Duke Nets Team-High 13 Digs in Final Match; Purdue Calumet Falls to St. Francis, 3-0

PUC-PeregrinsSenior Kelly Duke recorded a team-best 13 digs in her final match in a Peregrine uniform to lead the Purdue University Calumet volleyball team in a three-set league loss to University of St. Francis (Ill.) Thursday night.

The Fighting Saints (26-15, 14-4 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference), who finished the regular season second in the CCAC South Division, defeated Purdue Calumet (10-22, 4-14) 25-14, 25-20, 25-17, as the Peregrines concluded their season as one of the best teams in recent history.

Under first year head coach Julie Wiejak, Purdue Calumet broke 18 team season records since the program was reintroduced in 2010, including wins (10), kills (1,130), kills per set (10.00), attack percentage (.130), assists per set (9.27), service aces (180), block assists (231), digs (1,614), total blocks (141.5), and points per set (12.85).

Duke (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg/Ancilla) added four kills and a solo block Thursday, as the senior was honored prior to the match in honor of Senior Night. Freshman Gabrielle Martin (Kankakee Valley, Ind./Kankakee) led the offense with nine kills and added six digs and Erica Dinnocenzo (Crete, Ill./Illinois Lutheran) added six kills. Sophomore Haley Smith (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley) added 18 assists and libero Samantha Basar (Plainfield, Ill./North/Kishwaukee) had 12 digs.

Duke finished her career at Purdue Calumet ranked in several individual career categories, including fourth in services aces (28), second in service aces per set (0.30), and sixth in career digs (241).*

*Note: Records include seasons 2010-2014, when the program was reintroduced after being discontinued in the 1990s.