Final Stats I Quotes from Coach Shondell I Photo Gallery
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team kicked off its 2015 season in fine fashion, sweeping VCU 3-0 in front of a near sellout crowd at Belin Court in Holloway Gymnasium Friday night. Purdue won the match 25-21, 25-18, 25-21 with senior Sam Epenesa and sophomore Azariah Stahl leading the way with 11 kills apiece. Senior Amanda Neill and freshman Brooke Peters held things down at the service line combining for eight of the team's 10 aces to keep the Ram offense out of system.
After putting down double-digit kills just three times in 2014, Stahl racked up 11 and added two blocks. Epenesa also added 11 putdowns, while hitting at a .562 clip and also contributing a block and two digs. Redshirt junior Faye Adelaja and senior Annie Drews each chipped in seven kills and four blocks. Adelaja led the team with a .778 hitting effort with seven kills in nine swings with no errors. Drews was tops on the team in digs with five, matching senior Kate Workman's tally. Sophomore Danielle Cuttino put up five stuffs to lead the Boilermakers at the net.
In her first action as the team's starting setter, redshirt sophomore Ashley Evans helped the team to a .308 hitting effort and chipped in three digs, two kills and a block. Freshman Alexa Smith made her Boilermaker debut, coming into the match as a server.
The Boilermakers raced out to a 7-1 lead in Set 1, thanks to a six-point serving run by Peters, including two aces, the first of which came in her first collegiate touch. VCU erased the deficit, using a 10-2 run to take a 12-10 lead before Purdue bounced back. Two kills from Epenesa and one each by Drews and Adelaja tied it up at 15. A trio of blocks by Cuttino and an ace by Drews put the Boilermakers up 19-16. Adelaja turned in two kills and combined with Epenesa on a block to push the Boilermaker lead to 24-20 and Stahl ended the set with her fourth kill of the stanza. The Boilermakers had five blocks and three aces in the set.
Two aces by Neill helped Purdue to a 5-2 lead in Set 2, but VCU stayed within three points or less until Epenesa sparked a 6-2 run which gave the Boilermakers a 15-9 edge. Neill had two more aces in the rally, while Epenesa and Adelaja had two kills apiece. The Boilermakers upped the advantage to 21-15 on another Adelaja putaway, prompting VCU to use its final timeout. The Rams scored three of the next five points, but a kill by Drews and an ace by Peters closed out the set at 25-18. Epenesa had five kills in six swings as Purdue hit .444 in the stanza.
The teams split the first eight points of Set 3. The Boilermakers built a four-point lead at 10-6 with a run capped by a stuff by Drews and Adelaja, but VCU turned the tables and rallied to a 13-12 lead of its own. Drews scored three points with a kill, a block and an ace as Purdue scored seven of the next eight points to go up 19-14. Neill also tallied a perfect serve in the rally. The Rams cut the margin to one at 22-21, but the Boilermakers responded with three straight points to cap the match. Kills by Adelaja and Stahl and a VCU hitting error gave Purdue the 25-21 win. Stahl had four kills, while Drews and Cuttino each posted two blocks in the final set.
The Boilermakers (1-0) have now won their season opener for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons and move to 11-2 in home openers under head coach Dave Shondell. Purdue will wrap up their own Mortar Board Premier with two matches on Saturday: 11 a.m. vs. Austin Peay and 7:30 p.m. vs. Ohio.
In addition to the victory, three Boilermaker players were honored by Mortar Board for their accomplishments in academics and in community service. Redshirt senior Kaisley Fisher was honored for the Highest GPA, Stahl was honored for having the Most Improved GPA and redshirt sophomore setter Ashley Evans received the Community Service award.