Purdue Volleyball Spring 2026 Preview
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue volleyball team is carrying a lot of momentum into its spring season. After finishing last year with a 27-7 record and a trip to the Regional Final round of the NCAA Tournament, the Boilermakers are confident in what they can accomplish in 2026.
Purdue returns a lot of production from last year's squad, which begins with pin hitters Kenna Wollard and Grace Heaney. Wollard led the team with 577 kills and Heaney finished with a .319 hitting percentage.
The Boilermakers also return All-Big Ten setter Taylor Anderson, libero Ryan McAleer and middle blockers Dior Charles and Bianka Lulic. Defensive specialist Sienna Foster also returns to the team for the 2026 campaign.
In addition to the returning talent from last year's squad, head coach Dave Shondell is also excited about the incoming talent on the roster. In other words, expectations are already high in West Lafayette.
The start of the 2026 season is still months away, but why not take an early look at where Purdue stands for the spring season?
Where is the team chemistry?
It's no secret that last year's offseason was topsy-turvy for Purdue. The Boilermakers lost four players to the transfer portal, including a pair of All-Americans. Shondell and his staff worked hard to bring in a strong transfer group to replace that production in a short period of time.
Obviously, it worked out pretty well for the program when the season ended. But it took some time for that group to develop team chemistry.
With so much of its talent returning and only one player leaving via the transfer portal — defensive specialist Mattie Casale — Purdue is in a much better spot.
"It's way ahead. At this time last year, we had people coming from all angles," Shondell said. "We had three freshmen who came in, five transfers who came in, and a group that was kind of stunned [by what happened]. But because of what they did last year, they left us in a position where there's a lot more confidence and leadership and all the things you want to have at this point in time."
Of the 17-player roster, 13 are returners from the 2025 squad. Purdue brought in one player from the transfer portal — former Georgia Tech outside hitter Mimi Mambu — and signed a three-person freshman class: MaryKate Scheumann (defensive specialist), Elle Schara (defensive specialist) and Sydni Vice (outside hitter).
Purdue is in a much better situation than it was 12 months ago.
McAleer emerging as a leader
Losing senior Akasha Anderson is a major hit for Purdue because of her production and leadership qualities. Although she only spent one season with the Boilermakers, she was the emotional leader of last year's team.
Right now, Shondell said McAleer is picking up some of that slack. It's still early in the spring portion of the schedule, but he says the junior libero has emerged as one of the vocal leaders for the 2026 team.
"Right now, Ryan McAleer has all the characteristics you want to have in a leader. I think she's going to be as good as any libero in the country," Shondell said. "She is, right now, doing everything that you would hope a big-time libero would do, both with the plays she makes and how she leads the team and what she demands from other people."
McAleer had a big sophomore season, averaging 3.634 digs and 1.267 assists per set. Without question, she'll be among the top liberos in the Big Ten.
But Shondell doesn't expect McAleer to be the only leader in the locker room. He believes other veterans are going to step up in the coming weeks and months to help guide the team.
"I think you're going to see a lot more from Kenna Wollard, Grace Heaney," he said. "Dior Charles is a lot quieter, but this Dior Charles compared to what we had a year ago ... now we know who she is."
What's needed to make a Final Four push?
Because of the success Purdue enjoyed last season, expectations are even higher for the program in 2026. Yes, the Boilermakers lost some key pieces with Akasha Anderson, Lindsey, Rachel Williams and Julia Kane all moving on, but there's still a plethora of talent on the roster.
The Boilermakers have lofty goals entering the 2026 campaign, hoping to reach new heights as a program.
"We know what we can do. Our goals are a lot different. Last year, our goal was just to show everybody we had a great team. That can mean a lot of different things," Shondell said. "This year, I think this team has to think about going to the Final Four."
What Shondell really likes about his team is the depth it has at every position on the court. There is still plenty of room for improvement, but this is a group that has size, skill and experience.
"We have to have great players at every position. Last year, we had three All-Americans. But we have to be really, really good at every single spot," he said. "I want to make sure that, at every position we've got, we're super, super solid."
The approach to spring matches
Purdue will play three opponents during the spring season and will also host an intrasquad scrimmage. These matches present opportunities for players to get back into a competitive rhythm before fall arrives.
Last year, because of injuries and roster fluxuation, Shondell played a number of players in the spring matches. Certainly, some of the younger players will get an opportunity in the coming months, but the Boilermakers are also approaching these matches with a winning mentality.
"You want to try to get everybody in those spring matches if you can, but practice is where they get their opportunities. We don't need to be playing in front of 4,000 people at Center Grove High School to get opportunities that they can play. They're doing it every single day," Shondell said.
"You want your team to learn how to win. Just because we won 27 last year, doesn't automatically mean that they know how to win. I think they do, but we're playing some good teams — Indiana, Vanderbilt and Illinois. When we play those matches, we're playing to win. You have to use those as the same matches you'll prepare for next season."
2026 spring roster
Name (#) | Position | Class | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
#2 MaryKate Scheumann | DS | Fr. | 5-foot-10 |
#3 Ryan McAleer | DS | Jr. | 5-foot-6 |
#4 Kenna Wollard | OH | Sr. | 6-foot-1 |
#5 Taylor Anderson | S | Sr. | 6-foot-1 |
#6 Sienna Foster | DS | So. (RS) | 5-foot-9 |
#7 Bianka Lulic | MB | Jr. (RS) | 6-foot-5 |
#8 Isabelle Bardin | S | Fr. (RS) | 6-foot-3 |
#9 Dior Charles | MB | Sr. | 6-foot-1 |
#10 Nataly Moravec | OH | Jr. (RS) | 6-foot-3 |
#11 Allie Shondell | S | Jr. | 5-foot-10 |
#14 Grace Heaney | OPP | Jr. (RS) | 6-foot-2 |
#15 Rachel Raye Williams | OPP | Fr. (RS) | 6-foot-3 |
#16 Morgan Williams | MB | Fr. (RS) | 6-foot-3 |
#17 Sydni Vice | OH/OPP | Fr. | 6-foot-4 |
#18 Addy Tindall | OH | Fr. (RS) | 6-foot-3 |
#19 Elle Schara | DS | Fr. | 5-foot-10 |
#21 Lameen "Mimi" Mambu | OH | So. | 6-foot |
2026 spring schedule
Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
March 28 | Illinois | Holloway Gymnasium (West Lafayette, Ind.) | 11 a.m. ET |
April 1 | Intrasquad scrimmage | Holloway Gymnasium (West Lafayette, Ind.) | 5:30 p.m. ET |
April 11 | Vanderbilt | Center Grove High School (Greenwood, Ind.) | 6 p.m. ET |
April 19 | Indiana | Fishers Event Center (Fishers, Ind.) | 2 p.m. ET |
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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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