Jacks edged by Mastodons in five-set thriller

Friday, October 18

Brookings. S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

5-14,2-5Summit Leag

Purdue Fort Wayne

12-9,6-1Summit Leag

Purdue Fort Wayne

South Dakota State

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

10/18/2019 11:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

The South State women's volleyball team was edged by Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-22, 12-15), in a five-set thriller on Friday evening at Frost Arena.

"I thought we were overall the most consistent," said head coach Nicole Cirillo. "I'm super happy with the way that we played even though we didn't get the win. Set one hurt us, not taking it when we were up and letting them come back. Everything after that we did great, but it just goes to show how important those opportunities are. Overall, it was a fantastic match."

The Jackrabbits fell to 5-14 overall and 2-5 in Summit League action. Purdue Fort Wayne improved to 12-9 overall and 6-1 in Summit League matches, good for second in the conference standings.

Crystal Burk recorded her second straight double-double, fifth on the season, with 18 kill and 14 digs. Additionally, Makenzie Hennen, Ashlynn Smith and Madison Fay each registered double-doubles. Hennen and Smith posted 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Madison Fay supported the offense with 26 assists and Carly Wedel added 18 assists.

Defensively, Tatum Pickar recorded a total of 23 digs, while Nerad led the team with five blocks. Tori Thompson and Wedel each added three blocks.

The opening set remained close throughout the beginning as the Jackrabbits held just a 14-13 edge. A Smith ace, a kill by Burk and two Mastodon errors set the Jacks ahead, 18-13. However, Purdue Fort Wayne scored 12 of the last 17 points to earn a 25-23 comeback win in the first set.

The Jackrabbits trailed the Mastodons, 6-5, early in the second set, but back to back kills from Hennen coupled with a pair of Purdue Fort Wayne errors gave State the lead. The Mastodons wouldn't see a lead for the remainder of the match. SDSU held just a 20-19 advantage when five unanswered points solidified a second set victory for the Jacks to even the match at 1-1.

Purdue Fort Wayne gained a significant 15-9 lead midway through the third set. The Jacks had few short runs throughout the remainder of the set, but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Mastodons took set three, 25-17.

The score sat tied on eight occasions before the Jacks held a 20-19 edge in the fourth. State outscored Purdue Fort Wayne 5-3, highlighted by three kills from Burk and one from Smith, to earn a 25-22 fourth set win.

The final set was tied at 10-all, when the Mastodons scored fourth-straight points to take the lead. Burk recorded back-to-back kills to keep the Jacks alive, but a kill by Purdue Fort Wayne's Katie Crowe sealed the victory for the Mastodons with a 15-12 fifth set win.

"There have been some changes over the last week and a half that we have made in how were training and how we're communicating. This match really shows that we're headed in the right direction," Cirillo said. "I think going from last Sunday's match to now, we're seeing improvements and getting closer. I'm excited about where we're going. Again, this one hurts but we're headed in the right direction and looking forward to the next opportunity on Monday."

Game Notes

Four Jackrabbits registered a double-double in the match; the most in any single match this season.
SDSU is now 6-25 all-time against Purdue Fort Wayne.
State out blocked the Mastodons 9-8.
The Jacks have gone to five sets in just four of their 19 matches this season.

Up Next
South Dakota State will travel to take on Omaha on Monday. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena.

-GoJacks.com-