Pull the net up in Mackey

Two appearances at Mackey Arena are expected to break the Big Ten volleyball attendance record

For Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell, the mission is always to take his program to the next level. The goal is to create winning teams and high-performing student-athletes on and off the field, but also to help the sport continue its meteoric rise in popularity.

October 19th and 26th are days that will go down in college volleyball history. On those dates, Purdue volleyball will break the sellout attendance record for a Big Ten Conference regular-season game that has stood for 19 years when Indiana and Wisconsin, respectively, come to West Lafayette.

Both games at Mackey Arena will be attended by 14,876 fans, an increase of nearly 4,000 fans from previous standards. They've been sold out for weeks.

“We want to be part of the volleyball explosion we’re seeing in this country,” Shondell said. “I know the excitement in Mackey these evenings will be extraordinary. It’s a great time to be part of the growth of the sport and we’re excited to do our part to raise the bar.”

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

But the coach always strives for more and more for his sport. Some felt it was a risk to give the games back to Mackey. After all, Holloway Gymnasium is the proverbial bird in the hand, selling out with over 2,400 fans every night. To break even, Mackey would need 3,500 fans, due in part to some additional costs required to play there.

Not only did it take a few hours to break even, but the lower bowl was nearly sold out by members of the John Purdue Club before tickets were sold to the general public. Then, just days after the July 29 announcement that the historic basketball venue would temporarily become the home of volleyball, 12,000 tickets were sold for each contest. In fact, in less than a week, there were fewer than 2,000 tickets left for the Wisconsin game.

In terms of a successful venture, it was not a competition.

The time is ripe

With Eva Hudson, Chloe Chicoine and Raven Colvin, three returning All-Americans, a top-10 finish all season and a sellout that is the norm and hasn't been the exception in years, there hasn't been a better time for the Return of the Mackey Arena program.

And when the pageantry and traditions of Holloway merge with historic Mackey Arena for two of this season's biggest games? Well, the fans can rejoice.

“We see what has been done in other places and the crowds they draw,” says Shondell, one of volleyball’s great ambassadors. “And TV exposure has grown so much in the last few years. You can watch volleyball on TV almost every evening. We can’t wait to showcase our audience, our team and our programming to the NBC audience.”

An added benefit is that Mackey Arena provides good preparation for the NCAA Tournament, which is typically played in larger venues than Purdue's cozy Holloway Gymnasium.

“It’s a slightly different feeling playing in a bigger building,” Shondell says. “It can’t hurt as we look ahead to the postseason.”

The players are excited

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

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

As a little girl, I watched those big games on TV and dreamed of playing in front of so many people. But I never really thought I would be on TV and standing in that sold out arena in front of all these little girls watching.

This is just something very special for me. These little girls look up to us and it’s honestly an honor to be able to represent this sport.”

Raven Colvin, senior middle blocker for Purdue volleyball

For Colvin, who was at Mackey Arena many times last year and watched her brother Myles play for basketball coach Matt Painter, she had urged Shondell to schedule a game at the basketball facility. It's been eight seasons since volleyball was played in Mackey, and Colvin thought it was time.

“I saw the pictures of the big crowds at Mackey volleyball and always thought we should do it,” said Colvin, one of the best frontcourt players in the country. “People come to me all the time and say that they can’t get tickets for our home games because they are always sold out. So it doesn't surprise me that we sold out of Mackey.

“Myles and I talked about what it would be like for me to have the lights and the big launch happening at Mackey for basketball. It will be a great experience if our roles are reversed on these two evenings.”

More in the future?

Longtime fans will remember that in 1985, Purdue broke the NCAA volleyball attendance record by drawing 10,645 fans for a “Pac-Mac” promotion. That's been the school standard for 39 years, dating back to the halcyon days of coach Carol Dewey's program. But will the large crowds and additional revenue generated by playing in a facility six times capacity be enticing, especially in an era of revenue sharing and financial pressures on college athletics? The answer is yes, but Purdue will be selective in its opportunities to play in Mackey in the coming years because logistical challenges abound and men's and women's basketball are the primary tenants.

“The time was right to return to Mackey this year and we will look for opportunities in the future,” said Chris Peludat, associate athletics director for marketing and fan experience. “We will try to visit Mackey once or twice a year but would also like to continue to maximize our home space at Holloway Gym. This is a credit to our fans and our program, and we want to make the sport accessible to more and more fans and children.”

Later this week, the mission of taking the program to new levels will be accomplished.

Written by Alan Karpick, in his 29th year as editor of GoldandBlack.com.