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Notes on Dave Shondell’s Press Conference 11/7/2022

DocRon

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For those of you who could not listen to the conference, here are my notes. Some interesting things including who Dave thinks is leading the team right now, tonight’s Ohio State match, why Meg Renner is playing more right now, why Eva Hudson is getting less balls set to her right now, what Colvin still needs to learn, comments on each player that we don’t see on the court very much and why his team sometimes has practiced in Mackey Arena.

Dave Shondell VB Press Conference 11/7/2022
Dave’s Opening Statement:

  • Good trip to state of Michigan
  • As has become our tradition, at MSU we lost our first set and were down 16-21 in the 2nd set and suddenly played with tremendous urgency to win that one 26-24 and played well the rest of the match
  • Maddie Chinn had a remarkable match and Madeline Koch came off the bench to help us as did Lourdes Myers
  • Raven Colvin broke the record for a 4 set match with by hitting about 0.696
  • Any road win is a good win
  • Then played a team that I feel has tremendous talent
  • We talked before the match that to win the match it was important to win the first set and fortunately we did
  • We won the 2nd set going away but in the 3rd set Michigan played their best set of the match and beat us. In the 4th set we had a real brawl and we came away with a hard fought victory to sweep the state
  • It was a real team effort. Meg Renner continues to improve and that is one reason we are as optimistic as we are
  • Maddie Schermerhorn who had a leg injury and has struggled to get to 100% - I feel she is now. She may have had her best match of her career
  • This week we have Ohio State who is 6th ranked in the country and the most experienced team in the B1G. We have had some great battles with them and they will be here Thursday for a 7PM game
  • Then on Saturday 16th ranked Penn State will be here for an 8PM start
  • Our senior class is really leading this team right now. We have 6 seniors (one-Renner-is a red-shirt junior but started in the same class) They may have not played as much as they wanted but put the team ahead of themselves
  • We got back Sunday night to the airport and we always meet before they take off and I told them “Look at the improvement these seniors have made in their 4th year. Look at their development in the last 2 or 3 weeks.” Don’t ever think you are at a point where you can’t get better

Q: When you look at Ohio State, and comparing it to how things were when you arrived at Purdue, how impressed are you at how quickly they have escalated to where they are now?

A:
Jen (Flynn Oldenburg) does a tremendous job. But I think they were a little ahead of where we were when we arrived. They had not finished last in the B1G for two years in a row.
  • Their previous coach had back-to-back top 3 recruiting classes before he left
  • The people playing right now have been playing for quite awhile and came in highly acclaimed and have played a lot and have great arms
  • They start all seniors but one
  • They may have the best setter in the country (Mac Podraza) - she has really developed, a hard worker a great leader and a tough kid.
  • The only starter not a senior is junior Emily Landot on the right side who has been their go-to player since the day she walked in the door. She was freshman of the year two years ago
  • Their left-sides have been really, really good. Their middles are great, especial Rylee Rader - who is a terrific player
  • Their libero Kylie Murr out of Yorktown High School, and has been a starter since day one. There are so many good liberos in this league but she is as good as any of them
  • They lost some matches early when they played Texas and Louisville right out of the gate that they picked up some quick losses
  • They are as good as anybody in the country with maybe the exception of Texas

Q: When you were behind at Michigan State, at the bottom of the Big Ten, towards the end of the 2nd set - could that be the “turnaround” for this team because after that you seemed to play really well all weekend?

A:
That’s a tough question. Keep in mind the MSU did beat us at Hollway last year in a similar situation. We just found a way to respond.
  • I don’t think this (MSU) team is as good as that one but we were at their place
  • I do think they will win a couple of matches at home down the stretch
  • I don’t think we really ever struggled - I kept thinking we were playing pretty well despite losing those games (minus the Maryland match)
  • Nebraska was #3 in the country. We went to Minnesota and they were ranked #9 and I know we played well in that one.
  • Every match is a fight of its own.
  • I don’t think we lost our confidence and I see it building
  • This is a group where we only had two players (Schermerhorn & Colvin) with serious playing time
  • I am pretty proud of where we are and the direction we are moving

Q: Are you getting the opposite balance you want with Ellis getting 30 attempts against Michigan and Maddie Chinn had 28 attempts one game - starting to spread the ball out and it’s not Eva Hudson getting 50 sets?

