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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Monon Spike is staying in West Lafayette for the ninth-straight year after the No. 10 Boilermakers swept Indiana Saturday night. Purdue topped the Hoosiers 25-15, 25-17, 25-18 in front of 8,240 fans, the fourth-largest crowd to see a volleyball match in Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers played lights out, hitting at a stellar .517 clip, the fifth-best in a three-game match in program history and second best in the rally-scoring era (to .529, George Washington, 8/25/12). Five players tallied six or more kills, led by junior Danielle Cuttino's nine. Redshirt senior Faye Adelaja added eight kills in nine errorless swings for an .889 hitting percentage, while redshirt freshman Blake Mohler chipped in seven kills in eight swings without an error for an .875 effort. Redshirt sophomore Sherridan Atkinson put down seven kills, while hitting .600, and junior Azariah Stahl rounded out the group with six kills to go with an ace.
Adelaja added a team-best four blocks as Purdue outblocked Indiana 9-2, while redshirt junior setter Ashley Evans put up three stuffs to go with a team-leading three aces and three digs. Redshirt sophomore Carissa Damler pulled up a match-high seven digs to lead the defense.
The Boilermakers raced out to an 8-3 start in Set 1 and never allowed the Hoosiers closer than two points the rest of the way. Two kills apiece by Mohler and Adelaja and an ace by Evans helped Purdue to the early edge. A 7-2 run, including four IU miscues and a pair of blocks by Evans and Adelaja put the Boilermakers up 16-9. Leading by five at 17-12, Purdue closed out the set with eight of the final 11 points. The Boilermakers outhit .450 to. 097 in the set.
After splitting the first 10 points of Set 2, the Boilermakers surged ahead with 10 of the next 15 points as four different players turned in kills and Hoosier errors piled up. Up by eight at 23-15, a stuff by Adelaja and Evans and an IU service error clinched the 25-17 win. Adelaja went 3-for-3 in the set, while the Boilermakers put up four blocks in the stanza.
The Boilermakers put down 16 kills in 23 swings with just one in the final stanza, hitting .652 en route to a 25-18 win. Five different players contributed three or more kills in the set, which saw Purdue lead from wire to wire. Evans and Stahl served up aces in an opening 11-3 run, which also featured three kills by Cuttino. Indiana narrowed the gap to five at 19-14, but the Boilermakers held. Kills from Stahl and Adelaja and a stuff by Adelaja and Cuttino pushed the edge back to seven at 22-15. Two more Stahl putaways put the Boilermakers on the hill for the match at 24-17. Mohler pounded down the final point two serves later.
The No. 10 Boilermakers (11-2, 1-1 B1G) return to action at 8 p.m. Friday when they welcome No. 3 Wisconsin to Belin Court for another Top 25 battle live on BTN.