Sept. 13, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team opened the Jayhawk Invitational in dramatic fashion, posting a 3-2 victory over Marquette (5-2), tying the best opening record for Purdue since 1985 (8-1) and earning head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer his 200th career victory in the process.
Purdue continued its success in five-game matches with a 15-12 win in the deciding game with Marquette. The Gold and Black opened the game 4-1 on a pair of Kim McConaha (So., Centerville, IN) blocks and kills. The Boilermakers never gave up the lead, but allowed Marquette within one at 12-11 before finally closing the door on a Joanna Lowry (Jr., Glen Ellyn, IL) kill.
Game one saw the Boilermakers return to action as the comeback kids yet again, with Purdue falling behind early, trailing all the way to the 21-21. The squad tied the match at 21-21 on a Tiffany Yoskey (Sr., Canal Fulton, OH) service ace. The teams were then back and forth until Purdue finally took the game, 31-29, on a Kim Cappa (So., Lafayette, IN) kill.
Purdue dominated the second game, topping the Golden Eagles 30-13, hitting .345 to Marquette's -.119 percentage. The Boilermakers let Marquette in the game until taking the lead for good at the 9-8 mark and never looking back, going on a 21-5 run and capitalizing on 12 Golden Eagle errors to end the game.
The Gold and Black owned a 7-2 lead in the opening minutes of the third game, but allowed Marquette to creep back in, eventually tying the game at 17-17. The teams then traded points before the Golden Eagles finally claimed the lead and pulled away finishing the game 30-25. The Boilermakers hit just .105 in the game to Marquette's .286 effort.
Game four was a back-and-forth battle from the start with neither team leading by more than three points until a 22-22 knot-up gave Marquette the boost it needed to force the deciding fifth game with a 30-26 victory.
"Any win is a good win," Hulsmeyer said. "I don't care how long it takes as long as we pull through. We showed a lot of heart and a lot of determination. I think overall, we did a nice job of winning when it counted--when the game was on the line, they stepped it up."
The Boilermakers were led by Cappa and McConaha, who tallied 15 kills each, while Daren Poe (So., Martinsville, IN) led the squad with 22 digs. Both Cappa and Lowry tallied double-doubles on the morning. Cappa registered 15 kills and 10 digs, while Lowry posted a 10-kill, 10-digs effort. Shannon Devine and Theresa Coughlin led Marquette with 15 kills each, while Danielle Hagen tallied 13 digs for the Golden Eagles.
Purdue's 8-1 record ties the 1999 and 2000 season starts as the best for the Boilermakers since 1985. The win is also the 200th in fourth-year coach Jeff Hulsmeyer's career. Hulsmeyer posted 75 wins at Western Kentucky and 85 at Arkansas State, before coming to Purdue in 1999.
"Personally, winning 200 is nice, but my main focus is just being able to get this team to win as much as they can," Hulsmeyer said. "Those things will come when the team plays well. I just really appreciate the opportunity these guys have given us so far and the way they hang together and continue to fight hard."
The Boilermakers are set for a 5 p.m. match with Southeast Missouri State.