When the game started, Eva Hudson spoke up.

Hudson made it clear who the All-American was on the court in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, scoring a game-high 23.5 points. But without about six of them, their performance wouldn’t have been nearly as brilliant.

Hudson scored two points in the form of kills in the first set to take the lead for her Boilers. In the second, she got the last two kills of the set. And in the final game of what was perhaps Purdue’s most nail-biting 3-0 win of the season, Hudson had two blocks to help put her stamp on the Boilers’ season survival.

“I don’t know,” the junior said afterwards. “I love pressure…It’s really scary when you’re down by five or whatever in the second set and your season is on the line.”

No. 4 seed Purdue (25-6) had endured a nightmare before its on-field appearance: Enduring Power and No. 5 seed BYU were defeated by unseeded Loyola-Chicago in the matinee match at Holloway Gymnasium. The Ramblers will play Purdue in the next round.

“I didn’t expect that,” Purdue coach Dave Shondell said. “But I just thought Loyola was incredible. It was great that our players were there to see it because they know what we’re getting into now.”

Loyola-Chicago, “bad” in Purdue slugger Chloe Chicoine’s assessment, was in many ways an example to West Michigan of the type of night it takes to knock off a team like Purdue. The Broncos, with several 5-year players, had confidence from the start.

“I think a lot of people ignored us in our five years,” said fifth-year libero Andelyn Simkins. “We knew we would be confident no matter what happened in the tournament.”

Simkins and Co. refused to leave. Despite a glaring discrepancy in efficiency, they were able to prevail point by point against the Boilermakers. As Shondell flipped over the stats afterward, he chalked it up to a tough performance by the Broncos and a slight turnaround in the style of most of Purdue’s Big Ten opponents. And on Purdue’s side, Hudson and also Chicoine with her 19 digs and 12 kills.

“She makes coaching a little easier,” Shondell said of Hudson. “When the going gets tough, she usually rises up and finds a way to help this team win. It’s a pretty amazing thing.”

According to Shondell, Purdue’s two hitters on the left side are so far superior to the others that Hudson is the only one on the team who could do what Chicoine did despite all that defense.

“I think it’s unique. “Sometimes you play against teams and when you know they’re going to one kid, you can kind of finish it,” said the Broncos’ Logan Case, another fifth-year starter. However, Purdue went for two, and that made the difference.

“They have a little more of an edge than most outside duos,” Case said, his voice hoarse from the night’s tension. “We fight things that other teams don’t fight against.”

Purdue’s next game is scheduled for Friday against Loyola-Chicago at 6 p.m.