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82 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATE VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3 by trying to enjoy what they were doing and be positive, be productive, work hard and play well and hope everyone else kind of follows the lead. I thought it was pretty good." The results showed on the scoreboard. The Boilermak- ers finished non-conference play with a 9-2 record, then took advantage of a user-friendly slate to start the Big Ten. They won their first six matches of the conference, while losing only two games. Purdue hit a rough patch, losing five of its next seven, although all five were against teams ranked in the top 12 nationally. One of the victories during the stretch came against No. 18 Illinois. The Boilermakers earned their biggest win Nov. 21, when they beat No. 3 Minnesota in five games, a victory that likely sealed their entry into the NCAA Tournament. The win marked Purdue's fifth straight, but it came at a bit of a cost; the Boilermakers lost their final two regular-sea- son matches, losing momentum before the tournament and hurting their standing in the eyes of the NCAA selec- tion committee. "This team's goal was from Day 1 was to create a great culture and get back in the NCAA Tournament," Shondell said. "When we beat Minnesota on that Saturday night, knock off one of the top teams in the country, and you know you're in the NCAA Tournament, I think there was a gigan- tic letdown that week — I felt it. I was as guilty as anybody. The coach wants to be in the NCAA Tournament too — and by beating the league champion and a team that was ranked (highly), it was a great moment." The Boilermakers earned their trip to the NCAA Tournament, although they didn't get a favorable draw, having to play a quality SMU team in Round 1 before po- tentially No. 3 Texas in the second. Purdue beat the Mustangs Dec. 3, los- ing the first game before sweeping the next three. The Boilermakers battled the Longhorns a night later, winning Game 2 to even the match, but then losing the final two. Purdue rallied to a brief lead in Game 4, before succumbing 27-25. "I was very proud of the team effort that we had, especially coming off of last sea- son," Cuttino said. "Usually an offseason isn't fun to go through, but when you want more and you have a taste of what the future can hold, it's a lot easier to get through it. You have more motivation." Shondell thinks the Boilermakers should be in a good place mentally, feeling like they took a step forward in 2015, but not as big as they had hoped. "We have the ability to compete with anyone in the country," he said. "They didn't accomplish as much as most of the teams that we've had here, (where) getting to the Sweet 16, all the sudden, is kind of the norm. "They didn't do that, so I still think they'll be hungry, a little bit of a bad taste in their mouth. I think they learned what the proper culture needs to be and what changes they made along the way to get there. A lot of it was growing up. … We should be at a good point. The message I sent to them (after the season) was less people (on the roster) means more opportunities … but more responsibility. "I think that if our group will mimic the work ethic and attitude and determination that we had in 2015, we'll be right back in the situation that we were this year: Do well in the Big Ten and get in the Tournament and hopefully not be sent to Texas for the second match." j Purdue Dave Shondell guided the Boilermakers to their 10th NCAA berth in the last 12 years in 2015.