A:
Yeah, and that’s a sign players are getting better. Raven had that big match against MSU where she got a ton of sets against them and she got a lot of sets against UM.
  • It’s going to open things up for Eva Hudson because teams go out and really game plan to stop her
  • Their theory is if you can stop Eva you can beat Purdue
  • I think that mindset is slowly changing as we continue to get development
  • Maddie Chinn is having a field day on the right side. She has all the angles
  • Emma Ellis has a lot of different shots too on the right side. She is hitting the ball very hard and with such power
  • We need to get more out of our 2nd middle position which is why Lourdes Myers is getting some time. We know what kind of potential she has and the more time she gets the quicker she will get to where she needs to be
Q: Meg Renner gave you a lift offensively against Michigan as well. Going forward is she going to be the full time center?

A:
Yeah but keep in mind that I pushed that a little to build Meg’s confidence.
  • It is not a good message when you take Meg out every time things start to go south. That does not build confidence
  • I do believe she has a very high ceiling and we are starting to see that
  • But I feel very comfortable at any point in time going with Grace Balensiefer, especially as a back row setter
  • But I try to stay away from that not because Grace isn’t playing well and doesn’t deserve that and can run the show but because I felt it was in the best interests of the team if Meg was getting that time and building her confidence. And it’s worked.
  • I want Meg to be aggressive in the front row - to score as many points as she can

Q: Is Chinn 100% regarding her ankle?

A:
Sure looks like it. And it’s always what heals first, the body or the mind? After an injury until you go our and get something done on the floor you’re not sure if you’re back yet
  • I think she’s been back for awhile. When we were playing IU she came off the bench and did a really, really good job and I thought she earned the opportunity to start
  • Last weekend we went back to her state (Michigan) and what a show she put on

Q: How consistently should Raven be leading the team offensively?

A:
Well it’s really hard for a middle to lead the team offensively because they are limited to how often you can get them the ball
  • One thing Raven can do, and we are working with her on this, is to not always run he same routes. She likes to hit the ball directly in front of the setter
  • We’ve worked all year on getting her to hit behind the setter on one foot and she’s making improvements there
  • We’ve got to get her to hit in the B-set which is like 5 or 6 feet in front of the setter
  • So we’re getting her in different areas. Even though she can jump out of the gym she can be easy to defend if she runs right to the same spot each time
  • I’d rather she not hardly ever run to that spot right in front of the setter because there are 4 or 5 other spots provided the setter can get her the ball

Q: How do you think Ali Hornung is playing lately? Has there been a change since she filled in at libero?

A:
I thought she played really well when she stepped in and played libero and I thought she had the best match of her career yesterday of UM
  • She was so steady as a passer, making defensive plays and playing with more passion
  • She’s a real calm player and I come from the school where I like our backcourt people to play with with a little more fire. But you gotta play the way you can play well
  • So I’m okay with whatever way she can play well like she did at the UM match
  • She served really, really well and dug a ton of balls. She is making great progress

Q: Can you give us an update on some of the kids we don’t see as much?

