Sept. 16, 2000
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Purdue volleyball dropped its second match of the American Classic with a 3-1 (5-15, 15-3, 15-8, 15-7) loss to N.C. State. The Boilermakers fall to 8-3 on the season, while the Wolfpack improved to 5-4.
Purdue was held to only one block the entire game, a statistic that bothered head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer.
"Our passing broke down and forced us to overuse our outside," Hulsmeyer said. "Things go much easier when everyone on the team contributes. We have to get something from our middles. We need someone from the middle to step up for us."
Senior outside middle Julie Doud was once again Purdue's kill leader with 14. Classmate Melissa Risher turned in 10 digs for the Boilermakers. N.C. State's Rebecca Anderson and Stephanie Stambaugh led recorded 15 kills each to pace both teams.
The Boilermakers took over Game 1 by jumping out to an early 8-3 lead. The Wolfpack got in one kill before Purdue scored four answered points. N.C. State managed to get in an ace, but it was enough to stop the Boiler attack. A kill from freshman Joanna Lowry and two attack errors from the Wolfpack gave Purdue the 15-5 win.
The Old Gold and Black could not overcome the 8-0 deficit it needed recover from to overcome to win Game 2. The Wolfpack allowed only three Purdue points, as they took the game 15-3. Game 3 started very similarly with N.C. State getting out to a 7-0 start. Purdue managed to go on a 4-2 run to lessen the gap to five points. The Boilermakers then scored four unanswered points to get within one, bringing the score to 8-9. That was as close as it would get though as N.C. State went on a 6-0 run to take the game 15-8.
Purdue came into Game 4 with a little more fire but the flame was not enough to pull off the win. The Boilermakers fell 15-7.
The Boilermakers will wrap up competition at the American Classic this evening at 5 p.m. when they face George Washington at 5 p.m.
"The thing with a young team is that every match is different," Hulsmeyer said. "We'll just have to see how they come out."