Purdue University Northwest Sports Update, November 9, 2016

PNW-Volleyball-Drops-5-Set-Thriller-to-St-Francis-in-CCAC-QuarterfinalsPNW Volleyball Drops 5-Set Thriller to St. Francis in CCAC Quarterfinals The Purdue University Northwest volleyball team dropped a 5-set battle to St. Francis (Ill.), in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament.

The No. 2 Fighting Saints defeated the No. 7 Pride (25-22, 15-25, 16-25, 25-23, 6-15) at the Sullivan Center Tuesday night.

“I am so thankful for this group of young women and so proud of the way that they represented PNW volleyball in its first year,” head coach Julie Wiejak said.

“They were incredibly special and they will forever hold a place in my heart for all of their hard work and dedication.”

Junior Gabrielle Martin (DeMotte, Ind./Kankakee Valley) led the offensive attack for the Pride with 19 kills and a .288 attack percentage with a quartet of service aces on the night.

Casey Neulieb (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) led PNW with 25 digs while Brooke Ahrens (Covington, Ind./Covington) notched 37 assists to headline the leaders for the Black and Gold.

The Pride took an early lead in Set 1, after a kill from Martin gave PNW a 14-8 lead.

USF would cut their deficit to one, after a Brooke Hartnell kill put the Fighting Saints within one, 19-18.

PNW would answer right back, taking a 23-20 advantage, before capitalizing on some USF miscues and pick up the 25-22 win.

USF would pick up the next two sets, but the Pride continued to fight, battling the entire fourth set and putting pressure on the Fighting Saints.

After USF took a 23-21 advantage late in Set 4, PNW would rattle off four consecutive points to win the set, and send the match to a fifth set.

PNW would continue to battle in the fifth set, but the Fighting Saints would hold on and take the 5-set victory over the Black and Gold.

In the first year as a program for PNW, the Pride recorded 18 wins with a CCAC Postseason tournament appearance, and multiple Player of the Week honors, to headline a successful season for the Black and Gold.

Purdue Northwest Falls at No. 1 Marian, 103-68 No. 1-ranked Marian University proved to be too much for visiting No. 13 Purdue University Northwest in a 103-68 nonleague loss Tuesday night.

The Pride (2-1) sustained their first loss of the season to the unbeaten Knights (4-0), the defending NAIA Division II National Champions.

PNW freshman Shae Rhonehouse (Fremont, Ind./Fremont) scored 17 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field and a 9-of-11 performance from the free-throw line, and senior teammate Darien Thompson (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) added 12 points, hitting 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, to lead the Pride offense.

Purdue Northwest finished 29-of-35 (82.9 percent) to stay in the game until late in the fourth, when the Knights – who led by just 15 (60-45) with 4:39 left in the third quarter – went on a 43-23 run to close out the game.

Marian did its’ damage from deep, as the Knights finished 12-of-30 (40 percent) from the 3-point line compared to PNW’s 3-for-9 (33.3 percent) performance from behind the arc. The Knights finished 40-of-72 (55.6 percent) from the field, while the Pride made 18-of-48 (37.5 percent) shot from the floor.

PNW’s 27 turnovers led to 35 Marian points, while the Knights committed just 17 giveaways and recorded 16 steals. MU also won the rebounding battle, 38-29.

Rhonehouse gave PNW its lone lead of the game in the first quarter, as the freshman opened the contest with a jumper at the 9:15 mark to give PNW a 2-0 lead. But Marian would close out the first with a 19-12 lead before draining three-straight triples to start the second and extend that lead to 30-13.

MU would lead at the half, 50-28.

Senior Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central) added nine points and five rebounds, classmate Katie Wampler (Scottsburg, Ind./Scottsburg) had eight points and five boards and junior Ellie Michalski (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) had seven points and five rebounds for PNW.

Seven players reached double-figures for Marian, led by Kellie Kirkhoff with 21.

The Pride return to action Friday, when they open the Indiana Wesleyan Tournament in Marion, Ind., with a matchup against Lawrence Tech (Mich.) at 7 p.m. CT.

Purdue Northwest's Chris Rassel Named CCAC Defender of the Week Purdue Northwest men’s soccer defender Chris Rassel earned Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference defender of the week, announced by the league Tuesday.

Rassel helped lead the Pride to a 5-0 victory over Judson University in the opening round of the CCAC Postseason Tournament on Nov. 4.

The 6-foot-2 junior recorded a pair of assists, both off corner kicks, and held the Eagles to just five shots on goal. The honor was Rassel's first and the fourth CCAC Defender of the Week honor for the Pride this season.

Purdue Northwest still has an opportunity to make the NAIA National Tournament, pending the final outcome of the CCAC Tournament Final.

