Purdue volleyball ready for tournament

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue's volleyball team has endured high and low points this season. The Boilers won seven games in a row, to then drop their next five out of six matches. Purdue ended the regular season on a high note though, with wins over Indiana and Wisconsin.

"To get the win over Indiana, which was an emotional win, and then beating Wisconsin which has been a real strong team in our league," said Purdue head coach Dave Shondell. "It gives us confidence and gives us momentum and I would rather it be that way than drop our last two."

"We had a little rough patch and it is good to come back and have two wins before we go," said Purdue sophomore Val Nichol. "This is what we have been playing and training for and I think going in with two wins makes us more confident."

"It is really good that we got these past two wins and the momentum and hopefully we will get six wins," said Purdue senior Amanda Miller.

Purdue travels on the road to Tallahassee Florida for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Boilers face a very good Colorado State team, that has made the tournament for the past 18 years.

"We have something to prove when we go down to Tallahassee," said Shondell. "We play a really good Colorado State team, who won the Mountain West Conference. They have been to the tournament 18 years in a row. So, its not like the teams that we are used to facing in the first round."

If Purdue makes it past the first round, the Boilers could face ninth ranked Florida State, who knocked Purdue out of the tournament last season.

"If we can beat Colorado State, which will be a big if," said Shondell. "Then if we beat those guys then we have a chance to play Florida State, a team that ruined our season a year ago. That is also extra incentive."

"We have all the motivation to get past Colorado State and being able to play Florida State after that is all that much better. We owe them a little bit of something," said Nichol.

"When we beat Colorado State, we are definitely determined to play against them," said Miller. "They might lose in the first round but I think they are a good enough team that they will go to the second round and I hope to see them."

It will be a tough task for Purdue to make it through the first round, but if they do, they get to play at home in regionals at Mackey Arena.