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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 3 87 f "We certainly had the talent to do it, but I think it would be a stretch to say we were going to beat people," Shon- dell said. Shondell compared this year's team to 2009 — the last Purdue team to not make the NCAA Tournament — due to its ball control struggles. Entering the season, Purdue knew it would be tough to replace its defensive core of Carly Cramer and Hillary Fox. "We knew our ball control was going to be a work in progress," Shondell said. "We were pleased with the de- velopment of Amanda Neill and Kate Workman and Ash- ley Evans. I thought those three really rose to the occa- sion for the most part to do what they could do for us to be successful. Still, we weren't as good as were a year ago. We weren't as good in those areas as we normally are at Purdue." Purdue's lineup was filled with youth — four freshmen saw significant action — and it was unable to close the gap between its freshmen and veteran players, according to Shondell. "We didn't have the bond there that could make up for a lack of experience or playing on the road," Shondell said. Each freshman had high points and showed why she was so highly thought of entering the season. Danielle Cuttino was a Freshman All-Big Ten selec- tion after leading Purdue in blocks. Azariah Stahl provid- ed a spark to the offense at outside hitter. Lydia Dimke facilitated Purdue's 6-2 of- fense as a setter in a dozen matches. Evans started all 32 matches. But the group lacked con- sistency, particularly on the road. "One of our recruiting philosophies has always been we're going to recruit great athletes because we think we can train our play- ers in the gym," Shondell said. "But when a lot of those players are young, we maybe didn't have enough time to get them developed or de- velop the confidence or savvy that those kind of players needed to help us compete at the highest level." Shondell called the Tournament snub "a tremendous learning lesson" and a great time to reflect for players and staff. He likes how his team has responded thus far; the morning after Selection Sunday, several players were practicing on their own time in Holloway Gymnasium. "They're going to have to figure out how important it is for them that we get back Purdue back into the Tournament and we make a run deep in the Tournament again," Shon- dell said. Purdue's physical traits weren't its problem — Shon- dell noted only four or five teams in the country with more athleticism than his — but rather its intangibles. "We have to have some people who want to win and want to lead, that know how to compete and how to pull a team together," Shondell said. "That's what I think we need from the girls returning this year. "We have to have some people step up and have that ability and I think you'll see that with our freshmen. Not a whole lot of people are feeling sorry for us with the tal- ent we have. I know (not making the Tournament) made me extremely motivated. I feel like I'm a totally different person. I think losing can bring out the worst or the best in you, and I think it's going to bring out the best in our program." j