66 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED
KYLE CHARTERS
KCharters@GoldandBlack.com
W
ith two weeks to go in
the regular season last
fall, the Boilermakers
were feeling comfortable, perhaps
a little too comfortable.
They were ranked 16th in the
country, settling in on cruise con-
trol toward what they figured was
their fifth consecutive NCAA Tour-
nament.
Nothing to fear.
Except Purdue sputtered, so
much so that it was left out of the
tourney's Field of 64, a confound-
ing snub for a team had seeming-
ly build a worthy, although flawed,
NCAA résumé. The Boilermakers
had won 22 games, with 10 losses,
and finished fifth in the loaded Big
Ten. But it wasn't enough.
Now that the shock has worn
down after months of reflection,
Coach Dave Shondell, who has built
Purdue into a Big Ten contender
and nationally recognized program
since he took over in 2003, thinks it
Charles Jischke/Purdue
Amanda Neill, Purdue's
libero, led what was an
underwhelming defense
last season, but one that
expects to rebound with
more experience now.
Defining
Moment
Shondell's Boilermakers hope
snub sparks change
