Volleyball Sweeps Back-to-Back Wins
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 25 Purdue (2-0) defeated Oral Roberts (0-2) and Cleveland State (0-2) in three sets to begin the 2017 season and kick off the Mortar Board Premier. The Boilermakers hit .402 with 88 kills and just 18 errors on 174 swings to best the Golden Eagles 25-15, 25-13, 25-20 and the Vikings 25-21, 25-21, 25-18.
Danielle Cuttino was sensational on the outside in both matches, hitting .568 with 28 kills and just three errors on 44 attempts. She also added five blocks to her line, one of which was a momentum shifter as she went on to win four of Purdue’s final five points in the first set against Cleveland State. Ashley Evans averaged 11.83 assists per set after setting her hitters on 71 of the team’s 88 kills. The senior matched freshman Jena Otec with a pair of aces on the day. Sherridan Atkinson, Azariah Stahl and Blake Mohler each finished with 15-plus kills and hitting percentages .282 or better.
Atkinson fueled the Boilermakers against Oral Roberts with 13 kills and just one error on 19 swings. She ultimately finished with 17 kills and five blocks on the day. Stahl stepped up against 2016 NCAA Tournament participant Cleveland State, adding 10 kills on 23 attempts and just two errors. Overall, the senior found the floor 16 times and earned a .333 hitting percentage. She complimented her offense with 11 digs while matching Atkinson with three service aces.
Providing offense out of the middle, Mohler killed 15 of the 27 balls she was set with two errors, giving her a .481 hitting percentage to go along with her four blocks. Brooke Peters bolstered the back row with 25 digs in order to earn a 4.17 digs per set average.
The Boilermakers conclude the Mortar Board Premier in Holloway Gymnasium tomorrow against Alabama (2-0) at 3 p.m. ET. The Crimson Tide pulled off a five-set comeback against Cleveland State after falling behind 2-0 and also defeated Oral Roberts in three sets.