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Oct. 8, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team takes to the road this week, aiming to pick up its first Big Ten victory of the season and end a four-match losing streak. The squad will take on No. 6 Minnesota on Friday and then travel to Iowa City, IA, for a Saturday match with Iowa. Series Information Minnesota: The Golden Gophers lead the series 27-26. Purdue won the first three meetings, beginning on Oct. 11, 1975 at the Wisconsin Invitational. The teams then traded wins, before the Boilermakers put together a string of 15-straight victories from 1978 to 1985. Minnesota won 19 of the next 24 meetings including two streaks of five and one of four wins. Purdue swept the Gophers in 1998, but Minnesota has taken the last six in three-game sweeps. Iowa: The Boilermakers own a 30-16 advantage over the Hawkeyes in the series which began in 1977. Purdue won the first 10 meetings. Iowa swept three of the next four years ('86, '88, '89), after claiming their first victory on Oct. 19, 1984. The Boilermakers then won eight in a row from 1990-93. The squads have split the last 14 meetings dating back to 1995. Twenty-one of the meetings have gone more than three games, while four of the last five have been sweeps. Glancing at the Golden Gophers The No. 6 Minnesota squad (17-2, 4-0) will try to extend its 10-match win streak, which includes victories over four top 25 teams, when its plays host to Purdue in Minneapolis, Friday. Most recently, the Golden Gophers, topped No. 14 Wisconsin in five games and swept Northwestern 3-0 in Evanston. The Gophers are hitting .246 for the season, while holding their opponents to just .135. The team is led by Cassie Busse, who is averaging 4.11 kills, 1.90 digs and 1.10 blocks per game, while posting a team leading 39 blocks on the season. Libero Paula Gentil is averaging a conference leading 4.61 digs per game, while Bethany Brafford leads the team in blocks with 1.15 per game. The team leads the Big Ten in digs (15.72 dpg) and is second in service aces (2.02 per game). The squad's only losses of the season have come at the hands of top 10 opponents in No. 1 Stanford (Aug. 24) and No. 9 Northern Iowa (Sept. 7). However, Minnesota struggled against Wisconsin, hitting just .081 for the match as the Badgers limited Busse to just 13 kills in the five-game Gopher victory. The home crowd is a major factor for Minnesota, as the team averages 1746 fans per contest. Mike Hebert is in his seventh year at the helm of the Golden Gopher program. A Bird's Eye View of the Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes (6-8, 0-4) will be trying to break their current six-game losing streak against either Illinois or Purdue this weekend. Most recently, the Hawkeyes fell to both Northwestern and Wisconsin in three-game sweeps on the road. Iowa is allowing opponents a .241 hitting percentage while only tallying a .187 clip of its own. The Hawkeyes are led by Renee Hill's 3.47 kills per game and liberoPam Kavadas' 3.40 digs per game. Abby Tjaden is the team's leading blocker averaging 1.09 per game. The team is proficient from the service line as all but two players (including the libero) have registered at least one ace on the season. Setter Jitka Stehnova leads the team with 18 aces, while five others have tallied at least five or more perfect serves. In the losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern, the Hawkeyes hit .063 and .118 respectively. The team was outblocked 8.5 to 1 by the Badgers, but tallied seven blocks to the Wildcats' six in the Friday contest. Iowa is coached by Rita Buck-Crockett, who is in her fifth year with the team. A Look at the Boilermakers The Purdue squad (9-7, 0-4) looks to get back on the winning track against No. 6 Minnesota or Iowa this weekend. The Boilermakers, led by sophomore Kim McConaha and junior Joanna Lowry, hope to end their current four-match, Big Ten losing streak. Both McConaha and Lowry are averaging 3.73 kills per game for Purdue, while McConaha adds 1.17 blocks and 23 service aces and Lowry is second on the team in digs with 2.86 per game. Sophomore libero Daren Poe leads the team in digs with 3.25 per game. The Boilermakers are hitting .245 for the season, but are 0-2 against ranked opponents this year. Lowry registered a double-double, 25 kills and 13 digs, while hitting .415 in the 3-1 loss to Illinois on Wednesday. Poe led the team with 17 digs, while freshman Marie Franke tallied a career-high 17 kills versus the Illini. McConaha posted 15 kills and three blocks against Penn State, while senior Tiffany Yoskey added three service aces and junior Jen Bova led the team with 13 digs in the match. The Boilermakers are coached by Jeff Hulsmeyer, now in his fourth year in West Lafayette. What a Difference A Win Makes... If the Boilermakers claim a victory over Minnesota on Wednesday: *It will end the team's four-match losing streak and halt a six-match series win streak by the Gophers. *It will give the squad its first Big Ten win of the season, equalling last year's conference win total. *It will be the team's first win over a ranked opponent since topping No. 25 Michigan on Sept. 30, 2000 (18 tries). *It will mark the Boilermakers' first win over a top 10 program since Sept. 19, 1990, when Purdue topped No. 7 Illinois 3-0. *It will mark the team's first win over a top 15 program since a 3-2 victory over No. 15 Ohio State on Nov. 5, 1993. Big Ten Rankings The Boilermakers rank third in the Big Ten in digs in conference games (15.27) and fourth in conference hitting percentage (.235). The team is sixth in overall digs (14.31 per game). Individually, Kim McConaha is sixth in hitting percentage (.370) and eighth in blocks (1.17 bpg). McConaha and Joanna Lowry are tied for 10th in the league in kills per game (3.73), while setter Renata Dargan is eighth in assists (11.38 apg) and Daren Poe is eighth in digs (3.25 dpg). In conference games only, Lowry is third in kills (4.27), Poe is fifth in digs (3.87) and Dargan is seventh in assists (12.40). McConaha's Magic *Kim McConaha has reached double figures in kills in 13 matches this season, including the last 12 straight. In the 10 matches where McConaha has put up at least four blocks, the team is 7-3. Aces In the Hole *Tiffany Yoskey has had success from the service line in 12 of 16 contests. Purdue is 9-3 when Yoskey has at least one ace. Double Trouble *Joanna Lowry has posted double-doubles in eight of the Boilermakers' 14 matches, including a 20-kill, 21-dig effort against Western Kentucky. The team is 6-2 when Lowry has a double-double performance. Block Party *The Boilermakers have posted at least five team blocks in 15 of their 16 matches. The team is 6-4 when posting seven or more blocks, and that improves to 3-1 with nine or more rejections. Serving Up a Win *Performance at the service line is key to Purdue's success as the Boilermakers are 9-1 when registering at least five aces in a match. Success in the Numbers
*It appears the second game is key to Purdue's success. The team is 7-0 when winning game two, compared to 7-2 when taking the third game and 6-3 when winning game one of the match.
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