--- In bigtenvb@yahoogroups.com, "Matt Leach" <ruffda_55108@...> wrote:

> And wasn't Dildine a starter for Purdue?


I think Rob was basing his comment on the idea that there are 7
starters nowadays, so that means with Dildine gone, Purdue has 6
returning. Of course, when running the 6-2, you could argue there are
9 starters possible, so TTFWIW (let's see, there was Shondell, Gray,
Mader, Gurnell, Lynch, Jacques, Merlau, Miller, and Dildine, and you
could even throw Mastandrea in there sometimes, so that makes 10, with
8 returning).

Dildine graduating affects them in two ways. 1) Serving, and 2)
consistency. One thing about Dildine is that she brought it all the
time. Miller and Mastandrea have their days, but you can't count on
them every day like you could with Dilly. And she had a tough serve,
to say the least.

Purdue also still has issues
> at setter and may also end up with a frosh there.
>

Then again, the way Purdue ends up with a frosh setter is if she
outplays the returning setter. Very possible, but I don't see how it
is a negative thing. It means that she is a better setter than the one
returning.

The biggest setter issue they had last year has been resolved. Gray on
her own would already be a big improvement, and, if it ends up being
Hart, it is that much better.

That all being said, there are some concerns I have. There is a rumor
that Gurnell might be redshirting due to injury. Now, on one hand, she
is a player who could really benefit from a redshirt year (trying to
learn to be an OH), but that makes this season a little of a bind when
it comes to hitters. We've got Steady Sammi Mader, who is more
respected throughout the league than she is by her own coaches, it
seems, and there is Merlau. The third person could be Pierce, who is
coming back from her ACL injury, but (I'm sure you know where this is
going) I am expecting it to be Miller. I have to admit, I don't think
this a top 15 team with Miller hitting. Even with the 2005 version of
her hitting, she is still a huge hole on the left, and Big Ten Opps
will pound over her (2005 attacking was ok - last year was not, but she
did struggle with injury. Even then, she doesn't bring a block). I
don't expect freshman OH Mandy Nichols to be ready to contribute yet.

It's a tough situation, but there are creative solutions. Risky, but
the payoff could be huge. For one, there is the possibility of running
three middles, with Lynch, Jacques, and Arthurs. UNI pulled this off
with Molly OBrien, Burvee, and Vermeer, but it's not very orthodox, and
it might be tough to implement. Alternative, there has been some talk
among the circles about moving Lynch to OPP. Intriguing idea, I think,
but man, Steph doesn't really strike me as the OPP type. That's a big
risk taking your all-conference middle and asking her to hit on the
right. I don't see her as being athletic enough, but she has
apparently lost a lot of weight over the summer. Arthurs has more of
the OPP build (tall, skinny, with long arms), but now you are aksking a
freshman to change position. However, a front line of
Lynch/Mader/Arthurs or Jacques/Hart/Merlau could be impressive. It
might help the blocking, too.