Nov. 25, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball team was defeated 16-14, 15-10, 15-7 Saturday by eighth-ranked Penn State. With the loss, the Boilermakers fell to 13-19 (5-15 Big Ten), while the Lady Lions improved to 27-5 (16-4 Big Ten).
"We got great play from our entire team tonight," Boilermaker head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "Our seniors can feel good about where they are leaving our program. Our passing was on target tonight and we managed to dig some tough balls. I am very pleased with our performance."
Rookie Joanna Lowry paced the Boilermakers with 14 kills and 12 digs. Senior Julie Doud contributed 12 kills and 11 digs, and junior Maegan Petersen recorded 10 kills on the night.
Despite hitting at a clip of .315, the Boilermakers could not hold on to win Game 1. Purdue scored the first five unanswered and then went on a 3-4 run to take an 8-4 advantage. Penn State responded by going on a 5-1 run to knot the game 9-all. The Lady Lions scored three unanswered for a 12-9 lead, but Purdue answered with the same to tie the game at 12. The game was again knotted at the 13 and 14 marks. Penn State managed two more kills to win 16-14.
The Boilermakers could not overcome an early 6-0 deficit in Game 2. It seemed as though Penn State would take the game when they attempted to serve at game point, but service error from the Lions sparked seven unanswered points by Purdue. The Boilermakers would get no closer though as Penn State closed the game, 15-10.
Game 3 found both teams aggressively fighting for the lead. Penn State broke a 5-all tie by going on a 5-0 run to take a 10-5 lead. The Boilermakers were able to get in only two more kills before the Lady Lions took the game 15-7.