Neill making the most of her opportunity as a Boilermaker

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Former McCutcheon Maverick and Purdue freshman Amanda Neill knew the time would come when she would play in front of a roaring Boilermaker crowd, but she just didn't know when it would happen.

 In fact, she found out that she would make her first career start as a Boiler just minutes before last Friday's game against Northwestern.

"We really didn't tell Amanda until right before the match," said Purdue volleyball head coach Dave Shondell. "I felt like if I had told her earlier in the day or earlier in the week then she would have time to get herself worked up. So, we waited until about an hour before the match and I told her she was going to be in the lineup."

"It was really an amazing feeling for me to be able to come out and help and contribute to this amazing program," said Neill.

Neill took every moment in during the game and played very well as she led the team with 18 digs. She then followed that performance up with 11 digs in her second career start against Illinois, while her friends and family cheered her on.

"My mom and dad were able to come on Friday night's game but on Saturday night's game I had planned to have 15 of my family members to come even if I wasn't starting," said Neill. "So, when they showed up it was a great surprise for them."

The Boilermakers won both games as Neill made a big impression on the coaching staff.

"I thought she made as big of a difference as any player that we had," said Shondell. "I thought she passed well, she played terriffic defense, she brought energy to the floor, and her serving is something we really wanted to get on to the floor. It was a great weekend for her and in turn allowed us to have a really good weekend in the Big Ten. In the last three weeks she has risen to the occasion and I just felt like she was the kind of player I wanted to have on the floor. I felt like if we plan to get to where this team wants to get to then she is going to have to be on the floor for us."

"It is a good feeling because of all the hard work that I have put in through high school and up until now is being able to shine through and I am really glad for the opportunity," said Neill.

Neill hopes to continue to step up for the Boilers whenever her number is called upon and now it might be a lot more frequently.

No. 12 Purdue returns to action on Friday against No. 4 Nebraska. The game is set to begin at 8:00 pm on Belin Court.