Volleyball Opens GLIAC Play With 3-0 Sweep Over Purdue Northwest

OVERVIEW – PURDUE NORTHWEST

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 3, Purdue Northwest Pride 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-22)

RECORDS: Northwood (4-5, 1-0 GLIAC), Purdue Northwest (1-8, 0-1 GLIAC)

LOCATION: Riepma Arena – Midland, Mich.

RECAP:  Northwood opens Great Lake Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play with a 3-0 sweep over Purdue Northwest Friday night (September 7).

INSIDE THE MATCH

• In the first set, Northwood earned six of the first eight points and kept their distance for most of the stanza. Never trailing, the Timberwolves built their edge to 19-13 later in the set and scored six of the last 10 points to win 25-17. Both offenses struggled in the set, with Northwood hitting .036 (10-9-28) while Purdue Northwest finished at -.125 (5-8-24).
• The Timberwolves could only maintain a slim lead early in the set, leading 11-9 20 points in. NU had a few leads, but the Pride continued to battle and pulled to within one at 17-16. Northwood finished the set strong, scoring eight of the next 10 point on their way to a 25-18 win. The defenses continued to be the story of the match in the second, as Northwood finished at .057 (10-8-35) compared to Purdue Northwest's line of -.069 (6-8-29). 
• The Pride came out fast in the third, scoring 11 of the first 16 points. They continued to hold firm later in the set, extending the lead to 18-12 before NU made their move. Seven consecutive scores erased the deficit and lifted the Timberwolves to the lead at 19-18. The teams traded points before Northwood took a 23-21 lead and eventually capped the comeback with a 25-22 win. NU posted a hitting line of .111 (12-8-36) while PNW concluded the set at .061 (8-6-33).

MATCH STATS

• HITTING: Purdue Northwest -.035 (19-22-86), Northwood .071 (32-25-99)
• DIGS: Purdue Northwest 37, Northwood 40 (Brenna Murphy – 17)
• BLOCKS: Purdue Northwest 4, Northwood 0 (Mary Gallagher– 3)
• ACES: Purdue Northwest 4, Northwood 7 (MacKenzie Kepler – 3)

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Venera Kadriu: Nine kills, eight digs, two blocks
• MacKenzie Kepler: Eight kills, three aces
• Macy Lintz: 29 assists

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Northwood has now won three of their last four after dropping four of their first five to begin the season.
• The Timberwolves and the Pride split a pair of matches last season, with Northwood winning 3-0 in a non-conference match while Purdue Northwest picked up a 3-1 victory in GLIAC play.

UP NEXT

• Northwood will host Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday (September 8) for a match against the Rangers. First serve is set for 5 p.m.