The Boilers' efficient and balanced offense helped lift them to the win. Purdue outhit APSU .290 to .083 as eight players got in on the offensive action. Double-digit efforts and hitting percentages of over .400 from juniors Sam Epenesa (13) and Annie Drews (10) led the effort, while freshman Danielle Cuttino followed with seven kills. The Boilermakers also put up six blocks to the Lady Govs' three as senior KiKi Jones accounted for four stuffs and Epenesa added three.
Defensively, redshirt freshman Ashley Evans (13) and junior Amanda Neill (10) led the way. Epenesa nearly reached a double-double, turning in eight digs to go with her team leading kill tally.
Cuttino and Jones paced the team in the Set 1 25-23 win, putting down four kills apiece, while Epenesa and Drews added three each. The Boilermakers took an early 3-1 lead, but APSU tied it up at four and later went ahead 9-7. Purdue battled from behind to tie the score at 10 and 14, eventually capping a 3-0 run with an overpass kill by Epenesa to go ahead 15-14. The Lady Govs led by three again at 18-15, but the Boilers turned it around scoring six of the next seven points. Jones put down three straight kills to start the rally, while senior Val Nichol had two kills and a block to make it 21-19. APSU tied it up at 22, but kills by Cuttino and Drews and a Lady Gov hitting error closed out the Boiler win.
Epenesa added five kills, while four others managed two apiece in Set 2 as Purdue led from start to finish. The Boilermakers raced out to a 14-4 lead, including three Epenesa kills and an ace by freshman Lydia Dimke. An ace by Neill made it 19-10, but Austin Peay cut the margin to five with a 4-0 run. Epenesa, Nichol, freshman Azariah Stahl and Drews had kills down the stretch as Purdue went on to a 25-17 win.
The Boilermakers hit a match-high .344 efficiency in a 25-14 Set 3 win to close out their seventh-straight sweep. Purdue quickly went ahead 13-3, including a pair of blocks by Cuttino. Austin Peay made it a seven-point game at 14-7, but the Boilers pulled away with five straight points, including back-to-back kills by redshirt junior Kaisley Fisher. Putdowns by Epenesa and Drews set up Purdue's first match-point attempt at 24-12. The Lady Govs held the Boilers at bay for two points before an APSU miscue closed out the match.
The No. 8 Boilermakers return to action at 8 p.m. ET when they face off with the host Western Kentucky Lady Toppers to wrap up Day 1 of the Holiday Inn University Plaza Invitational. Video of the match will be available on purduesports.com with an All-Access subscription. Live audio will be available free at purduesports.com.