If No. 1 Olivet Nazarene wins the tournament, then Purdue Northwest, who earned the No. 2 seed in the regular-season standings, will earn the second automatic bid from the CCAC. Olivet Nazarene takes on 5-seed St. Ambrose in the other semifinal tonight at 5 p.m. CT in Bourbonnais, Ill. The winner of that game will advance to the CCAC Championship to face Stritch on Friday.

Purdue Northwest Freshman Brooke Ahrens Garners Second CCAC Setter of the Week Honor Purdue Northwest volleyball setter Brooke Ahrens earned Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Setter of the Week honors, announced by the league Tuesday.

Ahrens (Covington, Ind./Covington) led the Pride with 82 total assists in two matches on the week, including a 47 assist performance in a five-set battle to IU South Bend.

The 5-foot-8 freshman -- who captured her second CCAC weekly honor this season -- also recorded double-doubles in both contests, recording 14 digs against Trinity Christian and 18 against IUSB.

Ahrens also had six block assists and 17 total kills with two service aces.

PNW faces off with St. Francis (Ill.) tonight in the opening round of the CCAC Postseason Tournament in Joliet, Ill. at 7:00 p.m.

USF will have both live stats and live video for the match available.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/user/usffightingsaints/live Stats: http://live.gofightingsaints.com/vb/xlive.htm

Purdue Northwest Falls in CCAC Semis, 3-0 The Purdue University Northwest men’s soccer team dropped a 3-0 decision to Cardinal Stritch Tuesday afternoon in the semifinal round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Pride (11-5-4) were even with the Wolves (11-4-4) after the end of the opening half, with both teams without a goal and each team recording two shots apiece, sending the match to the second half, 0-0.

Stritch would connect on a goal from Teren Schuster in the 51st minute, who headed the ball in the back of the net on a free kick assist from Gian Pico to put the Wolves ahead 1-0.

Later on in the second half, Scott Evans would connect on a penalty kick and extend Stritch’s lead to 2-0.

The Wolves would tack on one more goal in the 77th minute, after Jack Hart received a pass from Berna Barba and connected on his seventh goal of the season to give Stritch the 3-0 lead.

Purdue Northwest totaled four shots on the day, with Michael Brownsea (Albury, Austrailia/Albury), Felix Guenzel (Munich, Germany/Anne-Frank Gymnasium Erding) and Alec Guarino (Saint John, Ind./Marian Catholic) all recording shots on goal

Purdue Northwest still has an opportunity to make the NAIA National Tournament, pending the final outcome of the CCAC Tournament Final.

If No. 1 Olivet Nazarene wins the tournament, then Purdue Northwest, who earned the No. 2 seed in the regular-season standings, will earn the second automatic bid from the CCAC. Olivet Nazarene takes on 5-seed St. Ambrose in the other semifinal tonight at 5 p.m. CT in Bourbonnais, Ill. The winner of that game will advance to the CCAC Championship to face Stritch on Friday.

Purdue Northwest's Sal Cordova Qualifies for NAIA Nationals With Monday’s announcement, it’s finally official: Purdue University Northwest junior Salvador Cordova has qualified for the 61st annual NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championships.

Cordova (Hammond, Ind./Bishop Noll) becomes the second national qualifier In PNW men’s cross country history – joining teammate and cousin Alex Cordova, who qualified in 2015 – and just the third qualifier in both programs, joining women’s cross country’s Kyleigh Werner, who also qualified last season.

Salvador Cordova qualified for the national championships, set for Saturday, Nov. 19 at North Farm Cross Country Course in Elsah, Ill., after finishing 15th at the CCAC Championships Nov. 5.

The junior ran an 8-kilometer time of 26 minutes, 41 seconds, to capture the first all-conference finish in men’s cross country history in Saturday’s race in Chahannon, Ill. Earlier this season, Cordova set the school 8K record, running a time of 26:10 Oct. 22 at the Seminole Valley Stampede in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The North Farm Cross Country Course is located across the Mississippi River from St. Louis in Elsah, Ill. The women’s 5K championship will kick off the action at 10:30 a.m. at North Farm, followed by the men’s 8K race at 11:30 a.m.

Admission to the races is free.

Purdue Northwest Travels to St. Francis for CCAC Tournament Opener Tuesday The Purdue University Northwest volleyball team will opens its first-ever appearance in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament as the 7-seed at 2-seeded St. Francis (Ill.) Tuesday night.

The Pride (18-15) will take on the Fighting Saints (27-11) at 7 p.m. CT at USF’s Sullivan Center in Joliet, Ill.

