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Coaching Staff

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Dave Shondell Head Coach

Dave Shondell is entering his 15th year at the helm of the Purdue volleyball program after leading the team to 10 NCAA Tournament berths in the last 12 years, including seven Sweet 16 appearances, and Elite Eight appearances in 2010 and 2013. The Big Ten and Mideast Region Coach of the Year in 2011, Shondell became the fourth head coach in the history of the Boilermaker program on Feb. 13, 2003.

In 13 seasons, Shondell has transformed Purdue into a perennial Big Ten Conference and national contender. In his first season, Shondell led the Boilermakers to two Top 25 wins and the program’s first win over Ohio State in Columbus since 1988. In the past 12 years, Purdue has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to the second round each season, making the program one of 11 nationally to do so. The team’s seven Sweet 16 berths in the last 12 seasons make the school one of 12 in the nation that can boast the accomplishment. In fact, Purdue is one of just 12 schools to appear in four of the last six Sweet 16s (2010-2013). The Boilermakers have posted nine 20-win seasons, including 29 victories in 2011, the program’s highest total since 1985. Purdue has defeated 48 ranked teams and climbed the Big Ten standings, finishing second in 2011, the team’s best finish since 1987.

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John Shondell Associate Head Coach

John Shondell is in his 15th year at Purdue after joining the Boilermaker coaching staff as an assistant coach in March of 2003. After 10 years as an assistant coach, John was promoted to associate head coach in January 2013.

Prior to his time at Purdue, Shondell spent nine years as head coach of the New Castle High School volleyball program, where his teams ranked among the top 10 in the state each of his last seven years. In his tenure at New Castle, 12 of his players earned NCAA Division I scholarships, including seven athletes in his last two years. His teams compiled a 296-87 record and were ranked in the top two in the state each of his last three years. In 2001, New Castle posted a 34-4 record, helping Shondell earn Class 4A Indiana State Coach of the Year honors. He was named North Central Conference Coach of the Year four times (1996, 1997, 2000, 2001).

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Kathy Jewell Assistant Coach

Kathy Jewell, a native of Jeffersonville, Ind., is in her 15th year at Purdue after joining the Boilermakers as the first assistant in March of 2003.

“Kathy is extremely well organized and extremely driven to be successful,” head coach Dave Shondell said. “She is certainly the coach on our staff that does the most behind the scenes. She doesn’t get a lot of the attention or notoriety, but she is a rock for John and I and has made a great impact on Purdue volleyball during the last eight years. She is a great liaison between our student-athletes and coaches and she takes control of this team in so many ways that people don’t see. Without Kathy, there is no way that our program would be in the position that it is, ready to take the next step to become one of the premier programs in the country.”

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Levi Gibson Volunteer Assistant

Levi Gibson is in his second year as a volunteer assistant coach with the Boilermakers after spending the last three years as a head coach with the Asics Munciana Volleyball Club 14s team and as a manager with the Ball State women’s volleyball team.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to join the Boilermaker coaching staff for 2016,” Gibson said. “Everyone here has welcomed me with open arms. I look forward to making West Lafayette my new home.”

At Munciana, Gibson coached the 14 National Spartans in 2016 and the 14 National Roos in 2014 and 2015 and was a volunteer assistant to the 16 Open Ninjas in 2015. He also helped train Munciana athletes from the 13-18 open/national divisions, which went on to win a national championship and earn two runner-up and a fifth-place finish at the AAU Open Division Nationals.

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Stephanie Harpenau Supervisor of Operations

Stephanie Harpenau is in her second year as Supervisor of Operations. A familiar face returned to the Boilermaker sidelines in the summer of 2016 as three-time All-American middle blocker Stephanie (Lynch) Harpenau takes on a new role as supervisor of volleyball operations.

“I am beyond excited and honored to be returning to West Lafayette as a member of the Purdue Volleyball staff,” Harpenau said. “I had a wonderful experience as a student-athlete at Purdue while playing for this coaching staff and I am looking forward to working with them to continue to raise the volleyball program to the next level.”

Harpenau, a first team All-America selection in 2008 and honorable mention honoree in 2006 and 2007, returns to West Lafayette after spending the last six years as a science teacher and the last three years as the head volleyball coach at Providence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.