Purdue Northwest Volleyball Falls to #8 Ferris State, 3-1, in GLIAC Opener
HAMMOND, Ind. – After winning the first set over No. 8 Ferris State University (Mich.) in thrilling fashion, 31-29, the Purdue University Northwest volleyball team dropped the next three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-13 and 25-16.
Senior Gabrielle Martin (Demotte, Ind./Kankakee Valley) and junior Jenna Pasko (Lansing, Ill./T.F. North) each led the Pride with 13 kills, with Martin also leading the team with 12 digs.
Kayla Elsea (Palmyra, Ind./Crawford County) recorded 10 kills and a .353 attack percentage and Brooke Ahrens (Covington, Ind./Covington) recorded a team-high 41 assists to headline the leaders for the Black and Gold.
The Pride (3-7, 0-1 GLIAC) took a 12-8 advantage over the Bulldogs (7-2, 1-0 GLIAC) thanks to a kill from Pasko, but Ferris State answered back later in the set to even the score, 21-21.
Both teams traded points for the rest of the lengthy opening set, with the Bulldogs taking a late 29-28 lead.
The Pride battled back to even the score at 29-29 on a kill from Morgan Spencer (Oswego, Ill./Aurora Central Catholic) before rattling off the final two points to secure the 31-29 win and take the early 1-0 advantage.
After Ferris State won the next two sets, the Black and Gold held a 13-12 lead midway through the fourth set.
However, the Bulldogs went on a run of their own to take the set 25-16 and secure the match.
PNW returns to action Saturday afternoon when they host Northwood University (Mich.) in a GLIAC contest starting at 2 pm (CT) at the Fitness and Recreation Center in Hammond.