Aug. 30, 2002
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Boilermaker volleyball team (1-0) kicked off the 2002 season with a 3-0 victory over Evansville at the Lady Raider Tournament Friday afternoon. Purdue took games one and two, 30-14 and 30-19 respectively before closing out the match with a close 30-28 come-from-behind win in game three.
Sophomore middle hitter Kim McConaha (Centerville, IN) had a break-out match, putting down the first kill of the season for Purdue, the first of a career and match-high 14 for the sophomore. The Boilermakers also saw success on the other side the ball, registering a pair of service aces, one each by junior outside hitter Joanna Lowry (Glen Ellyn, IL) and junior setter Jen Bova (Milwaukee, WI).
Game two saw Purdue rack up a .364 hitting percentage and one more of a match total six aces, this time by McConaha.
Evansville took the early 3-0 lead in the third game, then Purdue won three of the next four points to close the gap to 4-3. The Purple Aces (0-2) then rattled off seven straight points to pull away, but the Boilermakers would not give up without a fight. The team edged back into the game in small spurts, pulling to within two at 28-26, before three straight points that put the match within reach. Purdue clinched the match on an Evansville error.
"I thought we did a really nice job, particularly controlling the ball and getting our middle hitters involved," head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "That is going to be critical for us the whole year-that we are able to use the entire length of the net, and we started off and did a great job with that today."
Hulsmeyer also noted the stepped up play of several players including McConaha and freshman setter Renata Dargan.
"I think Kim is very capable of (what she did today), it is just a matter of being able to get her the ball, head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "I thought Renata Dargan(Fr., New Lenox, IL), coming out in her freshman year and playing in her first match deserves a lot of credit for getting the middles involved. She didn't look like a newcomer to the college game."
Lowry led Purdue with 10 digs in the match, followed by Bova, who tallied nine. Lowry registered a team and match high .444 hitting percentage in the match including eight kills on 18 total attacks. Jenny Zenthoefer led the Purple aces with 13 kills, while Lacy Haller was credited with nine digs in the match.
With the victory, the Boilermakers won their first road season opener since 1997, when the squad topped Mississippi State at the Florida State Classic to start the year. The win also gives the team its sixth victory in its last seven openers and improves the program's opening day record to 21-6 dating back to the 1974 season.
Purdue is scheduled to take on the host school Middle Tennessee State Lady Raiders in a 7 p.m. match.