Nov. 26, 2003
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Six years of frustration in University Gym came to an end Wednesday night as the Boilermaker volleyball team topped Indiana 3-1 in Bloomington. The 30-24, 30-28, 28-30, 30-26 win, which was Purdue's first in Bloomington since Nov. 15, 1997, returned the Monon Spike, the teams traveling trophy, to West Lafayette for the first time since 2000. The victory, combined with a 3-1 win on Oct. 15, also marked the first time since 1991 that the Boilermakers have swept the season series from the Hoosiers.
Redshirt sophomore Leah Wischmeier led the Purdue effort with 20 kills, while juniors Kim Cappa and Kim McConaha added 18 and 16 respectively and sophomore Marie Franke posted 12. McConaha completed the double-double with 12 digs, while libero Daren Poe led the Boilermakers with 18 followed by sophomore Lauren Berg's 15. Setter Renata Dargan also posted a double-double with 60 assists and 10 digs. Purdue outhit the Hoosiers .256 to .220. Freshman Jenny Keresztes also contributed to the Boilermaker win putting up five kills, six digs, three blocks and an ace in her first start in the black and gold.
"I thought this was a courageous effort by a team that came in beat up and battling the flu," head coach Dave Shondell said. "We had to dust off Jenny Keresztes from the bench, who hasn't played all season, and put her in for the injured Katie Dobson and she made a very significant difference in this match. She did not hurt us at the net and she also served well. She certainly rose to the occasion. Marie Franke also had her best match of the season. After battling back all season after a stress fracture and switching positions, she fought through tonight for us. The two of them were a big part of us picking up the first sweep of Indiana since 1991."
The Hoosiers took an early 3-1 lead in game four, but Purdue tied it at four. The Boilermakers then overcame an 8-5 deficit with a 6-0 run, including a Keresztes ace, to go up 11-8. IU tied it at 11, 12 and 13, but the Boilermakers then rattled off seven-straight points to boost the advantage to seven at 20-13. Indiana cut the lead to five at 22-17 and then sliced the advantage to four at 24-20. The teams then traded points until Purdue put together a pair with a McConaha kill and a IU miscue, to take a 28-23 lead. The Hoosiers would not lay down, scoring three straight to make it 28-26, but a four hits violation and a Cappa kill sealed the win.
Purdue started the night with a 3-1 lead in game one, but Indiana scored three straight to take the lead at 4-3. The Hoosiers continued their success, stretching the point margin to three at 9-6. The Boilermakers answered with a 4-0 run featuring kills from Franke, Cappa and McConaha. Indiana caught up and took the lead at 14-13 and pushed it to three at 17-14. A kill by Keresztes, the first of her Purdue career, sparked an 8-1 Boilermaker run, which included a string of six-straight points, to give Purdue a 22-18 advantage. IU pulled to within two at 24-22, but that was as close as the Hoosiers would come. The Boilermakers went up 28-23, then a Franke kill set up game-point at 29-24. A Hoosier hitting error gave Purdue the win, as the team hit .317 to Indiana's .191 effort.
Game two started out with the teams neck-and-neck as the match featured 10 ties until Indiana went up by two at 15-13. Purdue came back to take the lead at 18-17 on a service ace by Franke, but the Hoosiers would not give up tying it at 20 and 21 before the Boilermakers regained the lead for good at 23-21 on a Dargan ace. Indiana pulled within one five more times, including at 29-28 after a Cappa kill set up Purdue's first game-point attempt. A McConaha kill sealed the deal at 30-28, giving the Boilermakers a 2-0 lead going into the intermission. Cappa had seven kills in the game as each team hit .327 in the stanza.
Indiana came out of the break on fire, going up 5-1 on the Boilermakers in the early goings of game three. Purdue responded with a 5-0 run to turn a 6-3 deficit into an 8-6 advantage, capitalizing on a trio of Hoosiers miscues and another Dargan ace. The Boilermakers maintained the lead, boosting the point margin to three at 14-11 on a pair of Wischmeier kills. IU tied it at 14 and took a brief lead at 16-15, but Purdue regained it at 17-16. The Boilermaker advantage was back at three at 23-20 after a 3-0 run. The Hoosiers were resilient, taking a 26-24 lead with five-straight points. Purdue tied it at 28, but an IU kill and a Boilermaker miscue sent the match to a fourth-game with a 30-28 Indiana win.