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volleyball bounces back By BRANDAN ALFORD BrandanAlford@Gmail.com tough to It's been aseason startNo. the Big Ten for 20 Purdue. After opening on the road against a pair of top-25 opponents, the Boilermakers returned home to face two top-15 teams in No. 12 Ohio State and No. 5 Penn State. The end result was a 1-3 conference record. But the Boilermakers (105 overall) nearly escaped that murderer's row with a 2-2 record. After being swept by No. Tom Campbell KiKi Jones wasn't just a big hitter last weekend. Her eight blocks against Ohio State helped lead Purdue's defensive charge. 23 Wisconsin (14-2, 3-1) and No. 8 Minnesota (15-2, 3-1) in the opening weekend, Purdue responded with a 3-0 victory over the Buckeyes (14-2, 2-2). On Saturday the Boilers pushed No. 5 Penn State to five sets before falling 15-8 in the final stanza. "I'm satisfied — if not more — with the way we played this past weekend," Coach Dave Shondell said. "At this point, that Ohio State match might be our biggest match of the year. We played with purpose, and after losing twice on the road, we cut down with the silly errors we had been making." Even as Purdue has struggled to open Big Ten play, it has turned in strong defensive performances. That fact was on display in the upset of Ohio State, as the Boilers' front line limited the Buckeyes to .126 hitting for the match as KiKi Jones tallied eight blocks to lead Purdue. "I was impressed with the play we got out of our four primary defensive players as well as our front line," Shondell said, "and we got just enough offense to be competitive." Sophomore Sam Epenesa continues to produce on the outside for Purdue, tallying 25 kills over the weekend, includ- Olympic Sports player-of-the-Week: soccer's maddy williams Maddy Williams scored the only goals in Purdue's matches over the weekend, leading the Boilermakers to a pair of 1-0 victories and helping extend the team's winning streak to three matches. The forward now has nine goals on the season and is only one shy of Jessica Okoroafo's freshman mark set in 2005. Williams was named Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week as well as Co-Freshman of the Week for her performance. "She is just a player who can put the ball in the back of the net, and that is the hardest thing to do in soccer," Coach Rob Klatte said. Williams has battled a nagging ankle injury throughout the season, but her scoring touch appears unfazed. "She has been carrying that ankle injury and has been able to manage the stress on it," Klatte said. "She's not at 100-percent, but with her ability to put it in the back of the net, even at 80 or 90 percent, she is extremely dangerous." — Brandan Alford ing a team-leading 16 in the loss the Penn State. "She needed a weekend like this one," Shondell said. "She has been developing some more shots, and she is the best player we have at seeing the block and adjusting." After facing four straight ranked opponents, the Boilermakers will play host to a pair of teams this weekend that are hovering around .500 and in dire need of a big road win. Illinois (6-8, 2-2) and Northwestern (9-7, 1-3) could use a marquee win to improve their NCAA Tournament resumés. "I would love to get two wins," Shondell said. "We are playing two teams who are both really hungry right now. Both teams have terrific talent and have their backs against the wall." GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 6 • 40