Volleyball On SI

Dave Shondell Makes Purdue History Following Volleyball’s Sweep of Texas A&M

Shondell officially eclipsed former Purdue men’s basketball legend Gene Keady with 513 victories to become the school’s winningest head coach of all-time. 

Nicole Reitz

Dave Shondell officially eclipsed former Purdue men’s basketball legend Gene Keady with 513 victories.
Dave Shondell officially eclipsed former Purdue men’s basketball legend Gene Keady with 513 victories. / Purdue Athletics

When No. 14 Purdue swept the defending national champions, No. 12 Texas A&M, in West Lafayette Tuesday night, Dave Shondell went down in the Boilermaker history books. 

Shondell officially eclipsed former Purdue men’s basketball legend Gene Keady with 513 victories to become the school’s winningest head coach of all-time. 

The win, inside Mackey Arena, the home of the university’s basketball teams, came in front of a crowd of 10,086 fans. It marked the second-straight year the Boilermakers took down defending national champions at home, Shondell’s 101st victory over a ranked opponent, and the 15th win against a ranked opponent over the last six seasons. 

When asked in the post-game press conference if win 513 meant a little more to him, considering the ups and downs the team has gone through over the last two weeks to start the season, Shondell was thrilled to say Purdue is trending upward.

“It meant a lot, Shondell said. "We just played a team that won a national championship a year ago. (Jamie Morrison) was the national coach of the year. It’s a great volleyball program. We had (10,000)-plus fans out there watching us play. We are a team just trying to find itself. It’s amazing what I have learned in the last two years about what young people can do when their backs are against the wall. 

Outside hitters Addy Tindall and Lameen Mambu combined for 28 kills and three attack errors on 58 attacks. The Boilermakers finished with 11 blocks, while holding the Aggies to five, an effort led by  Kate Hansen (6) and Taylor Anderson (7). 

Anderson racked up 36 assists while keeping thePurdue at a .388 team clip. Meanwhile, she was on triple-double watch, adding an errorless five kills, seven total blocks and four digs in the performance.

Shondell is in the midst of his 24th season with the Boilermakers, taking the helm in 2003. Under his direction, Purdue has notched a top-25 victory every single season. He came to Purdue after serving as a high school head coach, and quickly led the team to an NCAA Second Round appearance in just his second year with the program. 

Shondell’s Coaching Awards

  • 2021 and 2011 Big Ten Coach of the Year 
  • 2021 Northeast Region Coach of the Year 
  • 2011 Mideast Region Coach of the Year 

The Boilermakers continue their quest in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge. They’ll take on Georgia at 7 p.m. ET in Mackey Arena on Wednesday.

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Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018. Her work has been published in various publications like Softball On SI, Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

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