Sept. 5, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball team picked up a 3-0 (15-13, 15-10, 15-12) victory over Valparaiso Tuesday in the IAF. The Boilermakers improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Crusaders fall to 0-6.
"We have been telling our team in practice that we would run into a team that would challenge us by covering well across the court," Purdue head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "Tonight Valparaiso was that team. We struggled early, but we got back into it quickly. We have to learn as much from this win as we did from the Kansas loss."
Senior Julie Doud paced Purdue in kills with 14 and digs with 11. Sophomore Tiffany Yoskey was good for 12 kills, while freshman phenom Joanna Lowry recorded 11.
"I love the experience I've had starting for this team, but I realize there is always room for improvement," Lowry said. "I don't feel I'm tough enough on the serve and don't play very consistent. The great thing about this team though is that they are helping me work towards my goals as a player."
Doud and Lowry displayed that team effort in Game 1, by leading the attack for the Boilermakers with five kills to lead Purdue to a 15-13 victory.
The Boilermakers, who only recorded three errors on 49 attempts, held Valparaiso a .154 hitting percentage in Game 2. The Crusaders jumped out to a 5-2 lead before Purdue went on a 5-2 run to knot the game 8-all. Valparaiso scored the next point, but three consecutive kills by sophomore Tiffany Yoskey and an error by the Crusaders gave Purdue an 11-8 advantage. Purdue allowed two more Valparaiso kills before closing out the game with a kill from junior Jennie Williams, who hit at a clip of .833 (5-0-6).
Purdue jumped out to a 5-1 lead to start Game 3. Valparaiso scored 11 unanswered kills to bring the score to 11-5. The Boilermakers quickly got back into the action. Three kills by Doud, two from Yoskey and senior setter Melissa Risher, capped by three aces from Maegan Peterson gave the Boilermakers the game and the match.
The Boilermakers will travel to Boston, Mass., Sept. 8-9 to compete in the New England Challenge hosted by Boston College. Hulsmeyer looks forward to the road trip.
"We wanted to make sure we spent time on the road before conference action," Hulsmeyer said. "We will compete two days back-to-back against tough teams who will be ready for us. That experience will help us see what adjustments the team has to make before facing tough Minnesota."