GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 1 72
BY KYLE CHARTERS
KCharters@GoldandBlack.com
L
ittle should surprise Purdue.
Not considering the experience of its four se-
niors, three of whom — Danielle Cuttino, Ashley
Evans and Azariah Stahl — have been multiyear starters
and a fourth, Carissa Damler, has started double-digit
games.
They've been through a lot as Boilermakers, from
missing the NCAA Tournament entirely when they were
freshmen in 2014, when the selection committee, per-
haps controversially, left them out of the field, to back-
to-back second-round appearances. In '15, despite having
a flawed team in terms of chemistry, the Boilermakers
nearly upset Texas, the eventual NCAA runner-up, in
Round 2. Afterward, though, a couple players transferred.
Despite the ensuing personnel shortcomings, Purdue ral-
lied last season — it had been picked 10th in the Big Ten
in the preseason and ended up finishing 10th — to get
back to the second round, losing at Missouri.
Although the postseason appearances are good, it's not
what has grown to be expected over the years at Purdue.
And that's left the Boilermakers, who graduated only one
senior from last season but also lost their libero to a ca-
reer-ending injury, with a feeling of wanting.
"They've been through the wars in the Big Ten and
know what it takes to win," said Coach Dave Shondell,
who enters his 15th season at Purdue. "This has to be a
player-led squad. We have that type of experience. It can't
all be coming from the coaches. It's got to be coming from
inside the clubhouse. Those have got to be the people do-
ing it."
Purdue has the personnel to do so, not only in senior
leadership but in talent and sheer numbers, as well. Last
season, Shondell estimated the Boilermakers had only a
handful of quality starters, and although they were a solid
Aiming High
Veteran Boilermakers welcome influx of talent, depth
Purdue