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HTML STATS vs. PU | PDF STATS vs. PU | ARCHIVED BROADCAST vs. PUWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Morehead State volleyball team suffered defeats at the hands of Notre Dame and No. 11 Purdue on Friday in the opening day of the Active Ankle Challenge at Holloway Gym. The Eagles dropped a five-set decision to UND and three-set affair to PU.
The Fighting Irish won by scores of 25-20, 25-18, 15-25, 22-25 and 15-11. The Boilermakers won by scores of 25-19, 25-14 and 25-12. Notre Dame, which won both matches, improves to 3-7 on the season. Purdue, which split, moves to 9-2 on the year. Morehead State slipped to 0-12.
"We had two completely different matches today," Head Coach Jaime Gordon said. "We really competed in the afternoon match against a solid Notre Dame team. In the evening contest, we saw why Purdue is No. 11 in the nation. They are a terrific club with a variety of weapons."
MSU and UND featured 28 ties and 14 ties, including 11 and six in the fourth set.
Notre Dame used a 7-2 run in the first set and 6-0 spurt to finish the second. Morehead State responded with a 21-7 run in the third and finished with a 9-2 jolt to even the match. The Fighting Irish tallied seven consecutive points in the fifth and never relinquished the lead.
Middle blockers Hannah Sigala and Laura McDermott collected 30 of Morehead State's 55 kills and more than half of its team blocks. Sigala, a junior, notched 16 kills, seven blocks and hit .423. McDermott, a senior, registered 14 winners, four rejections and hit .387.
Freshman outside hitter Alli Evans paced three MSU players in double-figure kills with 16. The Eagles managed a 60-55 digs advantage, but Notre Dame tallied a 13.5-to-11 edge in team blocks.
Senior middle blocker Jeni Houser pounded a match-best 16 kills, but also committed nine attack errors. Freshman libero Natalie Johnson paced three UND players in double-figure kills with 13.
Purdue hit a sizzling .455 in the nightcap, with 47 kills and just seven errors on 88 total swings. The Boilermakers also managed advantages of 8-3 in team blocks, 37-27 in assists and 5-2 in aces.
No player from either squad reached double-figure kills in the final match of the day. Sophomore defensive specialist Stacy Silver collected a match-best 10 digs for Morehead State, while junior back-row specialist Amanda Neill recorded eight to pace Notre Dame.
Purdue tallied a .517 attack percentage in the second set, with 15 smackdowns and no miscues. The Boilermakers closed out the night with 17 winners and two errors for a .556 clip.
Morehead State is the four-time defending OVC champion, despite this year's start. The Eagles had never previously started 0-12. MSU began playing varsity volleyball in 1972.
Morehead State closes out the two-day event against Saint Louis on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. Live audio will be available via MSUEagles.com, with Matt Segal calling the action. Live stats and social media updates will also be available through the MSU Athletics web site.
"This field is certainly loaded," Gordon added. "Tomorrow will be no exception with a very good Saint Louis team, which knocked off Purdue on Friday morning. I'm hoping our young ladies can get some rest tonight and be ready to go in the final match of this tournament."
