Sept. 6, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team (5-1) ended a stressful day with a 3-2 victory over IPFW (3-3), which ended 15-11 in the fifth game. Game scores were 30-25, 30-26, 26-30, 22-30, 15-11.
The Boilermakers won game one behind six Kim McConaha (So., Centerville, IN) kills and two aces from the sophomore. The squad played from behind much of the game, down by as many as five at 16-11. A 3-0 run with the score at 18-15 tied the game for the Boilermakers. The Gold and Black traded points with the Mastadons before taking off on a 8-3 run from 22-22 to win the game at 30-22.
After being down 2-1 in the second game, the Boilermakers got hot never allowing the Mastadons closer than one the rest of the game. Despite letting IPFW back into the game, the Boilermakers held strong behind a .514 hitting percentage including a stellar .714 effort (6-1-7) by Kim Cappa (So., Lafayette, IN), finishing the game from 29-26 with a IPFW service error.
Game three brought a different story as the Boilermakers were down 5-0 in the early goings. With the score 9-3 in favor of the Mastadons, something clicked as a McConaha kill started a 6-0 run for Purdue including two Joanna Lowry (Jr., Glen Ellyn, IL) kills. The game was knotted at 13-13 and IPFW turned it on, tallying a 9-1 run to extend the lead to 22-14. The Boilermakers were not out of it yet as the team registered 12-4 run to tie it up at 26-26. The Mastadons then scored four straight points to close out the game, 30-26.
The Mastadons didn't let up in game four, taking a 2-1 lead and never relinquishing to the Boilermakers. After a tie at 4-4, IPFW rattled off a 11-3 run including a service ace by Kirsta Solberg. The Gold and Black pulled to within four three times but could not overcome the deficit. IPFW finished the game with a 4-0 run to force game five.
The fifth game was an up-and-down battle for the Boilermakers. After a 5-3 IPFW lead, the teams matched point-for-point all the way to a 12-11 advantage for Purdue. Yet another McConaha kill, one of a team-high 20 on the night for the sophomore, as well as two blocks of her match leading eight, claimed the victory for Purdue.
McConaha led the team with 20 kills, while Daren Poe (So., Martinsville, IN) boasted a match-high 20 kills for the Boilermakers. Lowry registered her fourth double-double of the young season with a 17-kill, 14-dig effort. The Gold and Black hit .278 as a team and boasted four players with double figures in kills or digs.
"I think we learned that we still have a ways to go defensively," head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "We are doing some nice things offensively, but we are still a young team and we make some young mistakes. It wasn't a surprise that it happened (went to five game both matches), it is just that we have to be able to take care of the ball a little better. We came back like we expected, prepared to play tonight. It was great to have a great crowd and the band and all the fans here, I really think got us off to a great start.
"I think Kim McConaha did a nice job offensively and Joanna Lowry especially late in the match was critical to getting us that win."
Purdue, which suffered a 3-2 loss to Western Kentucky earlier in the day, has two more matches on the weekend, a 3 p.m. match against Delaware and a 7:30 p.m. match versus Butler, both on Saturday. - P -