Sept. 1, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball team experience highs and lows in its second match of the season, but was able to pull out a 15-7, 16-14, 3-15, 10-15, 18-16 win over Western Michigan in the second round of the Mortar Board Purdue Premier on Friday night.
"When you have a youthful team you expect matches to get pushed to three, four and even five games," Purdue head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "What was great for us tonight was that we were able to get back into the match. Also, it was exciting to see our youth help get us out of those situations."
Freshman left-side starter Joanna Lowry was one of those newcomers that assisted the Purdue attack. Lowry, one of two rookies in the starting lineup, recorded 15 kills on the evening.
"Joanna has a great combination of athletic ability and gamesmanship," Hulsmeyer said. "She stays aggressive and plays smart volleyball. The future of Purdue volleyball looks very bright."
Purdue senior outside hitter Julie Doud, a returning starter from the 1999 season, led Purdue with 16 kills.
"The outside hitters have to carry the team when passing goes down," Hulsmeyer said. "All the weight fell on Doud tonight, and she responded well. She brings so much fire to the court, and it's impressive to watch a player like her play."
Lowry led both teams with five kills in Game 1. The Boilermakers scored five unanswered points before going on a 9-2 run to take the lead 12-2. Purdue then forced Western Michigan into two errors to bring the score to 14-3. The Broncos managed to save three game points before a kill by Doud gave Purdue a 15-7 win.
Purdue was able to overcome a 5-2 deficit early in Game 2 and eventually build a 14-9 lead over the Broncos. The Boilermakers once again found it difficult to close the game, as Western Michigan fought to catch up. The Broncos recorded five straight kills to knot the game 14-all, but Purdue earned a sideout, forced an error and capitalized on a kill by Maegan Peteresen to end the game 16-14.
Western Michigan's Ashley Ritter led both teams with four kills in Game 3, as the Broncos picked up a 15-3 win. In Game 4, Western Michigan rolled to 15-10 victory.
Game 5 came down to tenacity and determination. Purdue was able to get out to a 7-3 lead before Western Michigan knotted the rally-scoring game at every point from 7 to 16. A kill by Tiffany Yoskey gave the Boilermakers game and match point at 17-16, and an out-of-bounds hitting error by the Broncos sealed the match for Purdue.
The Boilermakers will play Kansas on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the championship match of the Mortar Board Purdue Premier tournament. Hulsmeyer looks forward to meeting the Big 12 opponent, which defeated Eastern Kentucky (3-0) and Western Michigan (3-1) in today's matches.
"Kansas is very similar to Western Michigan but they are much more consistent," Hulsmeyer said. "Western Michigan is very explosive but can make mistakes by getting too aggressive. Kansas won't make those mistakes, and it will be a dogfight until the end."