Purdue University Northwest Sports Update, October 26, 2016

PNW-Purdue-Northwest-Sweeps-Calumet-St-Joseph-3-0Purdue Northwest Sweeps Calumet St. Joseph, 3-0 Gabrielle Martin recorded a match-high 20 kills – in just three sets – to lead the Purdue University Northwest volleyball team to a sweep over Calumet College of St. Joseph in a road conference match Tuesday.

The Pride (15-11, 7-5 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) defeated the Crimson Wave by scores of 25-11, 25-13, and 25-20 at CCSJ’s Rittenmeyer Center.

Martin (DeMotte, Ind./Kankakee Valley) recorded a double-double with her first three-set 20 kill total to go along with 10 digs, while hitting a stellar .552 percent. PNW teammate Jenna Pasko (Lansing, Ill./T.F. South) added 10 kills at a .500 clip and freshman Brooke Ahrens (Covington, Ind./Covington) added 33 assists and 12 digs in the victory, Purdue Northwest’s third straight.

Purdue Northwest hit a crisp .367 for the match, as senior Cami Webster (DeMotte, Ind./Kankakee Valley) added five kills and junior Kayla Elsea (Palmyra, Ind./Crawford County) had four kills for the offense to help complete the series sweep, after PNW topped CSSJ (2-28, 0-13) in a three-setter earlier this season in Hammond. Sophomore libero Casey Neulieb (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan) added nine digs and sophomore Abbe Mullen (Lansing, Ill./T.F. South) had three aces for PNW, who totaled eight for the match.

Alexandra Sullivan led Calumet St. Joseph with seven kills and 11 digs and Rhiannon Kozy had 19 assists in the setback.

Purdue Northwest returns to action tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 26, when the Pride host CCAC foe St. Francis (Ill.) for a 7 p.m. matchup at Hammond’s Fitness & Recreation Center.

Brandon Swanson Joins Purdue Northwest Staff as Development Officer Purdue University Northwest Athletic Director Rick Costello has announced the hiring of Brandon Swanson to fill the role as the Athletics Development Officer.

Swanson comes to Purdue Northwest after spending the last two years at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, where he served as both the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations in addition to the Assistant Director of Alumni and Donor Relations. The SXU alumnus also served as the Sports Director for WXAV 88.3 FM in Chicago and worked in both SXU’s University Relations and Sports Information offices.

“We are excited to welcome Brandon to Purdue Northwest,” Costello said. “His energy and enthusiasm will further the Pride brand into Northwest Indiana through the development of Corporate Champions, individual donors, and the creation of a Champions booster club.”

In his most recent role as the Assistant Director of Alumni and Donor Relations, Swanson helped develop a university-wide donor relations program to significantly enhance donor stewardship, created networking events and service activities to strengthen alumni ties to SXU, and was a lead recruiter for sponsorships for the SXU Golf Classic and Scholarship Ball.

He also established a student philanthropy plan for increase student giving, served as the lead staff member for “Giving Tuesday” events, and helped coordinate information for the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations on its social media outlets.

Versed in many areas, Swanson broadcasted all SXU football and women’s basketball games during his role as the Sports Director and Deputy Sports Director for WXAV, in addition to producing and hosting weekly radio shows, developing promos and introductions for broadcasts, and serving as a public address announcer for the Windy City Thunderbolts minor league baseball team.

“I want to thank Athletic Director Rick Costello and Chancellor Keon for giving me the opportunity to further my career in athletics development,” Swanson said.

“I am excited to hit the ground running in my new role for Purdue Northwest as we continue to build the PNW brand through fundraising and corporate sponsorships.”

Swanson earned his bachelors’ degree from St. Xavier in mass communication with a concentration in sports broadcasting.

Purdue Northwest Plays Trinity Christian to 1-1 Draw The Purdue University Northwest men’s soccer team finished with a 1-1 draw against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent Trinity Christian in double overtime Tuesday afternoon.

The Pride (9-4-4, 7-1-3 CCAC) outshot the Trolls (7-9-1, 2-8-1 CCAC) 26-4, and recorded nine more corner kicks, 15-6, in the double-OT battle.

Both teams held each other scoreless in the first 45 minutes of play, with the Black and Gold keeping the Trolls without a shot attempt in the opening half.

Trinity Christian would strike first early on in the second half, after a deflected shot attempt from the Trolls found Javier Contreras on the right side of the box, who found the back of the net and put TCC up 1-0.

The Trolls led for the majority of the second half, until Jaime Garcia (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart) recorded the equalizer in the 84th minute, seconds after a shot from Alec Guarino (Saint John, Ind./Marian Catholic) hit off the crossbar.

The Pride would hold the Trolls without a shot in both overtime periods, with a chance to score in the final seconds, but a shot by Guarino was saved by Gabe Fennema as time expired at the end of the match.

Guarino and Tulio Ribeiro (Itajuba, Brazil) each led the Black and Gold offensively with six shots apiece while Zac Doepke (Troy, Mich./Troy)and Jaime Garcia each notched three shots.

Goalkeeper Miguel David (Spring Valley, Calif./Bonita Vista) recorded two saves in the draw, while Gabe Fennema recorded seven saves in goal for the Trolls.

The Black and Gold finish off the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 29, when they travel to take on Calumet St. Joseph at 2.30 p.m. (CT).