Nov. 24, 2001
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball team lost its last match of the season 30-21, 23-30, 25-30, 30-28, 18-20 to Northwestern on Saturday. The Boilermakers were short three players due to the stomach flu.
"This was a fiercely contested match and it was tough to see either team lose," head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer said. "We had an amazing effort considering half the team was down with the flu. Our players left everything on the court and that's all you can ask."
Following senior night activities, senior Christy Case left the gym due to illness. Senior Meagan Petersen and sophomore Eryn Leach were both ill as well. Leach was unable to compete. Petersen recorded seven kills and 11 digs before her exit following Game 2. Senior Lori Knicker was the lone upperclassman able to play.
"Lori did an outstanding job for us tonight," Hulsmeyer said. "She's just that type of player. She came out and gave all she could for her team. She orchestrated some key plays late in the match."
Knicker recorded a career-high 19 kills for Purdue. Rookie Leah Wischmeier paced the Boilermakers with 20 kills. Sophomore Joanna Lowry recorded 17 kills and 16 digs, while freshman Kim McConaha turned in 11 kills and 18 digs. Setter Jen Bova recorded a double-double with 55 assists and 20 digs.
The Boilermakers started Game 1 with a 9-4 advantage over the Wildcats. Northwestern scored three unanswered to close the gap to two, but hit the next two balls out-of-bounds to increase the Old Gold and Black lead to 11-7. The Wildcats went on a 7-4 run to get within one at 15-14. The Boilermakers scored the next seven unanswered to claim a 22-14 lead. Kills from sophomore Tiffany Yoskey, Wischmeier and Petersen extended the Boilermaker lead to 26-17. Purdue finished with a 4-4 run to win 30-21.
After falling in Games 2 and 3, the Boilermakers won Game 4 30-28 to send the match to a rally-scored Game 5. Purdue overcame a 6-4 Northwestern lead to knot the game at six. A kill from Yoskey, a block assist from Knicker and McConaha and an out-of-bounds error from the Wildcats gave the Boilermakers a 9-7 advantage. Both teams exchanged points to the 18 mark. Northwestern scored two kills to take the game and the match.
The Boilermakers finished the season 4-25 (1-19 Big Ten) and were last in the conference. The Wisconsin Badgers finished first in league play with a 25-3 (19-1 Big Ten) record.