Sept. 4, 2004
MADISON, Wis. - The Purdue volleyball team knocked off perennial NCAA competitor Missouri 3-2 in the championship game of the Badger Challenge Saturday night, not only taking the tournament title but walking away with a 3-0 record for the young season. The Boilermakers won the match by scores of 17-30, 33-31, 25-30, 30-24 and 15-9.
"We talked to our team and told them that sometimes teams win because they are taller or more athletic or better coached, but sometimes teams win because they have more desire and determination or play smarter, and that is why we won tonight," Shondell said. "We have enough size and enough talent now that if we put all the other things together and stay tougher longer, then we can beat people. We beat two quality teams this weekend with three freshmen in the starting lineup."
Missouri (1-1) jumped out to a 5-1 lead in Game 1, but Purdue edged back into it, pulling within two at 9-7 after kills by four different players. The Tigers countered with 13 of the next 14 points, including two aces, to go up 22-8. The Boilermakers cut the deficit to 11, at 27-16 on an ace by Leah Wischmeier (Jr., Brownstown, Ind.), and managed to hold off Missouri's first game-point attempt, but the Tigers clinched the 30-17 win on a kill by Lindsay Noll.
"Missouri played so well in the first game - they were unbelievable for a while, but that is why you have to persevere and adjust to the things they are doing," Shondell said. "Sometimes you have to stay in it long enough for a team to come back to earth. I thought me made some nice adjustments during the match and had several people play very well. I think we had a lot of people feel like they could get the job done tonight, especially when the match was on the line."
The Tigers scored first in Game 2, going up 4-1, but the Boilermakers tied it up at 7-7 on a solo block by freshman Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.). Missouri made it a four-point game at 14-10, before Purdue launched a 6-1 run including two blocks and a kill by Kim McConaha (Sr., Centerville, Ind.) to take its first lead of the match at 16-15. The teams traded points over the next nine serves before MU took the lead at 21-20. Purdue bounced right back going up four at 25-21 on kills by McConaha and Kim Cappa (Sr., West Lafayette, Ind.) and a block by McConaha and Renata Dargan (Jr., New Lenox, Ill.). The Tigers came back to go ahead at 26-25. The teams swapped points until Missouri scored two in a row to go up 31-30 after thwarting two Boilermaker game-point attempts. A kill by Marie Franke (Jr., Ballwin, Mo.) kept Purdue alive before Sammi Mader (Fr., Algonqin, Ill.) put one down to set up the team's third chance at the game. A hitting error by MU sealed the 33-31 overtime win for the Boilermakers. Wischmeier had eight kills in the stanza.
"The key for us was just persistence," Wischmeier said. "It wasn't always pretty and we weren't always in the lead, but we just kept doing the things that we know we are supposed to do and it all worked out in the end. I think the whole match, except for the first game, we knew that we were in every game. You just have to serve, pass and play good defense and let them go up and down like all teams do, and try to get them when they are down. Now that we have competed against these teams and beaten them, we know that we can go out on the court and stand there with confidence against any team in the country."
The back-and-forth battle continued in Game 3 as the teams traded each of the first six points. MU then rattled off eight of the next nine points to take an 11-4 lead. Missouri maintained control until the Boilermakers put together a 10-4, including three Jacques kills, to knot the score at 21. The teams tied against at 22 and 25, before the Tigers closed out the game with a 5-0 run including an ace.
The momentum swung to Purdue at the start of Game 4, as the Boilermakers boasted a five-point advantage right out of the gate. Missouri fought back from the 7-2 deficit to pull within three at 11-8. Purdue pushed the lead to five again after a pair of kills and a block by Mader. The Tigers cut the margin to three at 14-11, but the Boilermakers responded with a 6-1 run to make it an eight-point game at 20-12. MU rallied to pull within four at 21-17, which brought on a Purdue timeout. The Boilermakers scored two straight points out of the break and maintained at least a four-point lead the rest of the game. A hitting error by Mizzou gave Purdue the game at 30-24, bringing on the deciding fifth game. The Boilermakers hit .256 in the game to Missouri's .096 effort and put up 6.5 blocks to the Tigers' two.
"I think everything changed for us after Game 2, because it was such a close game," Dargan said. "The momentum had changed so much after the first game, so we knew that we were in it. I think after the fourth game, we knew that we could possibly win, that we hadn't just slipped past them. In Game 5, we just knew their tendencies and played with a lot of emotion and they were breaking down and we took advantage of it. But, the game isn't over until you reach 15. We have been working on our endurance for the past three weeks, and pushing through those long games and mentally staying in it, and those things paid off tonight."
The Boilermakers kept rolling in Game 5, starting with a 3-0 lead which they built into an 8-3 advantage, using kills from four hitters. Missouri scored three of the next four points, including one via ace. A Wischmeier kill combined with a block and a kill by Mader pushed the point margin to six at 13-7. The Tigers did not back down, making it 13-9 on a service ace, but the Boilermakers clinched the win on a pair of MU errors.
Freshman Annie Mastandrea (Downers Grove, Ill.) was a huge factor in the match, pulling up 31 digs, marking the first time a Purdue player eclipsed the 30-dig mark since Kelly Niedbalski tallied 32 on Oct. 12, 1990. McConaha, Dargan and Brittany Dildine (So., West Lafayette, Ind.) also reached double-figures in digs with 14, 11 and 14 respectively. McConaha completed her double-double with 16 kills, but it was Wischmeier who led the Purdue hitting attack with 21 kills. Mader also reached double digits with 12. The Boilermakers outblocked Missouri 14.5 to 8 in the match.
"Annie Mastandrea has been like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for us," Shondell said of the rookie libero. "We knew she was going to be a good player, but nobody dreamed that she would have the impact that she has. Really all three of the defensive players we used this weekend, Annie, Daren Poe and Brittany Dildine were great."
McConaha was named as the tournament MVP, while Dargan and Mastandrea also received all-tournament team nods.
The Boilermakers hope to keep the winning streak alive when they return to action next Friday at the Lady Vols Classic in Knoxville, Tenn. Shondell is quick to note, however, that his team is not satisfied with the win and knows it still has a long season ahead.
"It's like I told the players in the locker room, this doesn't help us win a Big Ten championship, it was fun and we played well but it is over now," Shondell said. "Now, we have to go out and do it again and again and again. The one thing it does let us know is that we can compete with every team on our schedule this year and that if we do all the things right that we are capable of doing, we can win."