Wisconsin Handed 3-1 Loss at Purdue
November 26, 2004 | Volleyball
For the first time in 18 meetings, the Wisconsin volleyball team dropped a Big Ten Conference match to Purdue with a 26-30, 30-24, 30-25, 30-26 loss Friday night. The Badgers fall to 18-9 overall and 12-7 in the Big Ten Conference while Purdue improves to 16-13 and 9-10, increasing its chances for an NCAA tournament berth. Wisconsin had not lost to Purdue since Nov. 3, 1995 in West Lafayette.
'It was not a game where we were in sync with each other, ' Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite said. 'We complicated things, and players were looking at other teammates to make plays instead of looking at themselves. '
The Badgers started strong in the match, hitting .425 for the first game, but struggled down the stretch. Purdue out-hit Wisconsin .288 to .231 in the match. The Boilermakers also totaled 76 kills compared to 65 for the Badgers.
Wisconsin had three players in double-figure kills, led by a match-high 18 slams from Maria Carlini. Aubrey Meierotto and Sheila Shaw added 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
'Maria played great,' Waite said. 'We actually put Maria in a spot where she could get more swings for us, and I think she did a nice job in the front row.'
Purdue had four players in double-digit kills, led by Kim McConaha with 17.
The Boilermakers recorded 14 service errors but also scored on eight service aces. The Badgers tallied three aces, with one each from Carlini, Meierotto and Jackie Simpson. Wisconsin had just five service errors.
Purdue finished with a slight 66-65 advantage in digs, but Wisconsin 's Carlini led all players with 19. Badger freshman libero Jocelyn Wack added 17 saves.
The Badgers out-blocked the Boilermakers 15-11 in the match, led by Shaw who tied her season high with nine stuffs. Taylor Reineke and Aubrey Meierotto added four blocks apiece for Wisconsin.
On the strength of a .425 hitting percentage in game one, the Badgers held the lead for the entire frame. Wisconsin led by as many as five points at several times, including at 19-14 and again at 26-21. Purdue cut the lead to two at 28-26, but two of Odenthal's game-high six kills put away the game. Carlini also had six kills in the first game.
'We weren't executing very well,' Waite said. 'I think our passing was a little off in the first game, and some kids were playing hesitant who don't normally play that way. You can't play like that against an aggressive team like Purdue.'
Game two featured 11 ties including one as late as 23-23. Behind the serve of Kim McConaha, the Boilermakers scored five unanswered points to take a 28-23 lead. The Badgers scored just one more point in the frame on a Purdue hitting error before a kill and a service ace from Boiler setter Renata Dargan tied the match at one game apiece.
Purdue broke a 7-7 tie in game three by converting on three-straight Wisconsin errors. The Boilermakers led by as many as six points at several times, including at 21-15. The Badgers rallied back to come within two at 27-25 but were hurt by their own errors as two the final three points were scored off Badger miscues. Wisconsin put down only ten kills in the period with a .031 hitting mark.
The Boilermakers broke a 19-19 tie in game four with three-straight points to go up 22-19. Marian Weidner came off the bench to spark the Badgers, recording five kills to pull the Badgers within three at 27-24. Despite a kill from Shaw and a Meierotto service ace, Purdue's offensive power led the way to clinch the upset.
'I think we just didn't play as a unit, and that 's the thing with this group of young players,' Waite said. 'We need the upperclassmen stepping up and showing the way to go. The young ones are learning by trial by fire here on the road to Big Tens.'
Wisconsin wraps up its regular season at Indiana on Saturday night. The Badgers find out Sunday at 5:45 p.m. if they have qualified for their ninth straight and 13th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament.
