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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 83 opportunity, Purdue will pay for the individual to try out for the team. Shondell said while a few of the top programs in the country don't let their players try out due to in- jury concerns, he has continued to send Purdue's best year after year as every individual who has partic- ipated has had a positive experi- ence. "I understand what the fear is, and you don't know who's train- ing them," Shondell said."I trust the people who are involved … We haven't got anybody hurt in those experiences yet, and we hope that they all come back healthy and bet- ter because of the opportunity." With the trio playing for the USA collegiate program and An- nie Drews playing for a Big Ten team in Europe, several Boiler- makers have the opportunity to play against elite competition this summer as Purdue looks to return to the NCAA tournament in the fall after snapping a four-year tourna- ment streak in 2014. "We've got all the tools here," Neill said. "We just have to be able to put it on the court now and work together and be competitive. We can use (nationals) as a stepping stone into a great college sea- son and I think that's what we all should use it as." DREWS TO PLAY FOR INAUGURAL BIG TEN SQUAD Annie Drews had a decision to make. She could spend another summer competing in the USA Vol- leyball collegiate national program or she could be a part of the inau- gural Big Ten Volleyball Foreign Tour Team. Ultimately, Drews decided to represent Purdue on the 14-play- er squad that will take on nation- al teams in Slovenia, Croatia and Italy from June 13-25. In addition to competing, the student-athletes will get the opportunity to take part in community service projects and explore some of Europe's most notable cities. "I didn't know what direction for sure I was going to go," Drews said. "I think the biggest thing be- tween the coaches and I was that I wanted to go where they thought the best volleyball was going to be played. I think both are excellent programs." The opportunity to play compet- itively over the summer is vital to any collegiate player due to the quick turnaround in the fall, ac- cording to Drews. Teams often only have two weeks of official practice in the fall before games begin, and anything on top of open gyms and workouts help. "I think when done right and done with programs like USA and what I'm hoping this Big Ten team is, it's enough that you're going to get better, but you're not going to get worn out," Drews said. "I think two weeks is a great amount of time for that." Drews is eager to see who will be joining her from each Big Ten school when the full roster is re- leased in May. "You know of all of these peo- ple so when they release the list, you're putting names to faces," Drews said. "I think it will be a really good group and it'll be in- teresting to see how we can put together cohesion in such a short amount of time." j SUMMER STRIDES Five Purdue volleyball players have competed in the USA Volleyball Collegiate National programs during their collegiate career since 2011, and each saw good results in the season following the national experience. Player Team Year Accolades Ariel Turner USA Blue 2011 First Team All-America USA Blue 2012 AVCA All-America second team Carly Cramer USA White 2011 Preseason All-Big Ten before injury USA White 2013 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten KiKi Jones USA Red 2012 Fourth-best hitting percentage in school history (.360) USA Red 2013 AVCA All-America honorable mention Annie Drews USA Blue 2013 Career-best 72 blocks Val Nichol USA Collegiate National 2014 Honorable Mention All-America