Purdue Northwest Drops Road Match to Grand Valley State in Three Sets

Purdue Northwest Drops Road Match to Grand Valley State in Three Sets
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Despite 18 assists and 10 digs by sophomore Eudora Negri (Munster, Ind./Munster), the Purdue University Northwest volleyball team dropped a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road match with Grand Valley State University (Mich.) Friday night at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.  The Pride fell in three sets by scores of 25-8, 25-16 and 25-17.

Senior Kayla Elsea (Palmyra, Ind./Crawford County) and junior Morgan Spencer (Oswego, Ill./Aurora Central Catholic) each finished the match with five kills to lead the PNW attack.   Junior Carissa Jones (Whiting, Ind./Bishop Noll) and freshman Serene Jones (Crest Hill, Ill./Lockport Township) each added four kills.  Spencer also recorded seven digs for Purdue Northwest, while senior Abbe Mullen (Lansing, Ill./TF-South) chipped in nine digs. 

The Lakers got off to a fast start in the opening set jumping out to an early 10-4 lead.  A kill by Jones pulled the Pride to within eight points later in the set, 15-7.  However, PNW scored just one point the rest of the way as GVSU pulled away for the 25-8 win.

A kill by Elsea to open the second set helped the Black and Gold take an early 3-0 edge, but Grand Valley State fought back and tied the set at 5-5.  The Lakers went on another run to build a 16-10 advantage before a kill by Jones and an attack error by GVSU trimmed the deficit to four.  Grand Valley State finished the set strong pulling away late to capture the 25-16 victory.

The third set started back and forth with an ace by Mullen tying the score at 10-10.  Another ace by Jones pulled the Pride to within a point at 15-14, but PNW only managed three points the rest of the way as the Lakers secured the match with a 25-17 win. 

Purdue Northwest (6-24 overall/1-14 GLIAC) closes out its 2017 season on Saturday, November 11, with a conference road match against Wayne State University (Mich.).  The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT start at Matthaei Center in Detroit, Mich.