Former Purdue Assistant Coach Joins Wisconsin's Volleyball Staff
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John Shondell, a former Purdue assistant coach and the brother of Boilermakers head coach Dave Shondell, has landed a job on Kelly Sheffield's staff at Wisconsin. The Badgers released a statement on Wednesday regarding changes to the staff for the 2025 season.
Wisconsin announced the promotion of Lauren Carlini to full-time assistant coach, as well as associate head coach Gary White being promoted to director of player personnel and analytics. John is the only new addition to the staff of the three.
"John brings an enormous amount of coaching knowledge and experience, and I'm thrilled about adding him to the Wisconsin staff," said Sheffield in a statement. "His passion for the game, commitment to the student-athlete and teaching ability are second to none."
John worked at Purdue under his brother, Dave, for 19 seasons. He helped guide the Boilermakers to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including seven trips to the Sweet 16, during his time in West Lafayette.
Last year, John worked as an assistant coach for the Indy Ignite, the PVF's Indianapolis franchise. He also was the head coach at New Castle High School (Ind.) for nine years.
Wisconsin is coming off a 26-7 campaign in 2024, which included a 17-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Badgers lost to Nebraska in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
Purdue and Wisconsin are scheduled to play just once during the 2025 season, a Nov. 20 showdown at the University of Wisconsin Field House.
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PURDUE VOLLEYBALL AT BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS: Purdue has named the two players it will be sending to Chicago for Big Ten Media Days, along with head coach Dave Shondell. CLICK HERE
PURDUE PLAYING 3 MATCHES IN MACKEY: The Purdue volleyball team announced it will head to Mackey Arena for three matches during the 2025 season. The Boilermakers played two matches there in 2024. CLICK HERE
INDIANA-PURDUE PLAYING IN INDY: Purdue and Indiana are looking to make more Big Ten volleyball attendance history this year, scheduling a match at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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