Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Purdue
Volleyball Stretches Season to Very End, Defeats Purdue 3-2
11/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 24, 2001
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Northwestern emerged victorious but weary after a five-game match at Purdue Saturday night to end the 2001 season. The 'Cats won 21-30, 30-23, 30-25, 28-30, 20-18 in a match that lasted two and a half hours.
The Wildcats finish the season 10-17 and 6-14 in conference play. This marks the first 10-win season for the program since 1998, and the first time the 'Cats have won at least six Big Ten matchups since 1993. The victory also snapped a losing streak on the road for NU, dating back to the game at Loyola-Chicago on Oct. 16.
It was Senior Night at Purdue (4-25, 1-19), but a junior and freshman stole the show. NU's Kelli Meyer led all players with 21 kills, 10 digs and five blocks. For the Boilermakers, freshman Leah Wischmeier had 20 kills and nine digs. Three other Wildcats had double-digit kill numbers, as Erika Lange had 18, Jill Buschur had 16 and Sarah Ballog posted 13. Freshman setter Drew Robertson finished the night with 65 assists, 17 digs and six blocks.
Purdue jumped out to a quick lead and stayed ahead by two or three points for the first half of Game One. Two consecutive blocks by Tiffany Yoskey and Maegan Petersen in the middle of a 7-0 Boilermaker run left the 'Cats trailing 22-14. An in-the-net error by Purdue, one of its three in the game, stopped the run, but Northwestern could not break the momentum of the game and was defeated 30-21.
Purdue outblocked NU five to two in Game One, but the Wildcats came back strong in Game Two with a quick pair of blocks by Robertson and Ballog, and took an 8-3 advantage. Attack errors cost NU the significant lead and Purdue tied the game at 11. Lange then came to life, and with her six kills and four blocks in the game, gave the 'Cats a lead they could hold on to. NU still looked a bit sluggish, as they had in Game One, but were able to emerge victorious from long volleys and bolstered their hitting percentage to .264 for the game.
The 'Cats didn't look as sharp at the start of Game Three. Jill Fantozzi committed three attack errors as Purdue took an 8-3 lead. Ballog helped cut the deficit with two blocks and two kills, and a kill from Meyer tied it at 12. But the game turned into a comedy of errors, as the teams combined to commit seven net and double-hit violations. Purdue took a 21-18 lead, but Buschur came out of a timeout and pounded two kills while Ballog and Meyer blocked an attempt to knot the score once again. A heads-up move by Meyer, who dumped the ball in Purdue's backcourt, gave NU a 25-22 advantage a few plays later. NU retained the lead and closed the match on a 7-3 run to win, 30-25.
Game Four was a defensive battle, as each team made heroic digs to keep long volleys alive. The Wildcats took an early 6-3 lead, but the Boilermakers tied it up and then took their own four-point lead at 17-13. NU battled back with a pair of kills from Meyer, one from Buschur and an attack error by Purdue's Lori Knicker, and the game was knotted at 17.
Ballog won a battle at the net to give NU a 20-19 advantage, then another net violation by Purdue left the Boilermakers down by two. Kim McConaha knocked off two kills and a solo block, while NU was whistled for two more net violations and were left trailing 25-21. The score reached 29-25 quickly, but the 'Cats staved off the game-winning point for purdue with a pair of blocks and kills. Purdue only needed one, however, and they got it from Wischmeier to win the game 30-28.
Northwestern never expected to be in a Game Five with Purdue, who came into the match with only a single Big Ten victory. The two teams battled within a space of two points as Meyer led the early NU attack with three kills and a service ace. Then the Wildcats turned to Lange, who had three kills and put NU in a victory situation, leading 14-13. But the 'Cats would serve for game point three times at the end of the contest. The game stretched to an 18-all tie, and Northwestern went up a point off a double-hit error by Joanna Lowry. It was another net violation for the Boilermakers that sealed their fate and gave the Wildcats a 20-18 game and match victory.
