Shondell Quotes I Photo Gallery I Final Stats
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A double-digit output by senior Annie Drews and near flawless efforts from freshman Alexa Smith, sophomore Danielle Cuttino and senior Sam Epenesa helped the Boilermakers roll to a 3-0 sweep of Austin Peay Saturday morning to start Day 2 of the Mortar Board Premier.
Drews racked up a team-high 12 kills, including six in the first stanza, to pace the Boilermakers. Smith added nine kills in 17 swings with no errors in her first collegiate hitting experience. Cuttino chippedin eight putaways, while Epenesa and sophomore Azariah Stahl registered six apiece in the win.
Defensively, sophomore setter Ashley Evans rounded out a double-double by adding 10 digs to her 35 assists, while libero Amanda Neill also pulled up 10 digs to go with five assists and an ace. Freshman Brooke Peters served up two of Purdue's five aces. At the net, Cuttino posted a team-best five blocks. Purdue outhit APSU .379 to .083.
The Boilermakers quickly built a 13-2 lead in Set 2 using a 10-0 run featuring a nine-serve rally by Neill, which included an ace as well as three kills from Drews. Purdue bumped the margin to 13 as Stahl, Cuttino and Epenesa turned in kills to make it 17-4. Four APSU miscues and another Drews putaway made it 23-8 Boilermakers. A block and a hitting error prolonged the set, but a Drews kill and a Lady Gov error capped the stanza at 25-10. Purdue hit .417 in the set and held Austin Peay to a -.125 efficiency.
Purdue scored the first three points of Set 2, including an ace by Evans, and went on to a 14-5 advantage as Drews, Cuttino, Stahl and Epenesa took turns hammering down points. Smith and redshirt senior Kaisley Fisher entered the match and added a kill apiece to maintain the nine-point margin at 18-9. Back-to-back kills by Stahl made it 20-12, but that prompted a 6-1 APSU run. A stuff block by Cuttino was the lone exception as the Lady Govs cut the lead to three at 21-18. Kills by Cuttino and Evans made it 23-18, but Austin Peay again rallied to close the gap to two at 24-22. Smith posted her third kill of the night, however, to close the door at 25-22. Cuttino had five kills in six swings, while also putting up two blocks in the set.
The teams split the first 10 points of Set 3, but the Boilermakers went up by four at 11-7 courtesy of a Drews aces and a pair of blocks by Evans, Cuttino and Adelaja. Austin Peay narrowed the gap to one at 11-10 and 12-11, but kills from Drews and Adelaja and a pair form Smith held the Lady Govs at bay, putting Purdue up four at 17-13. The teams split the next 10 points leading to a 22-18 score at Smith pounded down a kill. A stuff by Cuttino and Drews and an overpass putaway by Smith put the Boilermakers on the hill at 24-18. Two plays later, Smith ended the match with her ninth kill. The freshman had six kills in 13 swings in the stanza. Epenesa, Drews and Adelaja each added three.
The Boilermakers are now 2-0 for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons. The team faces off with Ohio at 7:30 p.m. in the championship match of the Mortar Board Premier. Live stats and a free live audio broadcast will be available at purduesports.com. A live video feed will be available with subscription via BTN Plus at BTN2Go.com.