The Purdue Northwest Volleyball team opened the 2026 season Friday at the Ferris State Invitational, dropping a pair of 3-0 decisions to Minnesota State-Mankato and #3 Metropolitan State University of Denver.
The Basics
- Records: Purdue Northwest (0-2, 0-0 GLIAC), Minnesota State (1-1, 0-0 NSIC), #3 MSU Denver (1-1, 0-0 RMAC)
- Location: Bulldog Arena – Big Rapids, Mich.
- Attendance: 110 vs. Minnesota State; 200 vs. MSU Denver
Inside The Numbers
Game 1: Minnesota State 3, Purdue Northwest 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-21)
- Senior Anika Huelskamp (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard) led Purdue Northwest with five kills, while senior Katrina Soto (Newport Beach, Calif./University) and sophomore Chloe Deckard (La Porte, Ind./New Prairie) each added three.
- Freshman Cecelia Goode (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw) recorded a team-high two aces for the Lions.
- Junior Kennedy Rowzee (Rock Falls, Ill./Newman Central Catholic) led PNW at the net with four blocks, while junior Delanie Voss (Cedar Lake, Ind./Illiana Christian) added three blocks.
- Freshman Addison Smith (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) directed the offense with 13 assists and contributed five digs.
- Senior Aiden Leverick (Munster, Ind./Munster) paced the Lions defensively with eight digs, while Goode and Smith each finished with five.
- Purdue Northwest totaled 25 kills, six blocks, two aces and 34 digs while hitting .157 as a team.
- Minnesota State hit .362 with 45 kills and held advantages in assists (39-20), digs (42-34), and total points (62.0-33.0).
Game 2: No. 3 MSU Denver 3, Purdue Northwest 0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-10)
- Soto and Deckard led the Lions offensively with four kills apiece, while Rowzee added three.
- Sophomore Lauren Brohm (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) and Smith each recorded five assists to help guide the PNW offense.
- Junior Julia Ross (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute North) supplied the Lions' lone ace.
- Soto, Huelskamp and graduate student De'sheonna Foster (Evansville, Ind./Boonville) each recorded a block.
- Brohm led the Lions with five digs, while Smith added four and Soto finished with two.
- PNW finished with 18 kills, three blocks, one ace and 23 digs while hitting .169.
- MSU Denver hit .348 as a team with 43 kills and held edges in assists (37-17), digs (31-23), and total points (56.0-21.0).
The Breakdown
- Minnesota State established control early in Friday morning's opener, hitting .407 in the first set to earn a 25-16 victory.
- The Lions continued to battle in the second set, but the Mavericks maintained their offensive efficiency and used a .417 hitting percentage to take a 25-18 decision.
- Purdue Northwest responded with its strongest offensive showing of the match in the third set, hitting .250 and producing 10 kills.
- Despite the improved attack, Minnesota State answered with a late push to close out the match, 25-21.
- The Lions returned to the court in the afternoon against No. 3 MSU Denver and showed their competitiveness immediately, keeping the opening set close throughout before the Roadrunners secured a 25-22 win.
- PNW battled through the second set behind eight kills and a .194 hitting percentage, but MSU Denver generated a .341 attack percentage to pull away for a 25-16 victory.
- The Roadrunners took control in the third set, hitting .500 while limiting the Lions to a .136 hitting percentage to complete the 3-0 sweep with a 25-10 win.
- Across the two matches, PNW was led offensively by Soto, who totaled seven kills, while Huelskamp and Deckard each contributed six.
- Smith finished the opening day with 18 assists and nine digs, while Brohm added nine assists and 10 digs.
- Rowzee provided a presence at the net with five blocks on the day, and Huelskamp and Soto each recorded two blocks against MSU Denver and Minnesota State, respectively.
- Despite the difficult opening day, the Lions showed flashes of offensive and defensive momentum, including a .250 hitting percentage in the third set against Minnesota State and a competitive opening frame against the nationally ranked Roadrunners.
Up Next
- Purdue Northwest continues play at the Ferris State Invitational on Saturday, August 29 when take on Emporia State at 10:00 AM CT and then wraps up the weekend against Illinois Springfield at 2:30 PM CT. The games are held at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
