Oct. 20, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball team fell 15-5, 15-3, 15-6 Friday to No. 6 Wisconsin. With the loss, the Boilermakers dropped to 9-12 (1-8 Big Ten) on the season, while the Badgers improved to 18-2 (8-1 Big Ten).
"You have got to give Wisconsin a lot of credit," Purdue head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "They are great physical players and you can't take anything away from them. We've got to train ourselves to focus on what is happening on our side of the net, regardless of what team we are playing."
The Boilermakers were outblocked 10-2 and were held to a season-low clip of .022 (23-21-91). Junior Maegan Petersen led Purdue with six kills, while senior Julie Doud recorded nine digs on the night. Wisconsin managed to make only nine errors on 95 attempts, resulting in a .389 hitting percentage (46-9-95).
Purdue got out to a 4-1 lead to start Game 1, but the Badgers quickly took over the lead as they scored nine unanswered points. Wisconsin then went on a 5-1 run to take the game 15-5.
The Boilermakers found themselves down 9-0 as Game 2 began. Purdue made good on an out-of-bounds error by the Badgers and a kill from senior setter Melissa Risher before Wisconsin went on a 6-1 run to claim a 15-3 win.
Purdue had to overcome a huge 13-0 deficit in Game 3 to stay alive in the match. A kill from Doud, two consecutive aces from Petersen, two kills from freshman Eryn Leach and a Badger error gave the Boilermakers hope. But the Badgers wouldn't allow anymore as they closed the game and the match with two aces.
The Boilermakers will regroup and prepare to face Northwestern Saturday at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on WAZY 1410 AM and www.purduesports.com. Fox Sports Chicago will broadcast the match tape delay on Sunday at 3 p.m.