Nov. 13, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - It was another banner night for the 2004 Purdue volleyball team as it knocked off No. 25 Illinois 3-2 Saturday night. With the 25-30, 30-24, 30-32, 31-29, 15-11 win, the Boilermakers topped their third Top 25 team of the season, matching a task last accomplished by the 1990 squad. Purdue also picked up a season sweep of the Fighting Illini for the first time since 1982.
Purdue took a 3-0 lead in the deciding fifth game off a kill from senior Kim McConaha (Centerville, Ind.), an ace from senior Daren Poe (Martinsville, Ind.) and an Illini miscue. Kills from junior Renata Dargan (New Lenox, Ill.) and redshirt junior Leah Wischmeier (Brownstown, Ind.) boosted the Boilermaker lead to 5-1. Purdue led 8-5 at the break, but a red card on the Boilermaker bench and a kill by Vicki Brown pulled the Illini within one at 8-7. A kill by senior Kim Cappa (West Lafayette, Ind.), a solo block by Dargan and a UI error pushed the margin to four at 11-7. A Dargan kill coupled with a block by McConaha and Wischmeier made it 13-8 in favor of the Boilermakers. The Illini managed three-straight points to cut the lead to two at 13-11, but a McConaha kill and a block by freshman Lizzie Jacques and Dargan sealed the Purdue upset.
"We have been good enough to get into close matches like this, and it feels good to finally pull one out," head coach Dave Shondell said. "Our players toughened up after Game 3 and decided they were going to win."
The match started with a 3-3 tie in Game 1, but Purdue used a 7-3 run to take a four-point lead at 10-6 on a McConaha kill. Illinois scored three-straight points to pull within one at 11-10 and then used a 7-2 run to take a four-point lead of its own at 17-13. A 5-1 Boilermaker run turned a 19-15 deficit into a tie at 20-20. The teams were tied again at 24 and 25, before a 5-0 Illini run, including a pair of Rasa Virsilaite aces, gave Illinois the game at 30-25.
Illinois carried the momentum into Game 2, starting off with a 2-0 lead, but Purdue tied it up at 3-3 after a couple of Illini miscues. Down 5-3, the Boilermakers scored seven of the next nine points, including a Dargan ace, to go up by three at 10-7. A 3-0 UI run tied it up at 11-11, but Purdue answered with three points of its own to make it 14-11. A Wischmeier kill made it 18-13, but Illinois pulled within two at 22-20 on a kill by Jen Hynds. A block by McConaha and Dargan set up the Boilermakers' first attempt at the game. A Cappa kill three plays later sealed the 30-24 win.
Game 3 saw the teams tie 14 times before either gained more than a one-point advantage. A 5-1 run turned the tie at 14 into a 19-15 Illini lead, but Purdue answered with a 7-2 rally, including a trio of kills by sophomore Melanie Ukovich (Minooka, Ill.), to regain the lead at 22-21. A Wischmeier kill made it 29-26 Purdue, but four straight Illini points thwarted the efforts and gave Illinois a shot to win the stanza at 30-29. A Cappa kill kept the Boilermakers alive, but back-to-back Illini kills gave Illinois the 32-30 win. Both teams hit well in the stanza, as Illinois posted a .500 effort to Purdue's .360 performance.
Purdue sent the match to the deciding fifth game with an overtime win of its own in Game 4. The teams again tied at 3-3 to open the stanza and tied three more times before either took a significant advantage. A pair of Boilermaker miscues helped Illinois to a 3-0 run and a 10-7 lead. Purdue played from behind, chipping away at the Illini lead a point at a time, before using a 3-0 run to turn a 12-10 deficit into a 13-12 advantage after a pair of Dargan blocks. The teams tied at 13 and 15, before Purdue remained in control, never allowing Illinois to regain the lead. Ties at 21 and 22 followed, then the Boilermakers used a 6-3 run to push the point margin to three at 28-25. The Illini cut the lead to one at 28-27, but a McConaha kill set up game-point at 29-27. A pair of Jessica Belter kills tied it up at 29-29, but a Wischmeier kill and a block by Wischmeier and Jacques clinched Purdue the 31-29 win and a shot at the match in Game 5.
Five Boilermakers recorded double-digit kill tallies led by McConaha, who posted 21. Wischmeier followed with 17, while Dargan and Cappa added 11 each and Ukovich registered 10. Poe compiled a career-high 33 digs in the match, a tally which is the second-most in Purdue history. Sophomore Brittany Dildine added 18 digs and McConaha pulled up 11 to finish her double-double.
The Boilermakers (14-12, 7-9 Big Ten) return to action on Friday when they take on No. 5 Minnesota (24-4, 13-3 Big Ten) in Minneapolis, Minn. Match time is slated for 7 p.m.