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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 74 "If you don't have team chemistry off the court, it's not going to happen on the court. It's encouraging that that is our biggest factor, rather than physicality and talent. Once we get that and are more molded as a team, I don't see any opposition against us." It was a different storyline a year ago. In the spring season of 2016, the Boilermakers were deal- ing with the graduation of five seniors, plus the transfers of two other players. Then, it served not to tear those who remained apart but bring them together as a shared experience. The Boilermakers are working to find something similar now, using a sports psychologist and Cathy Wright-Eger, Purdue's Leadership Advisor, to meet with the team. But Atkinson says players are doing things on their own too, like bowling, movies, any- thing to get together. "The biggest goal is the emotional piece, the chemistry piece, it's become really, really big," 15th- year coach Dave Shondell said. "But you don't want to sit there and manufacture that. I think you have to make them aware of it, bring it to their attention more frequently. Clearly with this group, we do have to manage it more than most groups, because we've been trying and hoping and it hasn't happened. "We've got good people, so we'll get it. It's not a bad situation, but when you're in our league, the difference between finishing in the top three in the Big Ten and finishing eighth, ninth or 10th in the Big Ten is incredibly small, believe it or not. Because you're going to have 10 teams get in the NCAA Tour- nament, that's how good they are. But being the top three, it's got to be a smooth, flawless effort on the court, where everybody knows what everybody is doing and they care about each other, that kind of thing." Purdue has good reason to want to get it right. Other- wise, the pieces are in place following a somewhat surpris- ing 2016 season in which the Boilermakers won 19 games, including one in the NCAA Tournament — it was the 11th time in the last 13 years they advanced at least into the second round — and beat four ranked opponents. Purdue was able to do so despite having only one senior, middle blocker Faye Adelaja, and with a short bench. It was young in its ball control, with a sophomore and two fresh- men, including libero Natalie Haben. But the Boilermakers overcame some of those short- comings by installing Cuttino at left-side hitter, where she could be more of an offensive threat, and by having fellow left-side Azariah Stahl stay on the floor for all six rotations. Plus, Blake Mohler developed quickly as a middle hitter and Atkinson, a transfer who had missed her previous sea- son at Long Beach State with a dislocated ankle, found a groove late in the year. Purdue also got better-than-steady play from setter Ashley Evans. With those players, and others, returning, 2017 expec- tations are high. The Boilermakers likely will be ranked in the top-15 to start the season, perhaps higher. "It makes every practice and every individual now count," Atkinson said. "We're really working on breaking down certain skills that, you'd think at this level you really shouldn't be breaking down passing, breaking down dig- Charles Jischke Sherridan Atkinson (previous page) is a reason why Purdue has high expectations in 2017, but as Coach Dave Shondell (above) says, it'll take improved team chemistry for the Boilermakers to max out their potential.