Aug. 28, 2002

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue volleyball team opens the 2002 season on the road at the Lady Raider Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn, this weekend. The Boilers kick off the new season Friday afternoon against Evansville, before taking on host school Middle Tennessee State that evening. The squad roads out tournament action for the weekend with Saturday matches against Chicago State and Western Carolina.

Aces in the Hole

Evansville will open its 2002 campaign with the match against the Boilermakers at 3 p.m. August 31. The Purple Aces return nine of 11 letterwinners from the 2001 squad that compiled a 6-25 overall record, 2-16 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The team is coached by Mark Hardaway, who has compiled a 88-137 record in seven years at Evansville, and assistant coach Brian Grimes, who joined the team on August 20.

The Purple Aces will be led by a trio of seniors: 6-1 outside hitter Brooke Krodel, 5-7 setter/defensive specialist Megan Sacksteder and 6-1 outside/middle hitter Jill Fenneman. Krodel averaged 2.40 digs and 1.89 kills per game in 2001, while Sacksteder tallied 35 aces during the season while acting as the Aces' setter. Fenneman, who was one of the nation's top blockers (7th with 1.75 bpg) before a knee injury sidelined her for the season, will be attempting a comeback.

Scouting the Lady Raiders

Host school Middle Tennessee State is also looking to get back on a winning path after a 10-23 finish during the 2001 campaign. The Lady Raiders, which return 11 of 13 letterwinners from last year's squad, finished fourth in the Sun Belt Conference with a 4-10 mark. The team has an affinity for long matches with 18 of its 33 matches lasting four or more games, including seven five-game meetings.

The Lady Raiders return all seven of their starters from 2001, including red-shirt sophomore outside hitter KeKe Deckard, a pre-season All-Sun Belt selection. Deckard, the 2001 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, averaged a team-high 3.98 kills per game and pulled up 2.58 digs per game, second among Lady Raiders. Senior outside hitter Erin Hillstrom also returns with her 2.80 dpg and 2.59 kpg averages along with a tally of 45 service aces from 2001. Middle Tennessee State is coached by Lisa Kissee, who has a 105-127 record in seven years at the school, assistant coach Tara Miller and graduate assistant Janaina Gomes.

Chattin' About the Cougars

The Chicago State Cougars completed their 2001 season with a 2-24 overall record and a 2-10 mark in the Mid-Continent Conference. The Cougar squad, which is entering its third season under head coach Heidi Cartisser, set a new school record with 20 blocks in its first win of the season last year, with all but two players recording at least one block. The team was picked seventh in the Mid-Continent preseason poll for 2002 after tying for sixth in last year's regular-season standings. The Cougars return only three letterwinners, including Lisa Votteler, who averaged 2.41 kills and 2.31 digs per game as well as tallying 20 service aces for the squad in 2001.

Words About Western Carolina

The Catamounts bring a 21-11 record, 15-5 in the Southern Conference, and four returning starters into the 2002 season. The Western Carolina squad started last year's campaign with a four-game winning streak and ended the year winning nine of 12 matches, including a string of eight straight.

Junior outside hitter Sara Komosinski is the leading returner in both kills and digs, averaging 3.05 and 2.77 per game respectively, while tallying 31 service aces on the year. Junior Pamela Stein and sophomore Stefanie Peters also averaged more than two kpg and dpg. Stein tallied 2.75 kills and 2.14 digs per game for the team, while Peters registered 2.30 kills and 2.71 digs per game and 37 aces as a freshman. The squad is coached by former Catamount player Angell Kirkpatrick Benson, who took the reigns at the end of July.

A Look at the Boilermakers

The Purdue volleyball team, under fourth year coach Jeff Hulsmeyer, opens the 2002 season on the road at the Lady Raider Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Boilermakers kick off the new season against Evansville, before taking on host school Middle Tennessee State, Chicago State and Western Carolina. The Boilers are looking to make 2001's 4-25 record a distant memory, while climbing up the ranks of the Big Ten.

What a Difference a Win Makes...

If the Boilermakers claim a victory over Evansville...

*They will end a six-game losing streak, which featured losses to two Top 25 opponents in Illinois and Wisconsin.

*They will win their first season-opener on the road since 1997, when the squad topped Mississippi State at the Florida State Classic to start the year.

*They will have won six of their last seven season openers dating back to 1996, including Mortar Board Premier wins two of the last three years.

*They will improve the program's opening day record to 21-6 all-time, dating back to the 1974 season.

Top-Notch Recruits

The incoming 2002 recruiting class was ranked No. 11 in the nation by Volleyball Magazine and includes two High School All-Americans in outside hitter Marie Franke and setter Renata Dargan. Freshman Sarah Vitali, an all-state selection out of St. Charles, Ill., as well as transfers Daren Poe and Kim Cappa, make up the new faces on the Boilermaker roster. Poe is a sophomore defensive specialist out of Lafayette's Harrison High School, while Poe is a sophomore middle hitter from Martinsville, Ind. Cappa transferred to Purdue after a year at Murray State where she garnered Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer and honorable mention All-OVC honors. Poe came to the Boilers after playing on the Northern Illinois squad that won the MAC Conference Championship and made an appearance in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2001.

From the Heartland

The 2002 edition of the Boilermaker volleyball team, features players from six different states, however the majority of the squad calls the Midwest home. Four players hail from Indiana, three from Illinois, and one each from Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri. Junior middle hitter Eryn Leach is the lone outsider, calling Saratoga, Calif. home. Even the coaching staff has a Midwestern flair as head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer is a Louisville, Kentucky native and assistant coach Katie Loyer was born and raised in Lafayette. Assistant coach Denise Báez adds a little spice to the mix, hailing from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

On their 'A' Game

In 2001, the Purdue squad continued a strong academic tradition by earning the President's Cup Award, which is given to the varsity team at Purdue with the highest cumulative grade-point average. During Hulsmeyer's tenure, 16 student-athletes have received Academic Big Ten honors.

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