Raising the net in Mackey

Two Mackey Arena appearances set to break Big Ten volleyball attendance record

For Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell, the mission is always to take his program to the next level. Winning teams and high-achieving student-athletes on and off the court are the goal, but so is helping the sport continue its meteoric rise in popularity.

October 19 and 26 are days that will reside in collegiate volleyball history. On those dates, Purdue volleyball will smash the attendance record for a Big Ten Conference regular-season match that has lasted 19 years with capacity crowds when Indiana and Wisconsin, respectively, come to West Lafayette.

There will be 14,876 in attendance for both matches in Mackey Arena, bettering the previous standard by nearly 4,000 fans. They have been sold out for weeks.

“We want to be part of the volleyball explosion that we are seeing in this country,” Shondell says. “I know the excitement in Mackey on those nights will be off the chart. It’s a great time to be part of the sport’s growth, and we are glad to do our part in raising the bar.”

In 22 seasons at Purdue, much has been accomplished on Shondell’s watch. His standards and expectations have always been high. Eighteen NCAA Tournament appearances, including four regional final berths and 20 All-Americans coached, are just a few of his chops as the Boilermaker boss. He became the winningest coach in school annals earlier this month with a triumph over Michigan State.

But the coach is always striving for more and more for his sport. Some thought it was a risk to bring matches back to Mackey. After all, Holloway Gymnasium is the proverbial bird in the hand, selling out every night at over 2,400 fans. It would take 3,500 fans in Mackey to break even, due, in part, to some additional expenses necessary to play there.

Not only did it take a matter of hours to smash through the break-even level, but the lower bowl was nearly sold-out through John Purdue Club members before tickets went on sale to the general public. Then, just days after the July 29 announcement that the historic basketball venue would be volleyball’s temporary home, 12,000 tickets were sold for each contest. In fact, in less than a week, the Wisconsin match had less than 2,000 tickets remaining.

In terms of a successful venture, it was no contest.

The time is right

With three returning All-Americans in Eva Hudson, Chloe Chicoine and Raven Colvin, a top-10 ranking all season long and sellout matches the norm, not the exception for years now, there was no better time for the program to make its return to Mackey Arena.

And when the pageantry and traditions of Holloway merge with the historic venue that is Mackey Arena for two of the biggest matches this season? Well, fans are in for a treat.

“We see what has been done at other places and the crowds they are drawing,” says Shondell, one of the great ambassadors for volleyball. “And the television exposure has grown so much in recent years. Just about every night, you can watch volleyball on TV. We can’t wait to showcase our crowd, our team and our program to that NBC audience.”

An added benefit is that Mackey Arena will be good preparation for the NCAA Tournament, which is usually played in venues more spacious than Purdue’s cozy Holloway Gymnasium.

“It is a little different feel playing in a bigger building,” Shondell says. “It can’t hurt as we look towards the postseason.”

The players are pumped

For seniors Raven Colvin and Ali Hornung, the bright lights of Mackey Arena will provide some extra juice.

“I am so excited; it’s the perfect event for my senior year and allows us to go out with a bang,” says Hornung, a defensive specialist from New Albany, Indiana. “I definitely will get goosebumps when I run on the court.

When I was a little girl, I would watch these big matches on TV, and I dreamed of playing in front of that many people. But I never really thought I would get to that point where I would be on TV and in this sold-out arena with all these little girls watching.

That’s just so special to me. Those little girls look up to us, and it’s honestly just an honor to be able to represent the sport.”

raven colvin, senior middle blocker for purdue volleyball

For Colvin, who was in Mackey Arena many times last year watching her brother, Myles, play for basketball coach Matt Painter, she had been pushing Shondell to get a match scheduled in the basketball facility. It has been eight seasons since volleyball has been played in Mackey, and Colvin thought it was about time.

“I’ve seen the pictures of the big crowds for volleyball in Mackey and always thought we should do it,” says Colvin, one of the nation’s premier frontcourt players. “People come up to me all the time and say that they can’t get tickets to our home matches because they are always sold out, so it doesn’t surprise me that we were able to sell Mackey out.

“Myles and I have talked about what it would be like for me to have the lights and big introduction that goes on in Mackey for basketball. It will be a neat experience to have our roles reversed for those two nights.”

More down the road?

Long-time fans will remember that Purdue broke the NCAA volleyball attendance record by drawing 10,645 fans for a “Pac-Mac” promotion in 1985. That has been the school standard for 39 years, dating to the halcyon days of coach Carol Dewey’s program. But will the big crowds and the extra revenue generated by playing in a facility with six times the capacity be enticing, especially in the days of revenue sharing and financial pressure on college athletics? The answer is yes, but Purdue will pick and choose its opportunities to play in Mackey in future years as logistical challenges are plentiful, with men’s and women’s basketball being the primary tenants.

“The time was right to return to Mackey this year, and we’ll look for future opportunities,” says Chris Peludat, associate athletics director for marketing and fan experience. “We will look to get in Mackey once or twice a year but also want to keep maximizing our home court at Holloway Gym. It’s a credit to our fans and our program, and we always want to expose the sport to more fans and kids.”

Later this week, the mission of getting the program to another level will be accomplished.

Written by Alan Karpick, who is in his 29th year as publisher of GoldandBlack.com.