GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 5 85
"Purdue plays defense and will
work hard," Atkinson said. "You
see people like Ashley (Evans)
working hard for every ball and I
am just thinking, 'You could just
let that ball go,' but now I am go-
ing for every ball and now my back
and knee hurt and all this stuff. I
feel like if my teammates see me
working hard then if I don't make
that play, they will still know I gave
full effort. That's what I want them
to see more than anything."
With Atkinson, whom Shondell
calls "physically one of the most
imposing players" he's coached,
embracing that style, the Boiler-
makers feel they can have one of
the best groups of outside hitters
in the Big Ten in 2017. The group
has experience in All-American
senior Danielle Cuttino and senior
Azariah Stahl, plus impressive
early-enrolling freshman Caitlyn
Newton.
Cuttino thinks Atkinson will
take another step forward this sea-
son.
"The biggest thing that was
holding Sherridan back was her
mentality. Physically, she has all
the tools she needs to be successful," Cuttino said.
"Last year toward the end of the season, she really
got out of her own head and started to play freely. It
was a click."
j
"Physically,
the way she
intimidates the
other team,
that's a big asset
for us."
— Senior Danielle Cuttino on Sherridan
Atkinson