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boilermakers split marathon matches BY BRANDAN ALFORD BrandanAlford@Gmail.com the end of Saturday's Bymatch Shondell said he was against Wisconsin, Coach Dave exhausted. His Boilermakers had just finished their second five-set contest in as many nights, escaping with a victory over the Badgers and a split for the weekend. On Friday, the Boilermakers (16-7 overall, 7-5 in the Big Ten) fell to No. 10 Minnesota (21-4, 9-3) as the Gophers won all 11 points they served in the decisive fifth game. A night later, the 16thranked Boilermakers battled the Badgers (18-6, 7-5) in a back-andforth match that needed extra points in four of the five games. Leading late in the fourth set, it appeared as though Purdue had secured the match only to drop the set, 34-31. But the Boilermak- Set It Up With Rachel Davis ers were able to rally and take the match with a 17-15 final set. "That's the strength of our team: We are full of tough customers," Shondell said. "I've never coached in a match like that. That was a complete grind. We were fortunate that we were able to persevere in that match. We could have won both those matches, but we could have just as easily lost both." Val Nichol led a balanced offensive attack on the weekend that saw four Boilermakers reach double-digit kills against the Gophers and three more against the Badgers. On the defensive end, Carly Cramer led the back line, posting 18 digs Friday before a 23dig outing the following match. Purdue now turns its attention to a four-match road stretch that begins with a visit to No. 2 Penn State (20-2, 11-1) and Ohio State (14-10, 2-10) this weekend. "Right now, we are playing at a pretty good level," Shondell said. "We need to focus on one match at a time. When you look at it as four road matches in a row, it sounds like an ominous task; we just need to go out and play. After that, then you can think about the next match. It's all about focus for us right now." As the back half of the con- Olympic Sports player-of-the-Week: val nichol Over the past few seasons, Coach Dave Shondell has talked about the immense talent junior Val Nichol possesses. Having the size and natural ability to excel in the Big Ten, Nichol simply needed the confidence and consistency to truly stand out, according to the veteran coach. With a pair of dominant all-around performances over the weekend, the light may have been flipped on for the setter/ outside hitter. Nichol came up big against a pair of top-15 opponents in Minnesota and Wisconsin, leading the Boilers in several statistical categories. "Val is been a terrific player for us lately," Shondell said. "She is becoming one of the very best in the Big Ten and has embraced her role on the team." In a heartbreaking loss to the Golden Gophers, Nichol led the Boilers with 20 kills and 30 assists. The setter/outside hitter also added seven digs and a pair of blocks. Against Wisconsin, Nichol posted a triple-double, finishing with 15 kills, 34 assists and 15 digs. Nichol was instrumental to Purdue's offensive attack in both matches, leading the team in kills while also doing it efficiently; the junior hit at a .405 clip on 74 swings in the two matches. — Brandan Alford GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 9 • 43