Shondell Highlights Challenges, Opportunities with Purdue's Nonconference Schedule
All it takes is one quick look at the schedule to understand that Purdue will be tested early and often throughout the 2024 volleyball season. It's a challenge coach Dave Shondell and his team is prepared to meet.
The Big Ten season is going to be a grind, with seven teams ranked in the AVCA preseason top-25. But life isn't any easier in nonconference play for the Boilermakers this season. Purdue will play at least two ranked opponents this season — No. 12 Creighton and No. 13 Kansas. The Boilers could also play No. 9 Kentucky, depending on the results in the SMU Doubletree Invitational on Sept. 13 and Sept. 14.
Purdue will also play against seven teams that reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago. That type of schedule should prepare Shondell's squad for a grueling Big Ten slate.
It all begins on Friday, Aug. 30, when Purdue hosts Kansas State in the Stacey Clark Classic at Holloway Gymnasium. The Wildcats didn't play in last year's NCAA Tournament and were not ranked in the preseason poll, but Shondell believes it's a team worthy of top-25 consideration.
"I like the fact that we're opening with Kansas State," he said during his press conference on Monday. "That's given us great motivation in preseason practices to know we're going to play a really good team with some really good players."
Aside from a talented slate of opponents, Purdue also faces another challenge in nonconference play. The Boilermakers will play just three-of-11 matches on their home court.
That's not an ideal scenario.
"The chances to see Purdue are going to be a little slimmer this year because our nonconference (schedule) has us on the road for a lot of matches," Shondell said. "I don't feel great about that, but that's just the way things worked out."
Purdue enters the 2024 campaign as the No. 8 ranked team in the country, a credit to the returning talent from last year's 23-9 squad. The Boilers return All-Big Ten selections Chloe Chicoine, Eva Hudson and Raven Colvin. Also returning is All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection Taylor Anderson and senior leader Lourdes Myers.
After last year's success — finishing third in the Big Ten standings — with such a young roster, Shondell is setting the bar even higher this season. He'd like to have his team challenge for a Big Ten title and be consideration to host NCAA Tournament matches by the end of the regular season.
If Purdue navigates the difficult nonconference slate, it could put itself in a really good position by the time the NCAA Tournament arrives.
"No. 1, you're trying to make the NCAA Tournament. You want to make sure you're scheduling wise enough that you're going to get enough wins during the nonconference to go along with the numbers you're going to get in the Big Ten. Who knows what that's going to look like now, with some new, good teams in the league," Shondell said when asked about his scheduling model.
"You're also, in the back of your mind, looking at what Wisconsin and Nebraska and Texas and Stanford and Pitt and Louisville have done, having the opportunity to play four of their NCAA Tournament matches at home. And you do that by being one of the top-four teams. You look at our team, we're ranked eighth, so we're not that far. So you roll the dice, and you say, 'What's it going to take for us to earn a top-four seed?'
"You better go 9-2 (in nonconference) and you better go 17-3 in the league. Then I think you're in the conversation. Can this team do that? I don't know. I have a lot of confidence in that and we did schedule really tough."
Purdue does host three straight matches at home for the Stacey Clark Classic, playing Kansas State (Aug. 30), UMBC (Aug. 31) and UC-Davis (Sept. 1) this coming weekend. After that, the Boilermakers won't play at Holloway Gymnasium until Sept. 25, when they open conference play against Penn State.
The one positive? Purdue has sold out all 11 of its home matches at Holloway Gymnasium. It wll also play two home matches at Mackey Arena in hopes of drawing of more than 14,000 fans.
"I always love walking into that gym for the very first time of the season, when the students come in for the first time," Shondell said. "They bring a lot of energy."
Related stories on Purdue volleyball
PURDUE VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE: Purdue begins the 2024 volleyball regular season on Friday, Aug. 30 with the Stacey Clark Classic and will conclude with a West Coast road trip to play Big Ten newcomers Oregon and Washington on Thanksgiving weekend. CLICK HERE
CHLOE CHICOINE MIC'D UP: Big Ten Network and Purdue volleyball provided a behind-the-scenes look at one of Dave Shondell's practices, as sophomore star Chloe Chicoine was "mic'd up." CLICK HERE
DUSTIN SCHUTTE