Oct. 23, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers used staunch defense and efficient hitting in their 3-0 win over the Purdue volleyball team Saturday night. The Golden Gophers (20-2, 9-1 Big Ten) topped the Boilermakers 30-16, 30-24, 30-24.
In Game 1, Minnesota strung together several runs en route to the 30-16 win. After a tie at 3-3, the Golden Gophers used a 5-0 run, featuring three kills and two Purdue miscues, to go up 8-3. UM upped the point margin to nine at 15-6, following a 4-0 run. A block by senior Kim McConaha (Centerville, Ind.) and sophomore Melanie Ukovich (Minooka, Ill.) and a Gopher error pulled Purdue within seven, but the Boilermakers were soon facing an 11-point deficit at 22-11. Purdue combined kills from redshirt junior Leah Wischmeier (Brownstown, Ind.) and freshman Sammi Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) and a block by Ukovich and freshman Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.) to cut the margin to eight at 22-14. Minnesota scored eight of the last 10 points, including the last five straight, to clinch the win. The Gophers put up 17 kills to Purdue's eight in the stanza.
Game 2 offered a change of pace with a back-and-forth battle throughout, including eight ties and three lead changes. Minnesota jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Purdue scored six of the next nine points to knot the score at 6-6, after a pair of Gopher errors. The teams traded the next five points, until UM took a 10-8 lead. The Gophers went up by three at 13-10, but it was short-lived as Purdue tied the score at 15 after three Wischmeier kills and a pair of Minnesota miscues. The Boilermakers took their first lead of the match at 17-16 after back-to-back kills by Mader and McConaha. Purdue owned a 19-17 lead, before Minnesota launched a 6-1 run to take control at 23-20. A McConaha kill stopped the rally, but a 3-0 run including a service ace pushed the UM advantage to five at 26-21. The teams traded the next six points, setting up Minnesota's first game point attempt at 29-24. A Purdue net violation gave the Gophers a 2-0 lead going into the intermission.
In a near sense of déjàvu, Minnesota went up 3-1 in the opening minutes, but Purdue came back to tie it up at three and again at six, after back-to-back kills by McConaha. The teams battled to ties at eight, nine and 10, before either team took a major advantage. The Gophers struck first with a 4-0 run to take a 16-11 lead. The Boilermakers cut the margin to three at 18-15 after a kill by senior Kim Cappa (West Lafayette, Ind.) and a block by McConaha and junior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.). Down 23-17, Purdue rallied to within four at 24-20 on a block by McConaha and Ukovich. The deficit raised to seven at 27-20, then shrunk back to four after a trio of Gopher errors. Minnesota closed the match with three of the last four points, sealing the victory on an ace by Meredith Nelson.
"Minnesota dug a lot of balls and that frustrated our team and we started hitting shots that we weren't exactly capable of hitting," head coach Dave Shondell said. "They were a good team - the best defensive team I have seen since I have been at Purdue without a doubt. They have better athletes than we do, players that are faster, can jump higher and are more experienced than we are. We just have to take the things that did we didn't do well tonight against a very good team and learn from them."
McConaha and Wischmeier led Purdue with 10 kills each, while Minnesota had four players in double-digits. McConaha also led the Purdue defense with eight digs and four blocks.
The Boilermakers (11-9, 4-6 Big Ten) return to action on Friday, Oct. 29, when they take on No. 7 Ohio State (19-1, 9-1 Big Ten) in Columbus, Ohio.