A:
Emily Rastovski is a player that red-shirted last year and people have not seen a lot of her, But she is one of my favorite players I think we’ve ever had at Purdue
  • Super intelligent kid - a 4.0 level student. And a happy-go-lucky type player
  • She knows her time is coming. A lot of people in her position would be bitter that she has not gotten more playing time.
  • She’s a really good athlete - about 6’1 1/2” and touches 10’3” or 4” with her jump and she hits the tar out of the ball
  • Every day in practice we can’t stop her
  • At this point in time we have veteran players that we know we count on in matches so it is hard to pull the trigger to get her in as often as you’d like but she is going to be a really good player at Purdue
  • She’s from a small school Morgan Township up by Valparaiso
  • She will get a golden opportunity for PT next year which will be her redshirt sophomore year
  • Lourdes Myers - we’re starting to see some more time from her and in the last two weeks when she has gotten in she’s done some really good things
  • Sydney Yim is our 3rd setter/backcourt player and she is working really hard on her ball control skills because she is trying to determine how she can best get on the floor and play
  • She is another great teammate. It’s funny that in setting drills she is not as efficient but when she gets into game play she is really good. She forgets about technique and just plays
  • So those are three that haven’t played as much as the some of the others, but they are all young - two redshirt freshman and a true freshman
  • Then you have the two we are redshirting
  • Lizzie Carr is 6’6” and is going to be a tremendous blocker
  • She is really smart and always into the match. I am confident she will become a premiere player for us
  • Brielle Warren is a left side/right side player and hits the ball with heavier hand than anyone we have in the gym
  • When we have defenders that are hit in the face by a ball we normally know who hit it - Brielle Warren
  • We felt it made so much more sense to redshirt her this year rather than play her in 10% of the games
  • A lot of youngsters don’t understand the value of redshirting because it’s not something you grow up dreaming of doing - you dream of playing in the Big Ten
  • But she has adjusted to that and every night she just plays her tail off in practice
  • Next year you will see a ton of those people

Q: Going back and forth between large arenas (at Breslin/MSU) vs small (at Michigan) - just how hard is that from a background perspective and for the future when you will play in the NCAA Tournament?

A:
I think going from a small arena where the background is right in front of you to going to a big arena - it’s about pass and serve
  • Occasionally a set ball - with big lights and a high ceiling - that will bother. But mostly it’s pass and serve when you have a deeper background with lots of, in this case (Breslin), empty seats
  • That’s why when we are going to play in a big arena we have wanted to practice some in Mackey - especially for the NCAA tournament
  • It’s not hard to get back after you’ve played in a different venue. It’s like in baseball when you have a good batter’s eye background vs one that just has a field out there
  • I thought we handled the serve great against Michigan - back to a venue similar to what we practice in on a regular basis
 
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For those of you who could not listen to the conference, here are my notes. Some interesting things including who Dave thinks is leading the team right now, tonight’s Ohio State match, why Meg Renner is playing more right now, why Eva Hudson is getting less balls set to her right now, what Colvin still needs to learn, comments on each player that we don’t see on the court very much and why his team sometimes has practiced in Mackey Arena.

Dave Shondell VB Press Conference 11/7/2022
Dave’s Opening Statement:

  • Good trip to state of Michigan
  • As has become our tradition, at MSU we lost our first set and were down 16-21 in the 2nd set and suddenly played with tremendous urgency to win that one 26-24 and played well the rest of the match
  • Maddie Chinn had a remarkable match and Madeline Koch came off the bench to help us as did Lourdes Myers
  • Raven Colvin broke the record for a 4 set match with by hitting about 0.696
  • Any road win is a good win
  • Then played a team that I feel has tremendous talent
  • We talked before the match that to win the match it was important to win the first set and fortunately we did
  • We won the 2nd set going away but in the 3rd set Michigan played their best set of the match and beat us. In the 4th set we had a real brawl and we came away with a hard fought victory to sweep the state
  • It was a real team effort. Meg Renner continues to improve and that is one reason we are as optimistic as we are
  • Maddie Schermerhorn who had a leg injury and has struggled to get to 100% - I feel she is now. She may have had her best match of her career
  • This week we have Ohio State who is 6th ranked in the country and the most experienced team in the B1G. We have had some great battles with them and they will be here Thursday for a 7PM game
  • Then on Saturday 16th ranked Penn State will be here for an 8PM start
  • Our senior class is really leading this team right now. We have 6 seniors (one-Renner-is a red-shirt junior but started in the same class) They may have not played as much as they wanted but put the team ahead of themselves
  • We got back Sunday night to the airport and we always meet before they take off and I told them “Look at the improvement these seniors have made in their 4th year. Look at their development in the last 2 or 3 weeks.” Don’t ever think you are at a point where you can’t get better

Q: When you look at Ohio State, and comparing it to how things were when you arrived at Purdue, how impressed are you at how quickly they have escalated to where they are now?

