Sept. 29, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For the first time since the 1987 season, the Northwestern women's volleyball team has opened the Big Ten season 2-0 on the road. The Wildcats (9-5 overall, 2-0 Big Ten), who nearly let a two-game lead slip away, defeated Purdue (9-5, 0-2) in five games 30-23, 33-31, 28-30, 20-30, 15-9.
Iwona Lodzik (Tarnobrzeg, Poland/Tarnobrzeg) posted career highs with 26 kills and 22 digs. Drew Robertson (Long Beach, Calif./Poly) recorded 63 set assists and 17 digs to help the cause.
The Wildcats held a precarious 19-17 lead in the opening game when they took control with a 6-1 run to increase their lead to 25-18. Purdue never got closer than five the rest of the way as NU hit .361 in the game. Sarah Ballog (Coto de Caza, Calif.) and Lodzik posted five kills apiece for Northwestern.
NU led 21-19 in game two before the Boilermakers scored three straight to take a two-point lead. The 'Cats used a 4-0 run to jump ahead 25-22. But Purdue rallied again, scoring seven of the next nine to lead 29-27.
Northwestern fought off a pair of game points, scoring three in a row to take a 30-29 edge. The teams exchanged the next three points before the Wildcats secured the win with a kill by Lodzik and an attack error by the Boilers.
Lodzik led the way once again with six kills while Erika Lange (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) added five.
Purdue fought off the sweep by winning a tight battle in the third game. NU led 25-24 when the Boilermakers scored three straight points to take a 27-25 lead. Northwestern tied it at 27-27 before the hosts scored three of the game's final four points to force a fourth game.
The Cats hit just .107 in the game thanks in part to 12 hitting errors.
Northwestern dug itself into an early hole in game four, falling behind 14-6. The Wildcats fought back to within 18-15, but Purdue scored five of the next six points to take a 23-16 advantage. NU got no closer than five the rest of the way and hit .075 in the frame.
In the decisive fifth game, Northwestern got out quickly, taking an early 4-1 lead. Following a timeout, the Boilermakers rallied to tie the game 5-5. With the Wildcats holding a slim 8-7 lead, they seized control with a 3-0 run for an 11-7 edge.
Leading 12-9, NU closed out the match with a kill by Lodzik and a pair by Kelli Meyer (Madison, Wis./Edgewood).
The Wildcats return to play at 7 p.m. Friday when they take on Iowa in their Big Ten home opener at Welsh-Ryan Arena.