v o l l e y b a l l
s e a s o n
w r a p u p
Another Great Tournament Run Ends In Elite Eight
Seniors lead charge, will be hard to replace
BY BRANDAN ALFORD
BrandanAlford@
Gmail.com
A
s Carly Cramer sat
with her teammates,
a deafening silence filled
the Boilers' locker room
in the State Farm Center.
There wasn't much anyone could say. A night
after upsetting No. 13
Illinois on a less-thanneutral-court setting in
Champaign, the Boilers
fell to No. 12 Wisconsin
in four sets. The loss
snapped a seven-match
winning streak and
ended Purdue's NCAA
Tournament run in the
Tom Campbell
Purdue came within a victory of the Final Four, losing to Wisconsin for the second time in three
Elite Eight.
"Wisconsin really at- matches this season.
tacked us," Coach Dave
Four. Outside hitter Ellen Chapman dominated for the
Shondell said. "They got us back on our heels. They reBadgers, racking up 19 kills while hitting at a .441 clip,
ally served tough and can go at people with their serve.
leading three Badgers with at least 15 kills. Meanwhile,
We just didn't pass serve very well at all."
freshman Lauren Carlini dished out 55 assists to go
For the second time in three years, Shondell's team
with 10 digs.
came one match short of reaching the Final Four for the
The loss marked the final match for a five-member sefirst time in Purdue history. It was a disappointing end
nior class that has enjoyed some of the most consistent
to an up-and-down season that saw the Boilermakers
success in program history. Over the past four years,
peak at the right time, playing their best volleyball in
Purdue reached the Sweet 16 in each season, including
the season's final weeks. But against the Badgers, notha pair of Elite Eight appearances.
ing seemed to click and the Boilermakers struggled to
"I've never had a group as committed as this senior
get into a rhythm throughout the match.
class was," Shondell said. "This group was one of the
"That final point didn't hurt as much as some of
most competitive groups we've had here. They all acthe other points throughout the match," Cramer said.
cepted their roles."
"It was harder to realize it just wasn't going to be our
There was a point in early November where Purdue's
match. That final point just made it hit home that it was
hopes were slipping away, amidst a four-match losing
really over."
streak during the heart of conference play, capped by
Wisconsin led nearly every statistical category en
a 3-0 loss to the Illini. It was a scenario Cramer was all
route to punching its ticket to Seattle and the Final
f
IllustrateD volume 24, issue 3
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