Dave Shondell Provides Update on Purdue Senior Kenna Wollard

Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell provided a brief update on senior Kenna Wollard, who has been sidelined this season with a medical issue.

Kenna Wollard smiles during a Purdue volleyball match. | Purdue Athletics (purduesports.com)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — No. 10 Purdue was on the wrong side of a 3-0 sweep to No. 6 Wisconsin on Sunday at Mackey Arena, but that wasn't the most important thing to head coach Dave Shondell and his players on that particular afternoon. The Boilermakers were happy to see a familiar face back around the program.

Kenna Wollard, who has missed this season because of an undisclosed medical issue, was back with the team on Sunday. It was the second time she's been around the team this season, also making an appearance in Purdue's last Mackey Arena match against Georgia in early September.

"Kenna Wollard is back with us, and that's more important to me than the outcome of this particular match," Shondell said on Sunday. "Kenna is back, and she's going to travel, if we let her, to Oregon and Washington. It'll be nice to have her with us, and hopefully she can give us an emotional lift."

Wollard stepped away from the team in August after announcing that she is dealing with an undisclosed medical issue. Right now, Shondell says the All-American outside hitter feels good enough to travel.

So, when Purdue heads to the West Coast later this week, she will be on the plane, around her closest friends.

"She feels really good right now, and she wants to be back. She thinks this is going to be good for her to be back and be around her people," Shondell said. "The doctors say she's ready to go and can travel with us."

Wollard was absent from Purdue's second exhibition match in August. Before the Boilermakers opened the season against Creighton, she announced on Instagram that she would be away from the team for a period of time.

"Sometimes life changes in ways you could never imagine or prepare for," Wollard wrote. "I'm currently dealing with an unexpected health issue that will keep me away for a little while. While I'm not ready to share the details at this time, I hope you understand and respect my privacy until I am ready to share more."

Although Wollard is healthy enough to be around the team right now, Shondell said he does not expect that she will return to the court this season. But her health is more important to the head coach than having her on the floor.

"I'm not planning on having her play this year," he said. "I'm just hoping she becomes super, super healthy this year."

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