Purdue won all statistical categories except aces (8-5 SLU), outhitting the Billikens .353 to .276 and outblocking them 15-8. Four Boilermakers posted double-digit kill tallies, led by junior Annie Drews' match-leading 17. Freshman Azariah Stahl (15), senior KiKi Jones (12) and junior Sam Epenesa (10) followed.
Defensively, Jones paced Purdue at the net with nine blocks, while senior Val Nichol and Stahl each added five stuffs. In the backcourt, junior libero Amanda Neill led the way with 19 digs. Nichol and redshirt freshman Ashley Evans chipped in 12 digs apiece.
Purdue took a 10-4 lead in the decisive fifth set, but SLU charged back with eight of the next 10 points to knot it up at 12. The Boilers called timeout and got a kill from Evans out of the break, but the Billikens stole away the game at 15-13 with a kill, a Purdue miscue and a service ace. Jones had four kills in the final stanza as Purdue hit .435, but the Boilers could not top SLU's .579 hitting efficiency.
The Billikens hit .300 and put up five blocks in a 25-20 Set 1 win. The Boilermakers scored the first three points of the set, two on kills by freshman Danielle Cuttino, but SLU soon led 7-4. Saint Louis upped its lead to six at 16-10 and held Purdue at bay. Trailing 21-14, the Boilers mounted a comeback, cutting the deficit to four at 23-19 with kills by Drews and Epenesa. A kill by Jones thwarted SLU's first chance at the set at 24-19, but a net violation capped the stanza.
SLU scored the opening point of Set 2, but it was all Boilers after that as Purdue cruised to a 25-13 win behind a .500 hitting effort. Epenesa had five kills and Drews put down four in the win. A solo block by Stahl made it 9-4 Boilers and forced a Saint Louis timeout. A 6-0 run later in the stanza, including two aces by Neill, put Purdue ahead 19-8. The Billikens narrowed the gap to eight at 20-11, but Purdue held on for the win, scoring its final two points on SLU miscues.
The Boilermakers opened Set 3 on a 5-0 run, but Saint Louis called timeout and turned the tables with seven straight points. Purdue chipped away at a 10-6 deficit, eventually tying it up at 13 after back-to-back kills by Stahl and a stuff by Stahl and Cuttino. The Boilers went ahead 22-19 with a 5-0 run, including four stuffs. Saint Louis had five of the next six points to earn a set point chance at 24-23. A Stahl kill kept the game going, but a pair of SLU putaways gave them the comeback win.
Stahl put down six kills as the Boilers posted a 25-21 Set 4 win to force the decisive fifth set. The stanza featured eight ties and three lead changes. Purdue led 4-2 early and despite a tie at 6, held on to the edge until midway through the set. Saint Louis had a short-lived lead at 13-12, but the Boilermakers responded with nine of the next 10 points to go ahead 21-14. Stahl racked up four kills in the rally, while Jones added two kills and a block. A kill by Adelaja made it 24-18 and another clinched the set at 25-21.
The Boilermakers (8-2) return to action at 7:30 p.m. ET vs. Morehead State. The match will be streamed live via BTN Plus on BTN2GO.com with a subscription. Live audio is available for free at purduesports.com.