Ahrens Shines; Pride Volleyball Drops Season Finale to Wayne State
Detroit, Mich. – Sophomore Brooke Ahrens (Covington, Ind./Covington) had seven kills, 11 assists and eight digs, but the Purdue University Northwest volleyball team lost its season finale with Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe Wayne State University (Mich.) Saturday afternoon at the Matthaei Center in Detroit, Mich. PNW dropped the match in three sets by scores of 25-14, 25-18 and 25-16.Â
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Senior Gabrielle Martin (DeMotte, Ind./Kankakee Valley) and junior Carissa Jones (Whiting, Ind./Bishop Noll) each racked up six kills in the match. Sophomore Eudora Negri (Munster, Ind./Munster) posted 12 assists, five digs and an ace for the Pride. Senior Kayla Elsea (Palmyra, Ind./Crawford County) was tough at the net defensively finishing with three total blocks, including a pair of solo stops.
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Ahrens recorded a pair of kills early in the opening set, but the Pride still fell behind and trailed 14-8 following three straight points by the Warriors. WSU continued to pull away despite three more kills late in the set by Ahrens to take the advantage in the match with a 25-14 victory.
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The Pride got off to a slow start in the second set with Wayne State going up 10-5, but a pair of kills by Martin helped spark a rally that drew PNW to within a point, 18-17. However, the Warriors finished strong using a 7-1 run to take the set, 25-18.
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In the third set, Wayne State jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, but a kill by Jones trimmed the deficit to three, 8-5. However, the Warriors responded with five straight points to take a 13-5 edge. The Black & Gold got as close as five (20-15) down the stretch thanks in part to a pair of kills by Ahrens, but WSU had another strong finish to take the match by a score of 25-16.
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Purdue Northwest has completed its 2017 season and first year of NCAA Division II play. The Pride finished 6-25 overall and sixth in the South Division of the GLIAC with a 1-15 conference mark.