ANN ARBOR, Mich. ââ'¬" Eight players contributed a kill and the Boilermakers outblocked No. 22 Michigan 9-2 en route to a 3-0 sweep to start Big Ten play on Friday night. Purdue outhit the Wolverines .358 to .193 in the 25-23, 25-19, 25-18 win.
Senior Annie Drews led the way with 14 kills on a .290 hitting effort, while also chipping in seven digs. Redshirt junior Faye Adelaja had 10 kills, while sophomore Azariah Stahl (8), senior Sam Epenesa (6) and sophomore Danielle Cuttino (5) also aided the offense. Cuttino posted a team-best four blocks, including two solo efforts, while Adelaja added three blocks.
Defensively, redshirt sophomore setter Ashley Evans led the team with 11 digs to round out a double double (also 37 assists). Senior Amanda Neill added 10 followed by Drews (7), senior Kate Workman (5), Epenesa (4) and freshman Brooke Peters (4).
The Boilermakers squeaked out a 25-23 win in Set 1 thanks to a balanced and efficient attack that saw Purdue hit at a .400 clip as five players put down three kills and a sixth add two. The teams traded points throughout the set with neither gaining more than a one-point edge until Purdue went up 23-21 to force a Michigan timeout. After a tie at 21, a Wolverine service error and a kill by Cuttino gave the Boilermakers the edge. A service error and a hitting error tied things up at 23 out of the break. After a timeout, Purdue got a kill from Cuttino and a UM hitting attempt sailed wide to cap the stanza. Cuttino had three kills and two blocks in the set.
Michigan took the early lead in Set 2, going up 7-4 with a four-point rally. Purdue played from behind until turning the tables with a 5-0 mid-set run to turn a 12-10 deficit into a 15-12 lead. Two Wolverine hitting errors, kills by Evans and Adelaja and a block by the pair gave the Boilermakers the edge. Up just three at 18-15, Purdue scored four straight with kills from senior Kate Workman and Drews and back-to-back bombs by Stahl. Another Stahl putaway made it 23-16. A kill by Epenesa put Purdue on the hill at 24-18 and an Adelaja shot ended the set at 25-19 and gave Purdue the 2-0 lead in the match. Drews had six kills in 10 swings with no errors as Purdue hit .472 to Michigan's .162 effort.
The teams split the first 12 points of Set 3, but Purdue broke away with a 9-3 run to go up 15-9 and never looked back in the 25-18 win. Peters served up an ace, Epenesa had a solo block and a kill and UM committed three errors in the rally. Michigan pulled within three at 19-16 prompting a Purdue timeout. A Wolverines service error and an ace by freshman Alexa Smith put the Boilermakers up 21-16. Kills by Cuttino and Drews and a stuff by Stahl and Cuttino gave Purdue a 24-17 lead. A kill by Stahl ended the match two plays later. Drews had five kills in the final stanza and Purdue put up four blocks en route to the win.
The No. 20 Boilermakers (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) return to action at 7 p.m. Saturday vs. Michigan State.