A:
Jen (Flynn Oldenburg) does a tremendous job. But I think they were a little ahead of where we were when we arrived. They had not finished last in the B1G for two years in a row.
  • Their previous coach had back-to-back top 3 recruiting classes before he left
  • The people playing right now have been playing for quite awhile and came in highly acclaimed and have played a lot and have great arms
  • They start all seniors but one
  • They may have the best setter in the country (Mac Podraza) - she has really developed, a hard worker a great leader and a tough kid.
  • The only starter not a senior is junior Emily Landot on the right side who has been their go-to player since the day she walked in the door. She was freshman of the year two years ago
  • Their left-sides have been really, really good. Their middles are great, especial Rylee Rader - who is a terrific player
  • Their libero Kylie Murr out of Yorktown High School, and has been a starter since day one. There are so many good liberos in this league but she is as good as any of them
  • They lost some matches early when they played Texas and Louisville right out of the gate that they picked up some quick losses
  • They are as good as anybody in the country with maybe the exception of Texas

Q: When you were behind at Michigan State, at the bottom of the Big Ten, towards the end of the 2nd set - could that be the “turnaround” for this team because after that you seemed to play really well all weekend?

A:
That’s a tough question. Keep in mind the MSU did beat us at Hollway last year in a similar situation. We just found a way to respond.
  • I don’t think this (MSU) team is as good as that one but we were at their place
  • I do think they will win a couple of matches at home down the stretch
  • I don’t think we really ever struggled - I kept thinking we were playing pretty well despite losing those games (minus the Maryland match)
  • Nebraska was #3 in the country. We went to Minnesota and they were ranked #9 and I know we played well in that one.
  • Every match is a fight of its own.
  • I don’t think we lost our confidence and I see it building
  • This is a group where we only had two players (Schermerhorn & Colvin) with serious playing time
  • I am pretty proud of where we are and the direction we are moving

Q: Are you getting the opposite balance you want with Ellis getting 30 attempts against Michigan and Maddie Chinn had 28 attempts one game - starting to spread the ball out and it’s not Eva Hudson getting 50 sets?

A:
Yeah, and that’s a sign players are getting better. Raven had that big match against MSU where she got a ton of sets against them and she got a lot of sets against UM.
  • It’s going to open things up for Eva Hudson because teams go out and really game plan to stop her
  • Their theory is if you can stop Eva you can beat Purdue
  • I think that mindset is slowly changing as we continue to get development
  • Maddie Chinn is having a field day on the right side. She has all the angles
  • Emma Ellis has a lot of different shots too on the right side. She is hitting the ball very hard and with such power
  • We need to get more out of our 2nd middle position which is why Lourdes Myers is getting some time. We know what kind of potential she has and the more time she gets the quicker she will get to where she needs to be
Q: Meg Renner gave you a lift offensively against Michigan as well. Going forward is she going to be the full time center?

A:
Yeah but keep in mind that I pushed that a little to build Meg’s confidence.
  • It is not a good message when you take Meg out every time things start to go south. That does not build confidence
  • I do believe she has a very high ceiling and we are starting to see that
  • But I feel very comfortable at any point in time going with Grace Balensiefer, especially as a back row setter
  • But I try to stay away from that not because Grace isn’t playing well and doesn’t deserve that and can run the show but because I felt it was in the best interests of the team if Meg was getting that time and building her confidence. And it’s worked.
  • I want Meg to be aggressive in the front row - to score as many points as she can

Q: Is Chinn 100% regarding her ankle?

A:
Sure looks like it. And it’s always what heals first, the body or the mind? After an injury until you go our and get something done on the floor you’re not sure if you’re back yet
  • I think she’s been back for awhile. When we were playing IU she came off the bench and did a really, really good job and I thought she earned the opportunity to start
  • Last weekend we went back to her state (Michigan) and what a show she put on

Q: How consistently should Raven be leading the team offensively?

