FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Despite holding Purdue Fort Wayne to under a .200 hitting percentage in two sets, the University of North Dakota fell to the Mastodons in in Fort Wayne, 22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 11-25. Brynn Nieukirk led the Fighting Hawk attackers with nine kills while Lexi Ahrens had a hand in five of UND's eight blocks.

North Dakota also forced Purdue Fort Wayne into 20 attacking errors in the match, committing fewer errors than the Mastodons in the four set thriller. UND dropped two sets by three-or-fewer points, giving the Hawks a total of 15 set losses by three or fewer points in Summit League matches (31 sets).

"We're still fighting and I'm proud of this team for that," said Head Coach Jeremiah Tiffin, "different players stepped up when they needed to today and we'll need to continue that trend, but I'm proud of the effort this team put forth to push (Purdue Fort Wayne)."

North Dakota pushed the Mastodons to the brink in the opening set, owning a 16-14 lead halfway through the set. PFW rallied to take a 22-18 lead and went on to claim the set, 25-22. After the Mastodons took a 2-0 lead in the match and built an 18-10 lead in the third, UND rallied to within one point and forced PFW to take a timeout.

The Fighting Hawks would persevere despite PFW's attempt to slow down their momentum as they forced a fourth set as they forced seven attacking errors in the final 20 games of the set. Ashley Brueggeman posted eight kills and 15 digs in the match while Darian Chwialikowski recorded 21 digs to lead UND.

Taylor Riedl registered seven kills while Lydia Rutten also recorded eight kills alongside Brueggeman.

The Fighting Hawks will return to action Friday, Nov. 8 when it plays at Denver. UND will follow up Sunday in Grand Forks when it hosts South Dakota State at 1 p.m. Central.