Freshmen Gabrielle Martin and Allison Jorch each recorded career-highs in kills to lead the Purdue University Calumet volleyball team to a four-set victory over visiting Moody Bible Institute Monday night.
The Peregrines (10-18) defeated the Archers (11-10) 25-18, 25-11, 20-25, 25-17 to captured their 10th win of the season, doubling Purdue Calumet’s total from a year ago. The win also continued to build upon first-year head coach Julie Wiejak’s record for program wins since the sport was reinstated in 2010.
Martin (Kankakee Valley, Ind./Kankakee) swung for 17 kills on 48 attacks (.104) and Jorsch (Highland, Ind./Highland) added career highs in kills (13) and attack percentage (.400) to highlight the Peregrine offense. Junior Akeelah Muhammad (Chicago Heights, Ill./Bloom Township/Kishwaukee) continued her consistency up front, finishing the match with 11 kills on just 23 attacks and one error to hit a team-best .435.
Sophomore Haley Smith (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley) delivered 45 assists and added seven digs and the Peregrines’ reached double-digit numbers at the service ace category with 10, led by four apiece from Martin and Samantha Basar (Plainfield, Ill./North/Kishwaukee).
Basar returned to the lineup at libero to lead the Peregrines in digs (18) and Martin added 12 digs in a complete all-around game for the freshman, who also added three block assists and one solo block.
The Peregrines finished the match with their fifth-best attack percentage of the season at .197, led Set 2’s stellar .345 percentage when hit for 13 kills on just 20 attempts.
Shelby Durham led the Archers with eight kills and Emily Anderson had 22 assists for Moody Bible, which dropped its second match of the season to the Peregrines.
Purdue Calumet returns to action Thursday for an important Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup with visiting Calumet College of St. Joseph beginning at 7 p.m. at the Fitness and Recreation Center. The match also marks the Peregrines’ Dig Pink event, where the team will honor breast cancer survivors and offer special t-shirt jerseys to help raise money for awareness. The event will also feature free pink earbuds, courtesy of the Multicultural Campus Council, to the first 100 fans and free Papa John’s pizza to the first 100 students.