Western Wayne Today

Wayne State University's women's volleyball team secured a straight-set victory over Purdue Northwest on Friday, finishing 3-0 at John Friend Court in Hammond, Indiana. The Warriors improved their season record to 10-3 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC conference, while Purdue Northwest fell to 6-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

Each set concluded with the same score of 25-19 in favor of Wayne State. This win closed out a four-match conference road trip for the Warriors, during which they posted a balanced record of two wins and two losses.

"It was a strong performance by the Warriors tonight in a place that has been difficult for us to play in in the past," said head coach Tim Koth. "I'm very proud of our group!"

Wayne State recorded its best hitting percentage of the season at .302, marking the first time this year the team surpassed the .300 mark. The team’s offensive efficiency increased after an initial .152 hitting percentage in the first set, climbing to .438 and .323 in sets two and three respectively. The Warriors finished with 42 kills and only 13 errors on 96 attacks.

Defensively, Wayne State tallied six solo blocks—a new season high—and maintained a 7-3 advantage over Purdue Northwest in service aces.

Individually, Paige Giehtbrock led all players with 14 kills and contributed two service aces for a total of 16 points. Kayla Giroux added ten kills, while Leigha Baldwin achieved eight kills on twelve attempts for a personal-best .583 hitting percentage (minimum ten attempts). Kayla Dulgar registered three service aces—all coming in the opening set—with her final ace securing Wayne State’s first set win. Additional aces were provided by Lauren Essenpreis.

On defense, Katerina Stout had three blocks, while Essenpreis added two more and Baldwin contributed one. In terms of assists, Dulgar recorded 37, supported by Kendyl Andrews with two. Andrews also led with eleven digs; Abby Macalagium followed with ten digs and Giehtbrock had eight.

The Warriors are scheduled to return home for their next match against Parkside on Friday, October 10 at Matthaei.