The Big Ten is home to some of the best D1 women’s volleyball teams in the country, a list which definitely includes Purdue. After a strong start to the season, the Purdue women's volleyball team has hit a bit of a rough patch in the early part of conference play. They are 11-6 overall, and 1-5 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have battled some of the top teams in the country to get where they are.
We talked to Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell about his team's performance so far.
"We have had some things that have happened that have been productive and successful," coach Shondell told HERO Sports. "I think that with any young volleyball team, they need that to build confidence, so I think they are more confident.
"I think that this team has matured greatly, not just from the beginning of the season, but from the last school year when it ended in May. We have seen a lot of real positive changes. They have evolved and matured and become better teammates. You can just tell by watching the team that they have a real passion for the game, that they love to play and they love each other."
The Big Ten is always competitive. At least one Big Ten team has made it to the D1 Women's Volleyball National Championship game in seven of the past ten years. Coming out of that gauntlet is no small task, but Purdue is constantly learning ways to improve, and figuring out what to focus on with each and every match.
"In the Big Ten, everyone knows your program, they know your systems, how you like to coach and they are going to work. This is everybody's life.You are not going to outwork or out coach anybody in this league. You just try to make sure you don't get out coached."
– Purdue Volleyball Coach Dave Shondell
The coach went on to say, "defensively I think there are some improvements we can make. Offensively, with the great hitters and great setters that we have in this conference, you better be really good defensively and that starts with the serve and then the blocking and through playing with great tenacity defensively. That is kind of what my focus has been on."
Playing a D1 sport is a dream come true for many student-athletes, and getting there is half the battle. Each prospective athlete is faced with a daunting recruiting process and coach Shondell also added on some tips for students hoping to play in the Big Ten, or any D1 women's volleyball conference in the future.
"I think the easiest way to get noticed is to put together a short, but well done, video of them doing things well. It doesn't take a coach at any level to watch a video for 30 seconds and figure out if that person has a chance to play for you or in some cases, if they are even beyond your level," he said. "If you are sending just an email that says, 'I really want to play at the Big Ten and I am 6-1, etc., that doesn't mean a whole lot. However, If I can watch 30 seconds of a video, whether it is highlights or the playing in a match, that is really helpful."
