West Lafayette coach Lindsey Morgan sees first action mirroring father and Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell.
WEST LAFAYETTE — First year West Lafayette head coach Lindsey Morgan knows a thing or two about tradition.
Not only because of her family lineage and growing up around some of the greatest volleyball minds the sport has ever produced.
But how each of them were standing on the same courts Morgan is now as a high school coach.
Her famed father Dave Shondell now quite literally and figuratively is across the street at Purdue.
Before coaching at Purdue, Shondell coached high school players at Daleville and Muncie Central in nearly that same three decade span. Her uncles John coached at New Castle while Steve coached at Muncie Burris before becoming the Ball State head coach.
"It's kind of what we do," Morgan said. "It's what they did and now I get to be part of their legacy. And that part of their legacy coaching high school is just as big as the college part, if not bigger."
Morgan inherited a team that won the IHSAA 3A sectional with returning stars in senior outside hitter Audrey Alexander and setter Addie Gehres.
Along with Gehres comes the athleticism of 5-foot-11 junior opposite Sophie Andrew and an experienced backrow senior defensive specialist Kynlee Dunbar and junior libero Sophie Lee.
"She's been focusing on our setters which they haven't been getting the attention they needed in the past so that's helping our game speed up," Alexander said. "She's very knowledgeable in everything she does. She's really helping our team glue and helping our team focus more on serving than we have in the past and that's a big part of the game."
Andrew explained how Morgan has focused on lifting more weights and enhancing each player's athleticism during the offseason.
"We were in the gym all summer early morning, late at night lifting and doing strength and conditioning," Andrew said. "It's a change but it's really paid off."
With the pedigree of Morgan — who made assistant coaching stops at Samford in 2007, Mississippi State in 2008, University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2009 and Villanova in 2010 — also comes Morgan the parent (mom of three sons) and teacher.
Her energy resonated throughout the gym Monday as volleyball fans, curious about Dave Shondell's daughter packed Berberian Gymnasium to witness a sweep over Rossville.
Nerves kicked in for the Red Devils but eventually their playing style and continuity began showing in the second set.
Alexander and Lee each laid out for digs during the second to last point of the evening to signal the Lindsey Morgan era was officially underway in West Lafayette.
"She brings a really good energy to practice every single day," Andrew said. "We don't mess around and every single day we're working hard and we're only going to get better from here."
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lindsey Morgan carries Shondell coaching legacy to West Lafayette
Category: General Sports
