The Purdue Northwest Volleyball team split its final day at the Ferris State Invitational on Saturday, falling to Emporia State, 3-0, before closing the weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Illinois Springfield.
The Basics
- Records: Purdue Northwest (1-3, 0-0 GLIAC), Emporia State (3-1, 0-0 MIAA), Illinois Springfield (0-4, 0-0 GLVC)
- Location: Bulldog Arena – Big Rapids, Mich.
- Attendance: 210 for both matches
Inside The Numbers
Game 1: Emporia State 3, Purdue Northwest 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-19)
- Senior Anika Huelskamp (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard) and sophomore Chloe Deckard (La Porte, Ind./New Prairie) led the Lions offensively with six kills apiece, while senior Katrina Soto (Newport Beach, Calif./University) added five.
- Huelskamp, Deckard and freshman Cecelia Goode (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw) each recorded one service ace for Purdue Northwest.
- Deckard, junior Kennedy Rowzee (Rock Falls, Ill./Newman Central Catholic) and graduate student De'sheonna Foster (Evansville, Ind./Boonville) each finished with one block at the net.
- Freshman Addison Smith (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) directed the Lions' offense with 19 assists and added seven digs.
- Huelskamp paced PNW defensively with eight digs, while Smith contributed seven and freshman Giana Frayer (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) added five.
- Purdue Northwest totaled 28 kills, three aces, two blocks and 33 digs while hitting .170 as a team.
- Emporia State hit .317 with 47 kills and held advantages in assists (39-24), digs (49-33), blocks (4-2) and total points (55.0-33.0).
Game 2: Purdue Northwest 3, Illinois Springfield 0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-14)
- Freshman Ainsley Johnson (Springfield, Ill./Calvary) powered the Lions offensively with a match-high 10 kills, while Huelskamp added eight kills and Soto contributed four.
- Johnson also dominated at the net with five blocks, while Rowzee added four and sophomore Delanie Voss (Cedar Lake, Ind./Illiana Christian) finished with three.
- Smith recorded a team-high two service aces, while Huelskamp and Goode each added one.
- Smith directed the offense with 17 assists, while sophomore Lauren Brohm (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) added four and Frayer contributed three.
- Huelskamp led the Lions with nine digs, followed by Smith with eight and Goode with seven.
- Purdue Northwest finished with 38 kills, nine blocks, five aces and 35 digs while hitting .223 as a team.
- The Lions held Illinois Springfield to a .032 hitting percentage and owned advantages in kills (38-25), blocks (9-2), assists (26-22), digs (35-29) and total points (52.0-33.0).
The Breakdown
- Emporia State took an early lead in Saturday morning's opening set, using a .211 hitting percentage to secure a 25-19 victory.
- The Hornets continued to control the second set offensively, hitting .444 while limiting the Lions to a .161 attack percentage to take a 25-15 decision.
- Purdue Northwest responded with its strongest offensive performance of the match in the third set, hitting .242 and recording 11 kills.
- Emporia State answered with 17 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, closing out the match with a 25-19 win.
- The Lions returned to the court Saturday afternoon against Illinois Springfield and quickly found their rhythm, hitting .211 while collecting 15 kills in the opening set.
- PNW battled through a tight first frame before pulling away late to claim a 25-22 victory.
- The Lions took control in the second set, limiting the Prairie Stars to just four kills and a -.250 hitting percentage while producing 10 kills of their own to win 25-16.
- Purdue Northwest carried its momentum into the third set, hitting .273 with 13 kills while holding Illinois Springfield to an .097 hitting percentage.
- The Lions closed out the sweep with a dominant 25-14 third-set victory.
- Johnson led the PNW attack with 10 kills against Illinois Springfield and added five blocks for 15 total points.
- Huelskamp finished the afternoon with eight kills, nine digs and one ace, while Smith contributed 17 assists, eight digs and two aces.
- Rowzee added four blocks, while Voss contributed three as the Lions finished with nine total blocks.
- The victory marked Purdue Northwest's first win of the 2026 season and provided a strong finish to the weekend.
- Across Saturday's two matches, Huelskamp led the Lions with 14 kills and 17 digs, while Smith totaled 36 assists and 15 digs.
- Johnson finished the day with 10 kills and five blocks, while Deckard contributed six kills and one block against Emporia State.
- PNW finished the weekend with a 1-3 record after facing four opponents at the Ferris State Invitational.
Up Next
- Purdue Northwest returns to action Friday, September 4 competing at the Hampton Inn Invitational hosted by Parkside. The Lions play two games on Day 1, beginning with a tilt against the University of Jamestown at 10:00 AM CT and then with Hillsdale late at 4:00 PM CT.
