Dec. 3, 2004
Fort Collins, Colo. - After an upset win over No. 9 Colorado State on Thursday, the Boilermaker volleyball team didn't have enough left to overcome No. 3 Hawai'i in the NCAA second round. The Rainbow Wahine won the match by scores of 33-31, 30-27 and 30-19. The match was the last for seniors Kim McConaha (Centerville, Ind.), Daren Poe (Martinsville, Ind.) and Kim Cappa (West Lafayette, Ind.) and marked the end of a 17-15 season which featured the team's first NCAA berth since 1990. McConaha set a new career block assists record, boosting her tally to 382, snapping Debbie McDonald's 15 year old mark.
"Playing Hawai'i tonight was a great opportunity for us," head coach Dave Shondell said. "Being able to play one of the top three teams in the country was something our team hadn't been able to do for a really long time. We could make a lot of excuses on why we didn't win this match, but you have to give Hawai'i credit and I wish them luck as they continue in the tournament."
Hawaii used a 5-0 run in the early goings of Game 1 to take a 6-2 lead. Purdue answered with three straight points, including an ace by Poe, to pull within one at 6-5. The Rainbow Wahine scored a pair of points, but the Boilermakers tallied another 3-0 run, capitalizing on a pair of UH errors to tie it up at 8-8. The teams tied four times last at 13 before Purdue went up 16-13 after two more Hawaii miscues. The Wahine made it a one-point game at 16-15 with an ace by Victoria Prince. The ace sparked a 5-0 run by the Boilermakers, which gave the team a 21-15 lead. McConaha posted a block in the run to break the Purdue career block assists record at 379. Hawaii answered with a 9-2 run including two aces to take a 24-23 lead. The teams tied at 24 and 25, before the Wahine went up 27-25. A pair of McConaha kills made it 27-27. UH had its first chance at the game at 29-28, but a block by McConaha and freshman Sammi Mader (Algonquin, Ill.) thwarted the effort. Hawaii had chances to close the game at 30-29 and 31-30, but kills by freshman Lizzie Jacques (Winfield, Ill.) and Mader kept Purdue alive. A kill and a block, however, gave the Wahine a 33-31 win.
Purdue scored first in Game 2 on a Hawaii ball handling error, but a pair of Boilermaker miscues followed giving the Wahine the 2-1 lead. Kills by sophomore Melanie Ukovich (Minooka, Ill.) and McConaha gave Purdue a 3-2 lead, but Hawaii scored five of the next six to take a 7-4 lead. The Boilermaekrs score two of the next three on a McConaha kill and a UH service error to make it 8-6, but the Wahine posted a 6-1 run to boost their lead to seven at 14-7. Back-to-back kills by redshirt junior Leah Wischmeier (Brownstown, Ind.) pulled Purdue within five but Hawaii managed four of the next five to make it an eight-point game at 18-10. Trailing 19-11, the Boilermakers mounted a comeback with four straight points on a kill by Cappa and blocks by Cappa and Jacques. The teams traded the next 12 points leading to a 25-20 score. McConaha and Cappa posted kills to make it a three-point game at 25-22, but again the teams traded points not allowing the Boilermakers to break through. Hawaii got its first chance at the game at 29-25, but Purdue would not go down easy instead making it 29-27 after a McConaha kill and a Wischmeier block. A kill by Alicia Arnott, however, gave UH the 30-27 win and two game lead heading into the break. McConaha posted five kills in the stanza.
Hawaii took a 3-1 lead to open Game 3, but rebounded to take a 5-4 lead, behind a pair of blocks, a McConaha kill and a solo block by Cappa. The teams tied four times last at 8-8 before Purdue took a 9-8 lead on a kill by Wischmeier. From the point, the Wahine mounted a 5-1 run to go up 13-10. A Dargan kill and a UH error made it 13-12, but Hawaii scored three straight to make it a four-point game. The Boilermakers responded with a 3-0 run making it 16-15. A kill by Cappa and a block by Mader and Jacques tied the score at 18-18, then the Wahine caught fire, rattling off 11 straight points to go up 29-18. A Wischmeier kill stopped the rally, but a Purdue service error gave Hawaii the sweep.
"We spent so much last night against Colorado State, and to turn around and play the No. 3 team in the nation the next night is tough," assistant coach John Shondell said. "Once got to game three didn't have as much left, but I thought we gave it everything we had and this loss is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Overall, it has been an incredible year and we hate to see it end."
McConaha led Purdue with 14 kills in her final Boilermaker outing, while Jacques added 11 kills. Both hit over .300 on the night at .343 and .318. Poe wrapped up her career with a match-high 18 digs, while McConaha posted her 18th double-double of the season, adding 14 digs to her effort. Purdue put up nine blocks led by McConaha's four, but Cappa added two including a solo stuff. Cappa also registered four kills on the night.
The Boilermakers end a banner season with a 17-15 mark, including wins over four Top 25 teams including No. 9 Colorado State.