Aug. 30, 2002
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Purdue volleyball team pulled out their second win of the season in fine fashion with a five game victory against host school Middle Tennessee State in its second match of the day at the Lady Raider Tournament.
It was a back-and-forth battle between the Boilermakers and the Lady Raiders from the opening serve of the match with Middle Tennessee taking the first two games by a combined six points, 30-28 and 30-24. Purdue bounced back, forcing the match to a deciding fifth game with scores of 30-27 and 30-22 in games three and four respectively. The Boilermakers weren't turning back, leading the game from the first serve and by as many as six at 12-6 before taking the game and the match at 15-9 on a Middle Tennessee service error.
The Boilermakers (2-0) hit .278 and .263 for games four and five respectively, and .173 for the match. Junior outside hitter Joanna Lowry (Glen Ellyn, IL) led the Gold and Black with a .276 effort, featuring a match-high 20 kills and 15 digs. Freshman libero Daren Poe (Martinsville, IN) tallied 17 digs to lead Purdue, while sophomore Kim McConaha (Centerville, IN) led the squad with 6 blocks. Sophomore Kim Cappa (Lafayette, IN) entered the match in game three and made her presence known at defensive specialist, picking up nine kills, as well as at the service line putting down three aces and contributing to several scoring runs.
"Kim has really shown a lot of fire and enthusiasm in practice so I thought she might be able to bring some of that," head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "She's got a good snap to her arm and she really came in and did not only a good job, but the emotional lift, the heart and the fire she brought into the game was just outstanding."
Games one and two were dogfights with several lead changes and ties, but with Middle Tennessee pulling them out in the end. Games three and four saw a different Purdue squad emerge. After trailing 18-12 in the third game, the Boilermakers shot off five straight points to draw within one, but the Lady Raiders wouldn't relinquish the lead, raising the score to 22-18. Purdue hung in the game finally drawing it tied at 26-26 before forcing the match to another game.
The Boilermakers continued the momentum into game four, leading off with an 8-2 run, before allowing the Lady Raiders to tie the game at 10-10. Purdue rebounded, taking the lead again before another stalemate at 16-16. After a tie at 18-18, the Gold and Black was not giving up the lead again, going on to a 30-22 victory.
"I think we showed that we are a young team, that we are up and down, but the up is a really nice up," Hulsmeyer said. "I think the main thing is that we showed our character by being able to come back and play the way we were capable of instead of folding our tents. That is very encouraging. The thing I am most excited about is the way we fought and once we got the lead and got hungry, we didn't give it back up."
The Gold and Black are now 11-6 in five game matches under Hulsmeyer, and recorded their fourth 2-0 start in six tries. The Boilermakers are slated for a 11:30 a.m. match vs. Chicago State and a 4:30 p.m. contest with Western Carolina.