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GoldanDBlack express • volume 25, express 3 • 39 BY TRAVIS BAUGH TBAUGH@PURDUE.EDU L ast weekend's competition at the KSU Owls Invitational gave volleyball coach Dave Shondell the opportunity to give three true freshman significant minutes in Danielle Cuttino, Lydia Dimke and Azariah Stahl. All three made the most of their opportunities. "They took a nice step forward across the board," Shondell said. "They continue to take steps to- wards us having that confidence in them to put them in a game in a critical situation. Azariah's done it a lot already as has Lydia. Dani- elle played against some lesser op- ponents, but I think we're ready to throw her to the wolves soon." Stahl shined in the weekend- opening match against UNC-Ash- ville. In the second set, she contrib- uted six kills, including three dur- ing a 9-2 run that helped Purdue recover from an early 8-5 deficit. "Coach Shondell just kind of threw me out on the floor like he has been doing because he uses me for a kill or a block now and them," Stahl said. "Knowing that I need to earn my spot and isn't go- ing to be given to me, I have the mindset of getting the job done when I get in. They put me in to get kills, and I got kills." Stahl sees herself as a player who can provide a spark off the bench when Purdue needs a boost offensively, although Shondell said he could see her evolving into a starter by season's end. "We have three really good outside hitters so it's going to be difficult for her to beat those peo - ple out regularly," Shondell said. "But If Azariah can improve her ball control, meaning her serve receive and defense, she'll be really hard to take out of the game. She gets higher over the net than the other two. There's a lot of monsters in the Big Ten, and you want to put a big block out there." Dimke, who saw action in all three matches as well as Stahl, proved to be valuable at both setter and outside hitter over the weekend. She had three aces against UNC-Asheville while ty- ing for a team-lead with six digs against Elon. Shondell has raved about Dimke's confidence and maturity, saying she plays like a junior, not a freshman. Dimke said she told herself en- tering her college tenure she was going to compete for playing time despite her class status. "I've always been told if you play like a freshman, you're going to be on the sidelines," Dimke said. "Once you get to know all the girls a little bit bet- ter and you get a feel for the game and you're out there for a few points, it becomes natural." Cuttino hasn't adjusted to the college level as quickly as Stahl or Dimke, but Shondell said the light is starting to turn on for the Ben Davis product. Shondell compared Cut- tino's middle blocker spot to a wide receiver in football, where the player must have their timing down with the deliverer of the pass youngsters benefit from kennesaw state tournament Purdue Freshman Azariah Stahl has made an immediate impact on the Purdue volleyball team and could possibly crack the starting lineup by the end of the season. 2014 Volleyball schedule Date Opponent Time/Result Aug. 29 USF W, 3-0^ No. 14 SAN DIEGO W, 3-0^ Aug. 30 LSU W, 3-0^ Sept. 5 vs. UNC-Asheville W, 3-0 Sept. 6 vs. Elon W, 3-0 at Kennesaw State W, 3-0 Sept. 12 vs. Austin Peay 1 p.m.# at Western Kentucky 7 p.m.# Sept. 13 vs. Western Michigan 1 p.m.# Sept. 19 ST LOUIS 10 a.m.% MOREHEAD STATE 7:30 p.m.% Sept. 20 NOTRE DAME 8 p.m. % Sept. 26 MICHIGAN 7 p.m. Sept. 27 MICHIGAN STATE 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at Rutgers 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Maryland 1 p.m. Oct. 8 INDIANA 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at Indiana 7 p.m. Oct. 17 PENN STATE 7 p.m. Oct. 18 OHIO STATE 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at Northwestern 8 p.m. Oct. 25 at Illinois 8 p.m. Oct. 29 WISCONSIN 7 p.m. Nov. 1 MINNESOTA 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at Nebraska 8 p.m. Nov. 8 at Iowa 8 p.m. Nov. 12 MARYLAND 7 p.m. Nov. 15 NORTHWESTERN 7 p.m. Nov. 19 RUTGERS 7 p.m. Nov. 22 at Minnesoa 8 p.m. Nov. 26 at Michigan State 7 p.m. Nov. 28 at Wisconsin 8 p.m. ^ Mortar Board Premier, West Lafayette * KSU Owls Invitational, Kennesaw, Ga. # Holiday Inn University Plaza Invitational, Bowling Green, Ky. % Active Ankle Challenge, West Lafayette