KENOSHA, Wis. – The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball program had strong moments in their second match of the day, however they weren't plentiful enough as they fell 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-16, 25-21) to Purdue University Northwest.
The Golden Eagles hit just .104 for the match compared to .204 for the Pride.
Minnesota Crookston moves to 1-1 with the split on Friday. Purdue Northwest also moved to 1-1 with their win after losing to Bemidji State University in their first match of the day.
Key Players
Minnesota Crookston
Porsha Porath, 13 kills, .140 hitting pct.
Kaitlin Sikkink, 6 kills, .176 hitting pct.
Sydney Kruisselbrink, 25 assists
Lauren Ulibarri, 12 digs
Ali Schueler, 11 digs
Purdue Northwest
Jenna Dal Santo, 15 kills, .300 hitting pct., 12 digs
Annie Pulizos, 10 kills, .214 hitting pct.
Morgan Spencer, 10 kills, .185 hitting pct., 15 digs
Brooke Ahrens, 38 assists
Christina Dal Santo, 11 digs
Set One
The Golden Eagles jetted out to a 5-0 lead following a kill from
Kaitlin Sikkink (R-Jr., MH, St. Charles, Minn.). The Pride finally got on the board and was able to rattle off five straight points of their own following a Morgan Spencer service ace. Purdue Northwest move into a 13-9 lead with a crucial block. The Pride would control the rest of the set as they took a 25-16 win in the first frame. Minnesota Crookston hit .000 for the set with eight kills and eight errors.
Set Two
The Golden Eagles again started out on a great note as they took a 4-1 advantage in the set following an Annie Pulizos attack error. The Pride would be able to tie the match up 5-5 following an attack error by
Sydney Kruisselbrink (So., S, Rochester, Minn.). Minnesota Crookston regrouped and was able to get four-consecutive points after a
Lauren Wallace (R-Fr., OH, Bloomington, Minn.) kill made it 9-5. Purdue Northwest came right back and cut the deficit to 9-8. The Golden Eagles moved their lead back out to four at 15-10 as Porath put down back-to-back kills. The Pride would again claw their way back as they knotted the game up 21-21 with a Carissa Jones kill. Minnesota Crookston did not wave the white flag as they rolled off four-straight points with a decisive Porath kill. The Golden Eagles would take the frame 25-21 to knot the match up 1-1.
Set Three
Purdue Northwest got out to a quick 4-0 lead in the third frame guided by the serve of Christina Dal Santo. The Pride built their lead out to 8-1, forcing a Golden Eagle timeout as they attempted to regroup. Minnesota Crookston did not give in under pressure as they cut the lead to 10-8 on a Dal Santo attack error. However, Purdue Northwest came right back with a response as they took the next three points to move the lead to 13-8. The Golden Eagles pulled within 13-11, but the Pride again countered as they extended their advantage back out to 18-12 following back-to-back Porath attack errors. Purdue Northwest would take the set 25-16 over Minnesota Crookston.
Set Four
The Golden Eagles started the set on a great note as
Ali Schueler (R-Jr., Lib., Howards Grove, Wis.) put down a service ace. Minnesota Crookston was able to build their lead out to 4-1 after a Jones attack error. The Golden Eagles would lead 13-8 in the set after Porath put down a kill. Purdue Northwest would not go away though as they pulled within 13-12 on a Jones kill. The Pride would knot the game up 15-15 with a Dal Santo kill. Purdue Northwest then took the advantage 18-16 with another Dal Santo point. The Pride would hang on to take the set 25-21 and the match 3-1.
Minnesota Crookston returns to play at 9 a.m. against NSIC rival Bemidji State University. It will be the first of three times that the Golden Eagles will play the Beavers on the 2018 season.
