The Purdue Northwest Volleyball team made program history defeating Michigan Tech for the first-time ever while earning a big GLIAC win on Sunday afternoon, 3-1.

The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (10-7,4-4)
• Location: Hammond Sportsplex - Hammond, Indiana
• Attendance: 50

Game 1 vs. McKendree, W 3-0
Inside The Numbers

• (25-17,25-16,25-21)
• Junior Anika Huelskamp (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard) led Purdue Northwest with 12 kills, followed by senior Allyson Cathey (New Albany, Ind./New Albany) with seven and senior Arra Cottrell (LeClaire, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) with six.
• Senior Marina Gronkiewicz (Munster, Ind./Munster) directed the offense with 30 assists and added 13 digs.
• Senior Livia Thomsen (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) anchored the defense with a match-high 23 digs.
• Gronkiewicz also served a match-best five aces, while Cottrell and sophomore Kennedi Brass (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka) added three and two respectively.
• Sophomore Kennedy Rowzee (Rock Falls, Ill./Newman Central Catholic) led at the net with three blocks, while Morgan Neitzel (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) added two and Cottrell chipped in one.
• Purdue Northwest totaled 39 kills, ten aces, six blocks, and hit .167 as a team.
• McKendree finished with 26 kills, six aces, 12 blocks, and hit just .042.
• McKendree's Emily-Kate Lonergan posted 8 kills, and Cayden De Santiago led with four blocks.
• Ashlyn Berczynski and Peyton Uptgraft paced McKendree defensively with 13 and 11 digs, respectively.

The Breakdown

• Purdue Northwest controlled the match from start to finish, opening with a dominant 25-17 win in the first set behind strong serving and a .250 hitting percentage.
• The Pride kept momentum rolling in the second set, capitalizing on McKendree errors to take the frame 25-16.
• McKendree mounted a stronger challenge in the third, but Purdue Northwest pulled away late to seal the sweep with a 25-21 win.
• Consistent serving pressure and a balanced attack allowed PNW to maintain rhythm throughout the match.
• McKendree struggled offensively, hitting below .050 in all three sets and never finding a consistent scoring rhythm.
• Purdue Northwest's ability to minimize errors and capitalize on McKendree's inefficiency proved to be the key difference.

Game 2 vs. Drury, W 3-2
Inside The Numbers

• (25-20,21-25,25-19,20-25,15-13)
• Cathey led Purdue Northwest with 21 kills, followed by Cottrell with 14 and Huelskamp with 11.
• Gronkiewicz tallied 50 assists and added 20 digs to guide the offense and support the defense.
• Thomsen paced the back row with a match-high 29 digs, while Huelskamp contributed 12 digs.
• Cottrell led the team with three service aces, while Gronkiewicz and Brass chipped in two each.
• Huelskamp and senior Morgan Neitzel (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) recorded three blocks apiece, and Rowzee added two.
• Purdue Northwest registered 70 kills, eight aces, five blocks, and hit .318 as a team.
• Drury finished with 67 kills, 9 aces, 5 blocks, and hit .288 overall.
• Drury's Ella Rademaker and Mailie Chretien each notched 17 kills, and Skylar Hilton added 15.
• Kim Quinit led all players with 20 digs, and Chretien followed with 18 for Drury.
• Both teams finished even in blocks and close in kills, but PNW held the edge in hitting efficiency and digs (84-77).

The Breakdown

• Purdue Northwest opened strong with a 25-20 first-set win, using clean execution and aggressive attacking to grab early momentum.
• Drury responded with a sharp performance in the second, hitting .441 to even the match at one set apiece.
• The Pride regained control in the third set behind 21 kills and a .409 hitting percentage to take a 2-1 lead.
• Drury battled back in the fourth, taking advantage of key runs and limiting errors to force a fifth set.
• In a tightly contested final frame, Purdue Northwest held off a late Drury push to clinch the match 15-13.
• The back-and-forth battle showcased high-level offense on both sides, but PNW's balanced attack and clutch defense down the stretch proved decisive.

Game 3 vs. Thomas More, W 3-2
Inside The Numbers

• (21-25,22-25,25-13,25-22,15-6)
• Huelskamp led Purdue Northwest with 17 kills, followed by Cathey with 11 and Cottrell with ten.
• Gronkiewicz dished out 36 assists and added one ace and 13 digs.
• Livia Thomsen (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) anchored the defense with 24 digs and chipped in two assists.
• Brass served a match-high five aces and collected 11 digs.
• Rowzee dominated at the net with eight blocks, while Neitzel added fouur.
• Purdue Northwest finished with 58 kills, 9 aces, 13 blocks, and hit .227 as a team.
• Thomas More posted 49 kills, 6 aces, 10 blocks, and hit .128 overall.
• Ebony Gomez led Thomas More with 16 kills and 11 digs, while Matilde Giamberini added 10 kills.
• Audrey Warrick tallied 38 assists and 10 digs for Thomas More.
• Taylor Stivers paced the Saints defensively with 19 digs and 3 aces.

The Breakdown

• Thomas More jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind efficient hitting, taking the first two sets 25-21 and 25-22.
• Purdue Northwest flipped the momentum in the third set, holding Thomas More to a negative hitting percentage and cruising to a 25-13 win.
• The Pride stayed hot in the fourth, building a late lead and holding off a late push to even the match with a 25-22 win.
• PNW dominated the fifth set, hitting .385 while forcing eight attack errors from the Saints to close out the match 15-6.
• Purdue Northwest's blocking and serving were key down the stretch, combining for 13 blocks and 9 aces on the day.
• After a slow start, the Pride's offense came alive in the final three sets, outscoring the Saints 65-41 to complete the comeback.

Up Next

• Purdue Northwest now returns to GLIAC action when they hit the road and travel to take on Davenport on Friday, October 24. Game time is set for 4:00 PM CT in Grand Rapids, Michigan.