WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 11 Boilermaker volleyball team swept Notre Dame in front of 7030 fans in Mackey Arena on Saturday night to clinch the Active Ankle Challenge title. Purdue won the match 25-15, 25-23, 25-16.
The Boilers bested the Irish in all statistical categories: hitting .307 to Notre Dame's .126, outblocking Notre Dame 8-4 and serving up eight aces to just two for the Irish. Junior Annie Drews put down a match-high 12 kills and hit at a .476 clip, while junior Sam Epenesa added eight kills and freshman Azariah Stahl registered seven. Redshirt freshman Ashley Evans, senior KiKi Jones and redshirt sophomore Faye Adelaja chipped in six kills apiece.
Jones put up a team-leading five blocks, while junior Amanda Neill paced the back court defense with 16 digs. Evans and redshirt sophomore Kate Workman managed nine digs apiece. Rookie Lydia Dimke served up three aces, while senior setter Val Nichol added two aces and three blocks to her 38 assist tally.
Nichol was named MVP of the Active Ankle Challenge, while Jones and Workman received all-tournament team honors.
Notre Dame took an early 11-7 lead in Set 1 as the Boilers adjusted to a new environment and a boisterous crowd, but Purdue settled in and turned the deficit into a 15-13 lead. Stahl put down three kills and Evans added an ace in the 8-2 rally. A kill and a block by Drews made it 18-14 Boilers. The Boilermakers closed out the set on a 7-0 run. Back to back aces by Dimke and an Epenesa putaway set up the final kill by Jones in the 25-15 win. Epenesa led Purdue with five kills and two solo stuffs in the stanza.
The Boilermakers edged Notre Dame 25-23 in Set 2 with help from three aces. The Irish scored six of the first seven points in the set and held a 10-6 lead soon after. Purdue cut the margin to one at 10-9 after an ace by Jones and a Notre Dame hitting error and eventually tied it up at 14. The teams split the next 10 points before the Boilers gained the advantage on a kill by Drews and a Nichol ace, which made it 21-19. Kills from Adelaja, Drews and Epenesa gave Purdue a shot at the set at 24-21. Notre Dame put up two blocks to keep the set going, before Drews put down her seventh kill of the stanza to end it at 25-23.
Redshirt freshman Ashley Evans paced the Boilers' offensive attack in Set 3, posting five kills as the Boilers outhit the Irish .429 to .107. Purdue raced out to a 9-4 advantage as six different players were credited with putaways and Neill served up an ace. Notre Dame called timeout and clawed to within one at 12-11, forcing a Purdue break. The Boilers ended the night on a 13-5 run, including six straight points to stretch a three point lead to nine at 23-14. A kill by Evans made it 24-15 and she followed a Notre Dame kill with another of her own to cap the 25-16 win and the sweep.
The No. 11 Boilermakers (10-2) return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they take on Michigan to begin Big Ten play.