Sept. 12, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball team picked up its sixth consecutive win of the season Tuesday when it defeated Saint Louis 3-0 (16-14, 15-2, 15-12). This marks only the second time in nine years the Boilermakers, now 8-1, have accomplished that number of wins in a row during the same season.
In the absence of senior co-captain Julie Doud who was out with an ear infection, junior Maegan Petersen stepped up and took over the attack for Purdue with 16 kills.
"Maegan brings a lot of leadership to the team," Purdue head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "She is a very capable player and tonight she showed how effective she is on the court. Maegan has taken over the right side for us and will play a key role as we head into the tougher conference matches."
Freshman Joanna Lowry turned in 13 kills for the Boilermakers, while senior transfer Laura Norton was good for nine. Norton added three block assist and six digs to complete a stellar performance in her first start of the season.
"Laura brings a lot of experience," Hulsmeyer said. "I felt confident putting her in tonight because she played so well in Boston. She provides tremendous depth to our team and has allowed us to move Joanna to an outside position rather than middle."
Purdue recorded 11 blocks for the night while holding Saint Louis, who fell to 4-4 with tonight's loss, to only five. Sophomore Tiffany Yoskey had eight kills for the night to lead the Boilermakers.
After knotting at the 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 marks, Saint Louis went on an 8-2 run to take a convincing 14-9 lead serve gamepoint. The Boilermakers were not ready to give in though. Purdue shocked the Billikens and scored seven unanswered points to take the game 16-14.
Purdue carried the momentum into Game 2 by holding the Billikens to only two points. Norton led both teams in kills with three and the Boilermakers made only three errors on 17 attempts, hitting at a clip of .353 (9-3-17).
Although Saint Louis got out to an 8-4 lead, Purdue came back to take Game 5 15-12.
Purdue will head to the American Classic in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 15 to face George Washington, N.C. State and host American University. The tournament in the nation's capital will be Purdue's last competition before facing the tough Big Ten.
"We will meet some fierce opponents in Washington," Hulsmeyer said. "It will be a great opportunity for our team to see what we need to work on before facing tough Minnesota on Sept. 22."