The No. 11 seed Purdue Northwest bowed out of the GLIAC Women's Volleyball Tournament following a heartbreaking defeat to eighth-seeded Saginaw Valley State in an exciting five-set thriller.
PNW won a wild fourth set 32-30 to force the deciding frame, which SVSU came out on top 21-19. The Pride also won the second set in extended play by a final score of 29-27. The Cardinals took the first and third sets, 25-19 & 25-17, respectively.
For the Pride, it was their second five-set match in the previous five outings with the young squad showing vast signs of improvement at the end of the abbreviated spring campaign.
Graduating seniors Danielle Fowler and Abigail Negri went out with a bang as both logged career highs in their final match. Fowler recorded 37 digs while Negri registered a double-double effort with 47 assists and 15 digs. The duo helped lead the way for the program's first postseason appearance in the NCAA Division II era.
Additionally, sophomore Kenzie Duggan produced 16 kills and 22 digs while freshmen Lauren Sanders (14) and Erica Brohm (11) reached double-digit kill marks. Freshman Summer Clark also collected a career-best 14 digs for the second match in a row.
PNW stormed back to even the fifth set at 10-10 and the Pride eventually grabbed a 13-12 lead following a block by Brohm.
Then, the two teams went back and forth after the score evened at 14-14 following a Bryanna Moonen kill.
PNW eventually led 19-18 after back-to-back kills from Sanders and Rachel Wilkening brought the Pride to within a point of their first win. However, the Cardinals got two straight kills and clinched match point on an ace.
Purdue University Northwest Athletics
Purdue Northwest Athletics consists of 300 student athletes and 15 sports and is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and NCAA Division II. Intercollegiate athletic teams are fielded in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball, men's and women's golf, softball and baseball. PNW Esports is in its first year of varsity competition. Men's Ice Hockey is offered as a non-varsity sport. Purdue Northwest has recently developed new basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, baseball, tennis, esports and ice hockey facilities. For more information on the Purdue University Northwest Athletics program please go to www.PNWathletics.com.
Purdue University Northwest
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is a premier metropolitan university dedicated to empowering transformational change in our students and in our community. Located in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago, PNW values academic excellence, supports growth, and celebrates diversity. For more information about PNW, visit www.pnw.edu.
