Purdue Coach Dave Shondell Excited About Inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament

The Big Ten Volleyball Tournament is scheduled to begin on Friday, Nov. 20, and the championship match will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

Even more exciting for Purdue is that the event will be held in Indiana. The Boilermakers will only have to travel 71 miles to Fishers to compete in the event. Because of the location, Shondell is hopeful to see a lot of black-and-gold in the seats for the tournament.

"The Fishers Event Center is the ideal venue to play this inaugural event. Indiana is one of the best volleyball states with the sport growing at every level," he said. "I am convinced this tournament will sell out quickly, and I hope Boilermaker fans will be first in line to secure seats for this awesome volleyball championship."

What does this mean for Big Ten volleyball?

With the Big Ten starting a conference tournament this year, it means the number of league games each team plays drops from 20 to 17. That means every team in the conference will play each opponent just once during the regular season.

The top 15 teams in the Big Ten will participate in the event, meaning the teams that finish in the bottom three spots will not receive the invitation. It adds even more pressure to an already-grueling conference season.

Additionally, there will be more incentive to finish in the top four spots of the Big Ten. Those teams won't play until the quarterfinal round of the event, which is set for Sunday, Nov. 22. There will be an off day on Monday, Nov. 23, and the semifinals will be played on Nov. 24, and the championship on Nov. 25.

Purdue is coming off a season in which it finished with a 27-7 record and went 15-5 in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers have finished in the top four spots of the conference standings each of the past three seasons and four times in the last five years.