Highlights from the Dig City Podcast 8/30/2023
For those of you who do not want to take the time to listen to the full 30 min podcast or need a quick review, here are key highlights from Coach Shondell:
What are your thoughts on the Duke game last Friday?
What about the Creighton game? It seemed maybe due to the early start and short interval the team came out a little flat.
And on Friday you face Marquette. Tell us about them.
For those of you who do not want to take the time to listen to the full 30 min podcast or need a quick review, here are key highlights from Coach Shondell:
What are your thoughts on the Duke game last Friday?
- We played a team that we were fairly evenly matched with.
- They had new faces too - an outstanding MB transfer from Michigan that we had a hard time with (Jess Robinson), a really good setter that transferred from Cornell (Emma Worthington)
- We started well, then lost the 2nd set but really settled in in the 3rd and 4th sets
- The crowd, not just Friday but all weekend, was amazingly loud and into the games
- I feel like our crowds “pound for pound” bring more noise and affect the game more than any other fans
- As our team matures, learns to play together, shakes off some of the early nerves and gets in shape we are really going to be hard to beat in that gym.
- When players come off the floor they often cannot hear what is being told them because the crowd is so loud
- The quality of Duke was shown when Duke defeated Creighton on Sunday
What about the Creighton game? It seemed maybe due to the early start and short interval the team came out a little flat.
- Yes, but you have to give Creighton credit. They were very very well prepared.
- They were ready to defend our two outside hitters, as any team that plays us will need to.
- They have a first or second team All-American (Nora Sis) on the left side and actually we did a pretty good job against her but they got some outstanding help from their right side. And their setter (Kendra Wait) put on one of the best setting performances that I have ever seen.
- They were out-of-system a lot but she almost always found the right person
- I think Creighton will be in the Top 15 all year and they will probably win the Big East
- They had just won the Atlantic 10 conference last year and had most of their players coming back.
- I love that team. Their coach (Amanda Berkley) is such a nice person but she competes.
- She jumps and kicks and stomps and was so physically into it
- We knew what they were going to do but we just couldn’t stop it.
- We had 15 practices to prepare and we just didn’t do it.
- To go 1-2 is certainly a wake-up call for us
- We learned a lot more by playing three good teams than other teams who only played one or two.
- I think the opportunity for about 7 new players to get on the floor for the first time opened their eyes as to what it is like.
- Obviously Poulter has a lot of experience but she hasn’t done it in Holloway and in the Big Ten… and since her ACL surgery.
- Chloe Chicoine had a great match, and then not-so-great match and then a good match. Expectations are high and she learned that not everything is gong to be easy. People are going to get in your face.
- Then we had Kenna Wollard, Lizzie Carr, Grace Heaney and Taylor Anderson all playing for the first time.
- Anderson, by the way, did a great job.
- Any educated VB fan would say “Man, that team plays hard.”
- Like Heaney who on Saturday had 3 kills and 3 errors, then came in on the 4th set against Loyola and almost single-handedly lifted the team to the 5th set. That changed the game all the way until we were up 12-8 in the 5th set and then she was no longer in the game and things went sideways.
- Several transfers have come in to help them. Their two left sided hitters are very good.
- They swept both their matches this last weekend beating Pepperdine and Omaha
- We’ve played Kansas twice since I have been at Purdue. We beat them once here (a team that went to the Final Four that year) and the next year at Kansas where they beat us.
- They are a veteran team, more experienced than we are.
- They have a local player, Raegan Burns, who played at McCutcheon, and she is their starting libero as a freshman which is awesome for her. She graduated with Chloe Chicoine.
- Their gym is a lot like Holloway and holds about 2500. It will be packed.
- Ray Bechard is their head coach and about the same age as I am. I enjoy talking to him.
And on Friday you face Marquette. Tell us about them.
- We’ve played them several times recently both at Holloway and in the NCAA.
- They are up there with Creighton to win their conference.
- They have everyone but their setter back from a Sweet 16 team last year but they got a good transfer (Sarah Kushner) from Illinois State.
- In a surprise, they lost their opening match to Western Kentucky at Dayton.
- They’re playing without their 6’3” all-conference middle blocker player (Carsen Murray) and we don’t know if she is going to be back for our game or not. (But no one knows who we are going to put on the floor either… I certainly don’t.)
- They are a very aggressive, assertive team. Good defensively and with their serving with a very tough left sided hitter.
- John focuses on serve/receive and passing
- Michael is our analytics guy and he studies the numbers and looks at tape
- I’m watching every hitter - what kind of shots do they like to take - and what they like to run out of each rotation.
- Ben is a grad assistant and helps all of us.
- Kat and Kerry have so many other duties and recruiting never stops
- What did we learn last weekend? Who went out and got things done and who didn’t show up?
- Because of how tough our schedule is we are not going to have a single opportunity for athletes to play just to get on the floor. They have to be able to produce.
- Our team needs to realize that they can’t feel sorry for themselves and instead show us in practice that they deserve to be on the floor.
- We are here to win.
- Last night’s practice helped make some things more clear.
- Poulter and Anderson both played well and both will be ready.
- Colvin is a mainstay in one middle spot but then you have Myers who I thought offensively had good numbers.
- Carr played hard and did some good things.
- The right side spot is probably the one most difficult to set. I’d like to have a set starting lineup but I need players to separate themselves.
- It was good experience for them.
- 64 teams make the NCAA tournament and I think all three of the teams from last weekend will be one of the 64.
- Every team is different. Every player has different things going on year to year.
- Some Big Ten teams look like they’re struggling and we probably look that way too but I don’t think we are… I think we are getting better.
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