Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/592932
VOLUME 26, ISSUE 2 103 was going to do something, she better go all-out. She better not cheat the game, whether it was basketball or volleyball, both sports she played in high school. So she didn't. "I'm very driven," Neill said. "I want to win. I'm competitive, but I also really like everybody to suc- ceed. So if I could do anything, and that's give my best in practice and if I need to put in more time because I don't feel like I'm doing great in this area, then I will. I just like to see everybody succeed, so if that's going to make the team better, then I'll do it." That means not just working on physical skill sets. After years in the program, Neill has learned the importance of studying film, too, picking up nuances in opponents and fine-tuning her own game, paying specific attention to form and function. It's partly how she's developed into what Evans calls a "textbook passer," a boon for the player who's on the receiving end of most of those passes. "She has almost a perfect technique," Evans said. "She wants to do things the right way — not just get things done — but do it the right way. "I don't think she's ever satisfied. That's really cool to have in a teammate and a really close friend. If you're never satisfied and you stay hungry, you know you can reach a level you've never reached before." Shondell wasn't surprised by Neill's attention to detail in the offseason. "Probably since I've been here there's not been a single player who has dedicated herself to becoming the best she can be as much as she has," Shondell said. "She's been a workhorse." That's a key piece of who Shondell needed Neill to be. Not only is Neill consistently dishing on-target passes to get a play rolling, regularly extending flat- out to lunge and pop up beautiful digs to continue a rally or stepping up to the line and perfectly placing serves. As a libero, showing that "workhorse" element has been important because it's been one way for Neill to be a leader. Throughout Neill's career, Shondell has empha- sized he didn't need her to be a vocal leader. Her strength isn't telling people what to do, he said. What are strengths: Leading by example, being a mod- Purdue Neill's ability to all-out dive, completely sprawled, to make digs is a key piece to her defensive success. She registered her 1,000th career dig this season.