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IllustrateD volume 25, issue 1 73 f v o l l e y b a l l p r e v i e w BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com A ccepting congratulations after last season wasn't easy. Purdue advanced to the Elite Eight, doing so for the second time in four seasons, but lost. And did so to fel- low Big Ten member Wisconsin, which the Boilermak- ers had beaten six weeks earlier, preventing them a trip to the Final Four. "It was kind of difficult when people were like, 'Oh, con- gratulations, you guys went to the Elite Eight.' But it was like 'Not far enough, though,'" said senior KiKi Jones, em- phasizing the last sentence through clinched teeth. The loss, difficult as it was then, has served to make the Boilermakers hungrier than ever. And they have ex- pectations that nearly match; Purdue is ranked eighth in the nation in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, its highest preseason spot in program history and only one short of its highest ranking at any point. And eighth matches the national ranking the Boilers finished in 2013-14, when they went 23-12 be- fore being bounced by the Badgers. But this Purdue team has a different look, following the graduation of five seniors who had helped the Boil- ermakers to two Elite Eights and two Sweet 16s. This season, Jones and fellow senior Val Nichol lead a group of nine returnees who are joined by seven new- comers, with that group of freshmen ranking as the country's third-best recruiting class. "There's definitely a good balance between upper and lower," junior Amanda Neill said. "… We're going to make sure that works." It'll be up to the veterans to make it so. Leadership remains. Jones, a middle block- er, and Nichol, a setter and outside hitter, are preseason All-Big Ten selections and Neill, who started 35 games as a defensive specialist, takes Tom Campbell Senior KiKi Jones has her sights set on bigger things than trips to the Elite Eight, something she has achieved last year before the Boilermakers were eliminated by Wis- consin. She, and Faye Adelaja comprise on of the strongest middle hitting corps in the country accord- ing to Coach Dave Shondell. light the fire Purdue's been close but still seeking the Final Four 2014 Volleyball RosteR No. Name Ht. Pos. Class Hometown/Last school 13 Faye Adelaja 6-1 MB R-So. Baton Rouge, La./Parkview Baptist 17 Christina Ambrose 6-3 OH Fr. Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park 20 Danielle Cuttino 6-4 MB Fr. Indianapolis/Ben Davis 11 Carissa Damler 5-4 DS Fr. Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg 1 Lydia Dimke 6-2 S/OH Fr. Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine 18 Annie Drews 6-4 OH Jr. Elkhart, Ind./Penn 4 Sam Epenesa 6-0 OH Jr. Gleen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville 5 Ashley Evans 6-1 S R-Fr. Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota East 16 Kaisley Fisher 6-3 MB R-Jr. Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North 12 KiKi Jones 6-1 MB Jr. Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern 7 Amanda Neill 5-8 DS So. Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon 2 Val Nichol 6-1 S/OH Jr. Normal, Ill./University 14 Burgundy Price 5-6 DS Fr. Woodburn, Ind./Woodlan 17 Linnea Rohrsen 5-4 DS Fr. Chicago, Ill./Nazareth Academy 10 Azariah Stahl 6-0 OH Fr. Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central 6 Kate Workman 5-6 DS R-Fr. Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso