STANFORD, Calif. ââ'¬" The No. 20 Boilermakers shook off a two-set deficit, coming all the way back to win the match in five sets over No. 9 Stanford on Friday night. Purdue won the match 31-33, 12-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-11.
Junior Azariah Stahl put down a match-high 20 kills and added nine digs. Junior Danielle Cuttino followed with 18 kills and four blocks. Redshirt senior Faye Adelaja and redshirt freshman Blake Mohler added 11 kills apiece, while redshirt sophomore Sherridan Atkinson put down eight kills.
Defensively, freshman Natalie Haben managed 23 digs, followed by sophomore Brooke Peters (13) and redshirt junior Ashley Evans (13). At the net, Mohler put up a team-best six blocks, followed by Cuttino's four. Haben served up two of Purdue's five aces.
Purdue trailed Stanford in every statistical category except digs, but outhit the Cardinal in four of the five sets (all but set four).
Purdue closed out the match, overcoming a 7-4 deficit with an 8-0 run en route to the 15-11 Set 5 win. A kill by Atkinson kicked off the rally. An ace by Damler followed and the redshirt sophomore served up seven straight points as the Boilermakers went up 12-7 and forced Stanford to use both of its timeouts. A kill by Adelaja and a service error by the Cardinal put Purdue on the hill at 14-10. Mohler put down the final kill to seal the upset.
The Boilermakers had six set-point opportunities in Set 1, but couldn't convert, falling to Stanford 33-31, despite eight kills by Stahl. After a tie at 19-all, the Cardinal went up 23-20 forcing Purdue to use both of its timeouts. Stanford had the first chance at the set at 24-23, but a kill by Adelaja and a Cardinal miscue turned the tables putting the Boilermakers up 25-24. Purdue had two more chances at 26-25 and 27-26, but could not finish the stanza. A Cuttino putaway stopped Stanford at 28-27 and a kill by Stahl put Purdue ahead 29-28. Kills by Mohler and Stahl gave Purdue two more chances to close things out, last at 31-30, but Stanford scored three straight on two kills and an ace to steal away the 33-31 win. The Boilermakers outhit the Cardinal .405 to .294 in the stanza.
Purdue scored first in Set 2 on a kill by Mohler, but it was nearly all Stanford after that, ending with a 25-12 score. The Boilermakers, who trailed by as many as 14, rallied to score four straight, including two blocks and a kill by Cuttino, to cut it to 21-11 and force a Cardinal timeout, but couldn't complete the comeback.
The Boilermakers racked up four aces and rallied after trailing 16-14 in Set 3, taking the 25-23 win to extend the match. Stahl had five kills in the set to lead Purdue. Down 16-14, the Boilermakers turned things around with a 9-4 run to take a 23-20 lead, forcing Stanford to use both of its timeouts. A kill by Cuttino put Purdue ahead 24-21. Stanford held off two attempts forcing a Boilermaker timeout. A kill by Mohler after the break sealed the 25-23 Purdue win.
Purdue went up 7-4 early and went on to boast leads of 17-14 and 22-19 in Set 4, but Stanford had the first three set-point opportunities before the Boilermakers stole away the 28-26 win. A pair of Mohler putaways thwarted the Cardinal's chances at 24-23 and 25-24 and a kill by Stahl held off the attempt at 26-25. A hitting error and another kill from Stahl capped the victory. Cuttino put down six kills and Mohler added four as Purdue outhit Stanford .255 to .178.
The No. 20 Boilermakers (6-1) return to action at 7 p.m. ET against Cal Poly to round out their stay at the Stanford Invitational.