Oct. 29, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Boilermaker volleyball team (11-10, 4-7 Big Ten) put up a good fight against No. 7 Ohio State Friday night, but found itself on the losing end of a close 3-0 match. The Buckeyes won the match 36-34, 30-23, 30-28.
Ohio State started Game 1 with a 4-2 lead, but Purdue scored the next four points, two on kills by redshirt junior Leah Wischmeier (Brownstown, Ind.) and two on Buckeye miscues to take a 6-4 lead. The Buckeyes worked back into a ties at 7, 8 and 9, before Purdue combined kills by freshman Sammi Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) and senior Kim Cappa (West Lafayette, Ind.) and two more OSU errors to take a 13-9 lead. Ohio State, however, answered with a 4-0 run of its own. A solo block by junior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.) stopped the rally, giving Purdue the 14-13 lead. The teams tied five times, last at 20-20, before OSU broke through to take a 22-20 lead. The Buckeyes went up by three at 28-25, but the Boilermakers hung tight. Purdue tied it up at 28 on an ace by freshman Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.). Ohio State had the first try at the game at 29-28, but Purdue thwarted the effort with a kill by Mader. The teams traded the next 10 points, with each getting three shots at the game. A kill by Staci Gordon and a Boilermaker hitting error gave OSU the 36-34 win. Mader and Wischmeier each posted seven kills in the stanza.
Purdue took the early lead in Game 2, going up 4-2 in the opening moments. Ohio State tied it up at 4-4, but the Boilermakers maintained control. Down 8-7, the Buckeyes rattled off five-straight points to take a 12-8 lead. An Ohio State miscue made it 12-9, but the Buckeye lead grew to six at 16-10 after a 4-1 run. Purdue pulled within four on four occasions, last at 19-15, but OSU doubled its lead to eight at 25-17 with a service ace. The Boilermakers rallied, cutting the margin to five at 26-21 with a 4-1 run including kills by senior Kim McConaha (Centerville, Ind.) and Wischmeier and a block by Jacques. It was not enough, however, as Ohio State ended the game with four of the last six points. OSU hit .432 to Purdue's .244 in the game.
The Boilermakers looked poised to rebound in Game 3, going up 6-1, as sophomore Melanie Ukovich served five-straight points, including two aces. The Buckeyes responded with a 4-0 run, but Purdue maintained its composure boosting their lead to four at 9-5 on an OSU miscue. Ohio State pulled within one three times before tying it at 13. A McConaha kill put the Boilermakers back on top, but a trio of OSU points made it 16-14 Buckeyes and forced a Purdue timeout. After trailing by four at 22-18, the Boilermakers used a trio of kills from Dargan, Mader and Ukovich to pull within one at 22-21 and then tied it up at 23 after back-to-back Ohio State errors. Kills from Dargan and Wischmeier turned a 27-24 deficit into a 27-26 score, but two OSU kills set up a Buckeye match-point attempt. A Wischmeier kill and a block by Ukovich and Jacques made it 29-28, before a controversial overturned call sealed the Buckeye sweep. A Wischmeier kill was nullified and OSU awarded was given the point, after discussion with the line judge and second official caused the head official to rule that the ball had hit the floor on Purdue's dig attempt.
"I thought some of our young players played well against a tough Ohio State team," head coach Dave Shondell said. "Mader and Jacques did well and Melanie Ukovich gave us a lift as well. They came into a big match and played well as did Daren Poe, who was very solid for us and anchored our back court in one of her best matches of the season."
Wischmeier led Purdue with 13 kills, while McConaha and Mader added 12 and 10 respectively. Poe (Martinsville, Ind.) pulled up a team-high 12 digs.
The Boilermakers return to action at 7 p.m. (EST) Saturday when they take on another Top 10 opponent in No. 6 Penn State.