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GoldanDBlack express • volume 25, express 2 • 37 Some of those lineup chang- es could come this weekend as Purdue travels to Kennesaw, Ga., to take on UNC-Asheville, Elon and Kennesaw State in the KSU Owls Invitational. "We want to get players like Cuttino, Stahl and Dimkle and Kai- sley Fisher some court time so they can develop in a match as opposed to just practice," Shondell said. "If we go down (to Georgia) with the right frame of mind, then we'll have opportunities for everybody to get a chance to prove what they can do." While the trio of opponents hold a combined 4-6 record, Shondell said he is impressed with how hard each of the teams plays on film. "They really get after it," Shon- dell said. "From the time I got to Purdue, that's one thing we've re- ally taken pride in, is that we're go- ing to play harder than anybody on our schedule. "That will be a challenge to our team this weekend." Evans spoke of the importance of avoiding a letdown against the small schools after such a great opening weekend. "Coming off of a 3-0 sweep, teams can get really confident and let down in practice knowing they won their first three matches," Evans said. "That should actually serve as more motivation to keep that undefeated record and work that much harder. "It's crucial that we have a strong week of practice heading into Georgia." Olympic spOrts Athlete-Of-the-Week: Ashley evAns A shley Evans couldn't have scripted a better start to her collegiate volleyball career. The redshirt freshman received Mortar Board Premier MVP honors for her efforts as Purdue started the season 3-0 in the tournament. "It was a great weekend," Evans said. "I was actually kind of shocked and blindsided by getting the award. We had eight or nine players on the team that could have been at that same position. I felt really, really honored to be in that position and excited and overall I was just really happy for our team and how we did." After redshirting last season due to the Boilermakers' depth, Evans said she was itching for her first minutes in game action at Purdue. She made up for lost time quickly, racking up 28 digs and 17 kills as Purdue defeated LSU, San Diego and South Florida. "It was phenomenal," Evans said. "I am so happy and so blessed to have had that redshirt year because I learned so much. It gave me a year to get comfortable with the girls around me. Without that year, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. It's great to finally reach this point in my career where I can step on the floor and be confident and know what I am doing." Evans was recruited as a setter and spent most of her redshirt year honing her skills at that spot. During spring practice, the Liberty Township, Ohio, native contin - ued setting but started to do more passing and hitting as well. She found her way in the lineup over the weekend at outside hitter, al- though setter could be her position of the future with Val Nichol grad- uating after the season. "I would describe my game as very versatile," Evans said. "I am asked to do more than one thing, so I feel like that's benefitting the team ... not only myself (is versatile) but a couple other players, too, like Val Nichol and Lydia Dimke and Annie Drews. We can do multiple things, so I definitely feel like my versatility and the versatility of the people around me is a huge benefit to this team." Purdue has plenty of power at outside hitter in Drews, Sam Epenesa and Azariah Stahl. Drews said Evans' playing style complements the other hitters across Purdue's line extremely well. "She hits high, she hits smart shots, she can pass the ball as good as anyone we have right now and she can hit her serve in zones," Drews said. "It's so important to have a player who can bring that consistency, who isn't going to maybe make that game-changer block or kill all the time, but they're going to provide that endurance we need through the middle of the match. "It's been really cool to see her develop into that player. Even just coming into preseason, she was a setter, so it's been really cool just see - ing that progression and to see it so early." Evans' development at outside hitter came quickly. Ten days be- fore the season started, Coach Dave Shondell didn't see Evans as part of Purdue's rotation. "She proved with her versatility and her ability to ball control we really couldn't get very far without her," Shondell said. "She worked her way into the lineup and really is as valuable as anyone we have right now because of all the different things she can do." — Travis Baugh