Sept. 7, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team (6-1) topped Delaware 3-0 behind a strong offensive effort including 10 aces and a balanced all-around effort.
"I think we actually played similarly to what we did yesterday, we were just staying in rhythm more," head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "We also had a more balanced attack, which is what you have to have to be successful and Renata Dargan deserves the credit for keeping everyone involved."
Game one continued to show the potential of the Boilermaker squad as well as signs of a young team, as the team took an early lead but left the door open for a Delaware run. With Purdue leading 8-3 after a pair of aces from Joanna Lowry (Jr., Glen Ellyn, IL) and Kim McConaha (So., Centerville, IN), the Fightin' Blue Hens crept back into the game with a 6-2 run to close the gap to one at 10-9. The game was back and forth until the score was 18-17 in favor of Purdue, something changed as the team never allowed the margin to slip to less than two the rest of the game, ending it at 30-26 Purdue on a Renata Dargan kill.
Purdue looked like a different team in game two, hitting .440 to Delaware's .065 percentage. The Boilermakers also tallied six services aces in the game, including a string of three straight for McConaha. Lowry tallied eight kills in game two to help Purdue to a 30-17 win. The squad also capitalized on seven Delaware errors.
The Boilermakers claimed the 3-0 sweep behind a seven-point serving stand by Marie Franke (Fr., Ballwin, MO) with assistance from two kills and two block assists from McConaha. With Purdue leading 9-1, the Fightin' Blue Hens made a run pulling to within five at 11-6, but the Boilermakers answered with a run of their own extending the lead to 20-9. That 11-point lead shrunk to four at the 28-24 mark, but the Gold and Black were determined to claim victory soon after at 30-25 on a Tiffany Yoskey (Sr., Canal Fulton, OH) kill.
All told in the match, the Boilermakers tallied 9 team blocks including seven in the third game alone, while registering a .372 hitting percentage for the three games combined. Lowry led the team with 13 kills and eight digs. McConaha contributed a stellar five service aces as well as seven blocks in the match. Niecy Taylor led Delaware with seven kills, while Taylor Govaars boasted nine digs in the match. Meghan McGrath also added six service aces for the Fightin' Blue Hens.
The Boilermakers will play their final match of the weekend against Butler at 7:30 p.m.