"I didn't talk at all about this match"- Purdue coach Dave Shondell opens up on handling team after loss against Nebraska volleyball

Purdue coach Dave Shondell shared his approach with his volleyball players following their 3-0 loss to Nebraska. In the home game, the Boilermakers couldn’t overcome the Huskers, who have been dominant this season, losing sets 25-23, 25-16 and 25-15.

After the loss, Shondell shared that he deliberately chose not to talk about the match with his volleyball players, wanting them to move on and not dwell on it. Entering his 23rd season in 2025, Shondell explained that while many experienced coaches sometimes make players feel bad to get their attention, he didn’t do so because he believes in his team.

In a post-match interview with IndyStar, Dave Shondell spoke about his approach, adding:

“If you coach for a long time and you understand the psychology of it, you don't like to do this, but you have to make your team feel bad sometimes to get their attention. And I didn't do it this time, because I believe in my team. I believe in our team. I didn't talk at all about this match.”

Although Purdue volleyball couldn’t get past Nebraska volleyball, they still have had a great overall season, with 13 wins and 3 losses. They next will compete against Indiana in an away game on October 16 at 7:00 PM EDT. So far, they have won all 5 away matches that they have contested this year.

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Nebraska volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly praises Harper Murray for dominant performance in first set against Purdue

Nebraska volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly at Division I Women's Volleyball Championship 2024. Source: Getty

Nebraska volleyball head coach Dani Busboom Kelly reflects on Harper Murray’s dominant performance in the first set against Purdue. Murray recorded 16 kills overall and 5 digs, with an impressive hitting efficiency of 0.640 percentage.

In a post-match interview, Kelly talked about Murray’s brilliance throughout, adding:

“That’s a pretty impressive stat line, and she was doing it from all over the court. It’s not just that she was getting one-on-ones in the front row, she was killing out-of-system balls, she was crushing out of the back row and we really needed her to play that well in game one, or we would have lost that set for sure.”

Murray had earlier delivered a remarkable performance against Washington on October 10, registering 12 kills and 7 digs. With this victory, Nebraska Volleyball has now extended their winning streak to 16-0 this season. They will next face Michigan State in an away game on Friday, October 17, at 6:00 PM CDT.

Edited by Abhiruchi Rout