A:
Well it’s really hard for a middle to lead the team offensively because they are limited to how often you can get them the ball
  • One thing Raven can do, and we are working with her on this, is to not always run he same routes. She likes to hit the ball directly in front of the setter
  • We’ve worked all year on getting her to hit behind the setter on one foot and she’s making improvements there
  • We’ve got to get her to hit in the B-set which is like 5 or 6 feet in front of the setter
  • So we’re getting her in different areas. Even though she can jump out of the gym she can be easy to defend if she runs right to the same spot each time
  • I’d rather she not hardly ever run to that spot right in front of the setter because there are 4 or 5 other spots provided the setter can get her the ball

Q: How do you think Ali Hornung is playing lately? Has there been a change since she filled in at libero?

A:
I thought she played really well when she stepped in and played libero and I thought she had the best match of her career yesterday of UM
  • She was so steady as a passer, making defensive plays and playing with more passion
  • She’s a real calm player and I come from the school where I like our backcourt people to play with with a little more fire. But you gotta play the way you can play well
  • So I’m okay with whatever way she can play well like she did at the UM match
  • She served really, really well and dug a ton of balls. She is making great progress

Q: Can you give us an update on some of the kids we don’t see as much?

A:
Emily Rastovski is a player that red-shirted last year and people have not seen a lot of her, But she is one of my favorite players I think we’ve ever had at Purdue
  • Super intelligent kid - a 4.0 level student. And a happy-go-lucky type player
  • She knows her time is coming. A lot of people in her position would be bitter that she has not gotten more playing time.
  • She’s a really good athlete - about 6’1 1/2” and touches 10’3” or 4” with her jump and she hits the tar out of the ball
  • Every day in practice we can’t stop her
  • At this point in time we have veteran players that we know we count on in matches so it is hard to pull the trigger to get her in as often as you’d like but she is going to be a really good player at Purdue
  • She’s from a small school Morgan Township up by Valparaiso
  • She will get a golden opportunity for PT next year which will be her redshirt sophomore year
  • Lourdes Myers - we’re starting to see some more time from her and in the last two weeks when she has gotten in she’s done some really good things
  • Sydney Yim is our 3rd setter/backcourt player and she is working really hard on her ball control skills because she is trying to determine how she can best get on the floor and play
  • She is another great teammate. It’s funny that in setting drills she is not as efficient but when she gets into game play she is really good. She forgets about technique and just plays
  • So those are three that haven’t played as much as the some of the others, but they are all young - two redshirt freshman and a true freshman
  • Then you have the two we are redshirting
  • Lizzie Carr is 6’6” and is going to be a tremendous blocker
  • She is really smart and always into the match. I am confident she will become a premiere player for us
  • Brielle Warren is a left side/right side player and hits the ball with heavier hand than anyone we have in the gym
  • When we have defenders that are hit in the face by a ball we normally know who hit it - Brielle Warren
  • We felt it made so much more sense to redshirt her this year rather than play her in 10% of the games
  • A lot of youngsters don’t understand the value of redshirting because it’s not something you grow up dreaming of doing - you dream of playing in the Big Ten
  • But she has adjusted to that and every night she just plays her tail off in practice
  • Next year you will see a ton of those people

Q: Going back and forth between large arenas (at Breslin/MSU) vs small (at Michigan) - just how hard is that from a background perspective and for the future when you will play in the NCAA Tournament?

A:
I think going from a small arena where the background is right in front of you to going to a big arena - it’s about pass and serve
  • Occasionally a set ball - with big lights and a high ceiling - that will bother. But mostly it’s pass and serve when you have a deeper background with lots of, in this case (Breslin), empty seats
  • That’s why when we are going to play in a big arena we have wanted to practice some in Mackey - especially for the NCAA tournament
  • It’s not hard to get back after you’ve played in a different venue. It’s like in baseball when you have a good batter’s eye background vs one that just has a field out there
  • I thought we handled the serve great against Michigan - back to a venue similar to what we practice in on a regular basis
Thanks for taking the time to put these notes together!
 
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