ST. LOUIS ââ'¬"- The No. 24 Boilermakers made quick work of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Friday afternoon, posting a 3-0 sweep by scores of 25-9, 25-12 and 25-10. The single-digit first set score marked the first time Purdue had held an opponent under 10 points since Oct. 11, 2014, vs. Indiana, and the eighth time in the rally scoring era.
Sophomore Azariah Stahl led a group of six Boilermakers with five or more kills in the match. Stahl put down eight kills, while senior Sam Epenesa (7), senior Annie Drews (6), sophomore Danielle Cuttino (6), redshirt junior Faye Adeleja (5) and sophomore Lydia Dimke (5) rounded out the group. Redshirt senior Kaisley Fisher added three putaways, including the final one of the match as the Boilermakers outhit UAPB .429 to -.086. Purdue also served up eight aces, four by freshman Brooke Peters, and outblocked the Lady Lions 7-3.
Defensively, senior Amanda Neill pulled up a team-best 12 digs, while Epenesa added five and Dimke chipped in four. At the net, Adelaja and Cuttino each put up three blocks.
The Boilermakers dominated the opening set, cruising to a 25-9 win as they hit .407 while holding UAPB to a .000 effort. Epenesa led the way with four kills, while senior Annie Drews, redshirt junior Faye Adelaja and sophomore Azariah Stahl chipped in three putdowns apiece. The Lady Lions scored the opening point, but the Boilermakers quickly rattled off 12 straight to run away with the set. Senior Amanda Neill did the honors from the service line, including an ace, while Drews put down three kills. A solo block by Adelaja, two kills by Epenesa and two aces by freshman Brooke Peters helped Purdue to a 20-4 advantage. Stahl added back-to-back putaways to put Purdue ahead 23-6. A service error put the Boilermakers on the hill and a kill by sophomore Danielle Cuttino sealed the win at 25-9.
Purdue raced out to a 7-1 lead in Set 2 en route to a 25-12 win as Stahl racked up four kills in the stanza. Peters served up an ace to make it 3-0 and freshman Carissa Damler added another to make it 18-8 Boilermakers and force UAPB to use its final timeout. The team also sprinkled three blocks throughout the set, including one by Cuttino and Stahl which put Purdue ahead 22-10. A kill by Stahl and a pair of Lady Lion errors capped the stanza.
Dimke put down five kills on seven errorless swings in Set 3 to lift the Boilermakers to the 25-10 victory in Set 3. Three of Dimke's putaways came as Purdue took an early 11-3 lead, and a kill by Fisher capped the 6-0 run. Cuttino turned in two kills and a block as the Boilers raised their lead to 20-8. Dimke picked up a solo block, a kill and an ace over the next four points to put Purdue up 14 at 23-9. Setter Ashley Evans and Fisher put the final two nails in the sweep.
The No. 24 Boilermakers (4-0) return to action at 1 p.m. ET Saturday against No. 12 BYU and also face the host Saint Louis Billikens at 8 p.m.