). First-year head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer felt ball control was the downfall for the Boilers.
"It came down to ball control," Hulsmeyer said. "As the match went our handling of the ball got worse and worse. It is an area we have been working on all season, but tonight we couldn't pull it together."
Senior Aneska Arosarena led the Boilers in kills with 19. Junior Julie Doud contributed 17, while senior Sarah Emke contributed 15. Emke and classmate Connie Paul both recorded six blocks for the night.
The Boilers began Game 1 by scoring five unanswered points, three of which were aces by Arosarena. Northwestern got in two before Purdue went on a 5-2 run, increasing its lead to 10-4. The Old Gold and Black would go on a 4-4 run to bring the score to 14-8, and Emke put on the finishing touches with an ace.
Northwestern took an early 3-1 lead in Game 2. Purdue countered by going on a 3-1 run of its own, tying the score 4-all. The Wildcats broke away and scored three unanswered points. Arosarena slid in five of the Boilers next seven kills, but it would not be enough to stop Northwestern, as they went on the win the game 15-12.
Even though the Wildcats came into Game 3 with a 7-3 advantage, it would not be enough to stop Purdue from claiming the victory. The Boilers rallied and produced a 7-3 run to take the lead and to make the score 10-7. Northwestern would rally to knot the game at the 10, 12 and 13 marks, but it would not be enough to hold Purdue. A kill by Arosarena and an ace by Catlin gave the Boilers the game.
The Boilers only hit for .094 percent in Game 4, and allowed Northwestern to record a .400 hitting percentage. The Wildcats would win 15-5, sending the match to Game 5, which they took 15-11.
The Boilers will finish schedule on the road with matches against Ohio State and Penn State on Nov. 26 and 27. The match against the Hawkeyes will begin at 7 p.m. and the Boilers will face the Lady Lions at 7:30 p.m. Both events will be broadcast live on WAZY (1410 AM) and www.purduesports.com.
-P-