The winner of that quarterfinal match will advance to the CCAC Semifinals, set for Thursday, Nov. 10. Should PNW pull off the upset, it would face the winner of 3-seed Trinity Christian and 6-seed Cardinal Stritch at the site of the winner.

LAST TIME OUT The Pride dropped a pair of matches to close out the regular season, falling to Trinity Christian 3-1 Nov. 1 before sustaining a five-set setback at Indiana South Bend Nov. 3. Junior Gabrielle Martin (DeMotte, Ind./Kankakee Valley) recorded a season-high 26 kills in the loss.

SCOUTING ST. FRANCIS The Fighting Saints are currently riding a five-game winning streak, defeating Governors State 3-0 in their regular-season finale Nov. 1. The last time they lost? Against Purdue Northwest, who upset the Saints 3-2 back on Oct. 26 in Hammond. Alyssa Bridleman leads USF’s offense with 2.8 kills per set, the two-setter offense is led by Amber Casey (5.1 apg) and Danielle Conrad (5.2 apg) and libero Leah Alles leads the defense with 6.0 digs per set.

SERIES HISTORY The all-time series between the two teams stands tied at 1-1 with PNW, a new program this year with the merger of Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central athletic departments. The Pride’s 3-2 win over USF back on Oct. 26 did, however, give head coach Julie Wiejak, former head coach of Purdue Calumet for two seasons, her first win over the Saints in 12 tries.

Purdue Northwest Hosts Strtich in CCAC Semifinal Tuesday at 1pm The Purdue University Northwest men’s soccer team will continue its quest for its first-ever Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title when the Pride host Cardinal Stritch in Tuesday’s semifinal at Dowling Park.

The 2-seed Pride (11-4-4) will take on the 3-seed Wolves (10-4-4) beginning at 1 p.m. CT at Dowling Park’s Pepsi Field. The winner will advance to Friday’s championship to face the winner of 1-seeded Olivet Nazarene (14-3-2) and 5-seeded St. Ambrose (9-9-1).

LAST TIME OUT Five different players scored as PNW’s offense exploded for five goals in a 5-0 shutout win over 7-seed Judson in the CCAC Quarterfinals Nov. 4 at Dowling Park. Jaime Garcia (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial) opened the scoring in the 8’ and Grant Ugarte (Oak Lawn, Ill./Oak Lawn) and Jesus Holguin (San Diego, Calif./Bonita Vista) would added two more scores before halftime to put the Pride up, 3-0, at the break.

Djordje Cancarevic (Painesville, Ohio/Chippewa) and Sergio Reyes (Tabio, Columbia) would finish out the scoring in the 58’ and 86’ to give the Pride a 5-0 outcome. Junior keeper Miguel David (Spring Valley, Calif./Bonita Vista) collected his fourth shutout of the season, stopping five shots.

SCOUTING STRITCH The Wolves outlasted 6-seed St. Xavier in an overtime thriller in its CCAC Quarterfinal game Nov. 4, winning the 1-1 draw in the penalty kick round, 5-4. Scott Evans and Jack Hart each have six goals on the year for the Wolves, with Evans adding four assists. Pablo Ortiz has played the most time in goal, where he holds an 8-2-3 overall record with a 0.79 goals against average with six shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY PNW holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series after a thrilling, 2-1 double overtime win earlier this season in Hammond. Freshman Grant Ugarte’s header in the final seconds broke the 1-1 tie and gave the game to PNW. Alec Guarino (St. John, Ind./Marian Catholic) scored the game-tying goal in the 88’ after Stritch hit the board in the 80’ on a Jack Hart score.

Keeper Jonathan Lozano got the win in goal, collecting one save.

NAIA NATIONAL IMPLICATIONS With a win in Tuesday’s semifinals, the Pride will lock up a spot in the CCAC Championship game for the first time in program history. Should 1-seed Olivet Nazarene win its semifinal game and PNW win Tuesday, that would automatically guarantee PNW a spot in the national field, because should the regular-season season conference champion (ONU) reach the title game and win, the second CCAC automatic berth goes to the regular-season second-place team: PNW.

ADMISSION, DOWLING PARK INFO Dowling Park's Pepsi Field is located just east of Kennedy Avenue and north of Interstate 90/94, off J.F. Mahoney Drive, just west of the Jean Shephard Community Center located at 3031 J.F. Mahoney Dr, Hammond, IN 46323.

Ticket prices for all Pride Soccer matches is $6 for adults (ages 18 and up) and $4 for children (ages 4-17). Children 3 and under are free in addition to PNW students with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket window at the entrance to Dowling Park, cash only please.

For a complete visitors guide with directions and maps to Dowling Park, check out our ONLINE GUIDE.