Nov. 22, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue Boilermakers finally found the winning combination Friday night, toppling Michigan 3-2 in their second to last home match of the season. Michigan won the first and third games, but Purdue came back from a 2-1 deficit to garner the win. Game scores were 17-30, 36-34, 21-30, 24-30, 15-9.
The Boilermakers dominated the Wolverines in the deciding fifth game, hitting .421 to Michigan's .043 effort. The Old Gold and Black started the game with a kill by Renata Dargan (Fr., New Lenox, IL). Michigan tied it up at one, but Purdue would not slow down scoring on a Kim McConaha (Jr., Centerville, IN) kill and a UM miscue. The Boilermakers went up 5-4 on the second of two kills in the game by Joanna Lowry (Jr., Glen Ellyn, IL), but the Wolverines tallied three straight point including a service ace to take a 7-5 lead. Another kill by Lowry and a solo block by Marie Franke (Fr., Ballwin, MO) coupled with a Michigan error put Purdue back on top 8-7. The Wolverines tied it a eight, but that was as close as they would come as the Boilermakers outscored Michigan 7-1 in the waning minutes of the match. With a 10-9 lead, the Old Gold and Black never looked back scoring five straight including two McConaha kills and a Jen Bova (Jr., Milwaukee, WI) service ace.
"This was really a team win," head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "There were several opportunities where this team could have stopped but tonight showed its character and ability. This is a Michigan team that is likely to get into the NCAA Tournament. They are in the hunt and the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. I think we showed tonight that we are one of those teams that is right there. It is just a great feeling.
"I think we just focused on trying to be the aggressor. Sometimes young teams get into those tough situations, get a little nervous and stop doing what they have been doing all match. Tonight we did a great job of continuing to stay the aggressor in tight points. The second game as long as it went, we didn't stop. The big key for us it that we have to slow the ball down with our block and we did a great job of it tonight, outblocking Michigan."
Down two games to one, Purdue was determined to extend the match. The Boilermakers scored first, going up 2-0 to start the game, but Michigan ran off six straight points, tallying two kills and capitalizing on three Purdue mistakes. The Old Gold and Black evened the score at eight before taking a 9-8 lead on a UM miscue. With the game tied at nine, the Boilermakers went on a 6-0 run including a service ace and kill by Lowry and kills by Yoskey and Bova. The Wolverines knotted it up at 16 all, but Purdue would not relinquish the lead. Kills by Yoskey and Franke put the Boilermakers up 25-20, but Michigan would make a few more charges. Back-to-back blocks by Dargan, one solo and one with Yoskey gave Purdue the 30-24 win.
"Staying intense was working for us," Yoskey said. "It seemed like we were doing everything right. We weren't letting the ball fall, we were hitting it, we were coming together, we were talking-it was just awesome."
The Boilermakers took the first point of the match on a Franke kill. The game remained close as neither team owned more than a one-point advantage until the Wolverines scored five-straight points, down 7-6 to take an 11-7 lead. A Bova kill stopped that rally, but Michigan tallied another 3-0 row to extend its lead to six. Purdue cut the lead to four at 15-11 with kills by Franke and McConaha. The Wolverines added five more points on three kills, a block and a Boilermaker miscue to take a 23-13 advantage. The Boilermakers scored on a UM service error and a Lowry kill, but couldn't stop the Wolverines' drive. Michigan scored three straight to bring up its first game point attempt at 29-16, but a Wolverine error thwarted that effort. A Purdue service error clinched the game for Michigan at 30-17.
Game two was a much closer from start to finish featuring 22 ties and nine lead changes. Michigan owned a 7-3 advantage early in the game, but Purdue went on a 4-1 run and tied it up at eight on a service ace by Dargan. Purdue gained its first lead of the game at 18-17 after the Wolverines committed three consecutive errors. The teams traded points until the Boilermakers scored three straight on two McConaha kills and one by Franke to go on top 22-20. Michigan regained the lead at 26-25 and continued on to a 28-26 lead, but the game was far from over. Purdue went on a 3-0 run featuring two kills by Franke and a Yoskey service ace. An Erin Moore kill stopped the first of seven game point attempts. Thirteen serves later, the Boilermakers won the game at 36-34 on a kill by Yoskey.
The Wolverines went up 2-0 to begin the third game of the night, but Purdue answered with a 3-0 run of its own to take the lead. The game was a see-saw battle after that until the Boilermakers claimed the largest advantage to that point scoring three straight, including two UM mistakes to go up 13-10. Michigan answered with two points of its own and eventually took a 15-14 lead. The Old Gold and Black regained the lead at 17-16, but could not overcome the Wolverine effort. UM outscored the Boilermakers 9-1 to claim a 30-21 game three win.
McConaha led all hitters with 18 kills, while Franke and Lowry each added 14. Daren Poe pulled up a team-high 22 digs in the game, while Lowry completed the double double with 20 digs. Jennifer Gandolph, Nicole Poquette and Erin Moore led the Wolverines with 17 kills apiece. The Boilermakers won the blocking battle 14 to 12, but Michigan outhit (.216 to .148), outdug (90 to 83) and downed more balls than Purdue (83 to 63). The Old Gold and Black registered six aces in the match, two by Yoskey. A balanced attack helped the Boilermakers to victory as six different hitters pounded the ball down for the Old Gold and Black.
"This I huge," McConaha said. "It is coming to the end of the year and this is where we push and this is where we show people that we have developed. We are not just here to compete; we are here to win."
The Boilermakers will take another stab at a win at noon Saturday when they face the Michigan State Spartans in their final home match of the season. Due to the Indiana/Purdue football game, the usual volleyball parking lot will be unavailable. Patrons are encouraged to park on local side streets or in the Northwestern Parking Garage.