Purdue women’s volleyball hoping to make NCAA championship run
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (BVM) — Under Coach Dave Shondell, the Purdue University women’s volleyball program has been no stranger to success. In 15 of his 18 seasons at the helm, the Boilermakers have made the NCAA Tournament. That includes the past six seasons, and last year, Purdue made it all the way to the regional finals for the first time since 2013.
In what was a unique season for all last spring, Purdue posted an impressive 16-7 record, eventually falling to the Kentucky Wildcats who went on to win the title. However, with a strong core returning and some new talent coming in, Purdue was poised to contend again this fall, and they have done just that.
This season, the Boilermakers have improved their record to 23-6, and come into their seventh consecutive national tournament appearance as one of the nation’s hottest teams. After opening the season with four wins, Purdue fell to the now No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament: the Louisville Cardinals.
However, they quickly rebounded, winning six straight games before losses to other Big Ten tournament teams in Illinois, Ohio State and Nebraska. Yet, through the next month, Purdue found its form, winning nine straight contests including two against Big Ten champion Wisconsin.
“We just wanted to get better everyday which is always our goal, get better everyday, compete as hard as possible, play together, all those kinds of things,” Shondell said during a press conference last week. “Once we started to relax and focus on one match at a time, then we started beating people.”
A loss to Nebraska last weekend did end the team’s Big Ten title hopes, but they now have a chance to accomplish a bigger goal.
The third-place finisher in the Big Ten — Purdue’s best finish since 2011 — is battle tested, going 7-4 against top-25 teams this season. That resume earned the Boilermakers a program-best No. 6 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
NO. 6️⃣ NATIONAL SEED: @PurdueVB
#NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/bWSiPUiOHl— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) November 29, 2021
Purdue will play host to the first two rounds of the tournament, as the Boilermakers will face off with Missouri Valley Conference champion Illinois State at Holloway Gymnasium. Marquette and Dayton will also do battle in West Lafayette, and are potential opponents for Purdue in the second round.
Under Shondell, Purdue has advanced to the second round in each NCAA Tournament they have competed in, and provided Purdue can avoid an early-round upset this year, they will go on to face someone from out west, quite possibly No. 11 BYU. Also in the Boilermakers’ region is Big Ten foe Penn State, and No. 3 overall seed Pittsburgh.
While it will be a tough region to come out of, the Boilermakers could find themselves in a rematch with Kentucky if they can make the national semifinals. No. 2 Texas is also another threat that awaits in that portion of the bracket.
A lot can happen on the other side, but Purdue could eventually find themselves with another game against Wisconsin or a rematch with No. 1 Louisville in the championship. However, for now, it’s one game at a time for the Boilermakers, and they plan to let their talent speak for itself.
One of the team’s greatest strengths is blocks, as they rank second in the nation in blocks per set. While there are many stars and contributors, one of the top leaders on this team is senior Grace Cleveland who leads the team with 122 blocks.
Meanwhile, senior setter Hayley Bush is another star on this Purdue team. Not only does she lead the squad in assists, but Bush is also one dig away from becoming the second setter in program history to earn 1,000 in a career. Fifth-year senior Jena Otec leads the Boilermakers in digs overall this season.
When it comes to kills, opponents have to watch for senior Caitlyn Newton, who has an impressive 421 on the year. The outside hitter ranks in the top five in digs, blocks and service aces for the team as well.
A lot of Purdue’s success has come from veteran leadership on the team, as other seniors such as Jael Johnson and Marissa Hornung have also provided big moments. Yet, an influx of young talent also makes the team dangerous. While Hornung’s younger sister Ali is also on the team and has a lot of future potential, fellow freshman Raven Colvin has quickly emerged for the Boilermakers.
Combined with some other contributions from underclass players like Taylor Trammel, Madeline Koch, Emma Ellis, Maddy Chinn, Megan Renner and Maddie Schermerhorn, Purdue’s future remains bright.
“The young players are getting better all the time,” Shondell said. “We’ve taken great pride for many, many years in development of players and team … They’ve been remarkable in their ability to put the team over themselves.”
However, this season is clearly one of their best shots at a national title in recent memory.
With a one-game-at-a-time focus, Purdue will look to move through the bracket in hopes of making it to some of those big matchups that could await.
“I think we’re playing really well,” Shondell said. “I think we’re competing at a high level and it’s a team that seems to be very engaged in what’s going on.”
With an engaged team and an immense amount of talent, it would be no surprise to see the Boilermakers earn a trip to the final four and play for a national title.
It all begins as Purdue takes on the Redbirds on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.
