WEST LAFAYETTE — It had been an emotional year for Dave Shondell, and the 67-year-old’s persistence to see his contract through led to a rejuvenated Purdue volleyball coach.

The details of the four-year contract he announced Dec. 13 following the Boilermakers’ loss to Pittsburgh in the Elite Eight were released this week. He signed the contract five days prior to announcing it. Shondell previously told IndyStar he contemplated retirement before the Boilers’ core helped him decide to continue coaching.

Newsday Player of the Year: Logan Coady, Massapequa, OH, Sr.

Coady was the engine that drove Massapequa to its first state title.

He had 22 kills, including the final point, and a block in Massapequa’s five-set win over reigning champion Penfield in the Division I final and was named the MVP of the state tournament.

Coady, who was Newsday’s Nassau Player of the Year as a junior, was the unquestioned leader of the team on and off the court.

“It’s a kind of leadership that is not loud and boisterous, it’s that you lead by example and that’s exactly what Logan does,” coach Elissa DiSalvo said. “The younger kids have been figuring it out just by following his example.”

Coady even had fans from opposing teams approach him after matches to ask for a picture with him.

After missing Massapequa’s loss in the 2023 Nassau quarterfinals with an illness, Coady returned to lead his team to two straight Nassau titles. Massapequa went 21-0 this season, dropping just eight sets. Coady finished with 267 kills, 111 digs, 37 blocks and 25 aces. 

“I always trust the guys around me and it’s awesome not to just be a one-man army out there,” Coady said. “The spotlight might be on me, but we have people just as good as me that can put the ball away.”

Suffolk Player of the Year: Jack Cain, Eastport-South Manor, MB/RS, Sr.

Cain played a big role in the Sharks’ run to the 2024 Division II state title. His role only grew this year.

“He was the best middle in the county last year, but I knew he had more to offer. I wanted him to play all six rotations,” coach Bill Kropp said. “We moved him to the right side, something he’s never done. He took on the challenge and he went from being the best middle, to the best right side, to, in my opinion, the best player.”

Cain had 319 kills, 201 digs, 57 blocks and 45 aces and seven assists and led the Sharks back to the state final. Eastport-South Manor went 17-1 and lost just six sets behind Cain’s outstanding play and high energy.

“He is our emotional anchor. He’s able to pump everybody up,” Kropp said. “He’s everything you want in a player.”

FIRST TEAM

Tyler Bottcher, Eastport-South Manor, L, Sr.

He totaled 264 digs, 29 assists, five aces and had a 2.65 serve receive rating. He was the backbone of the Sharks’ defense on their run to two straight appearances in the state final.

Tyler Cope, Connetquot, L, Soph.

The anchor of Connetquot’s defense had 256 digs, 57 assists and 21 aces to lead the T-Birds to the Suffolk Division I title.

Matthew Fitzgerald, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, OH, Sr.

He totaled 201 kills, 31 blocks, 97 digs, nine aces and seven assists as the focal point of the Hawks’ offense.

Niall Haughney, Bay Shore, MB, Sr.

The Merrimack commit totaled 259 kills, 70 blocks, 187 digs, 23 aces and 17 assists and led the Marauders to the Suffolk Division I final.

Joseph Kim, Roslyn, OH, Jr.

He totaled 292 kills, 26 blocks, 25 assists, 141 digs and 30 aces to lead the Bulldogs to their second straight Nassau Division II title. 

Colin O’Connor, Connetquot, OH, Sr.

He had 249 kills, 156 digs, 11 assists and nine aces to lead Connetquot’s balanced offense.

Arkaidiy Rivkin, Syosset, OH, Sr.

The NJIT commit was one of Nassau’s most feared hitters and a rock for Syosset’s offense the last two years.

Jack Stanley, Massapequa, MB, Sr.

At 6-6, Stanley’s presence in the middle helped spur Massapequa to a state title. He emerged as a superstar alongside Logan Coady and had 10 kills and eight blocks in the Nassau Division I final. He finished with 167 kills, 76 blocks and 25 aces.

Zach Thomas, West Islip, OH, Sr.

He racked up 395 kills, 172 digs, 39 aces, 21 assists and 13 blocks to lead the Lions to the Suffolk Division II final.

Peter Zhang, Great Neck South, S, Sr.

He totaled 677 assists, 162 digs, 45 kills, 45 blocks and 24 aces to lead the Rebels to the Nassau Division I final.

Nassau Coach of the Year: Bryan Patterson, Great Neck South

He led the Rebels to a 12-7 record and their first appearance in the Nassau Division I final.

Suffolk Coach of the Year: Mark Jensen, Bay Shore

He led Bay Shore (15-2) to the Suffolk Division I final after the Marauders went 7-7 and missed the playoffs in 2024.

Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.

Wisconsin volleyball’s magical season ended Thursday night, as the Badgers fell in the NCAA National Semifinals to Kentucky, the final one seed in the tournament. Wisconsin fought hard in a game that went a full five sets, and multiple players made season or career best records, but the Badgers ultimately fell just short of reaching their first NCAA final since 2021.

Wisconsin ended the season with an overall record of 28-5, losing only three conference games. Their tournament run was historic, defeating No. 2 Stanford before punching their ticket to the Final Four against No. 1 Texas’ home advantage. Before Wisconsin’s loss to Kentucky, the Badgers were riding a 13 game winning streak. 

“I feel like this is one of the most successful seasons that I have ever been a part of,” said head coach Kelly Sheffield. “You can hurt, but you can also be proud.”

Wisconsin began the season with ten new players, and were forced to work around major injuries to key starters, including Grace Lopez and Charlie Fuerbringer.  

The final match

Wisconsin came out against Kentucky with fire, and thoroughly dominated the first set. Outside hitter Mimi Colyer and middle blocker Carter Booth attacked the kill game, pushing the Badgers ahead 8-2 out of the gate. 

Throughout the rest of the set, the Badgers continued their successful offensive play. Setter Charlie Fuerbringer recorded 13 assists, finding Booth and Colyer seven times each for 14 kills between those two Wisconsin players.  

Behind this offensive precision, the Badgers wrapped up set one quickly, outplaying Kentucky on every level, 25-12. 

Wisconsin started set two much slower, largely in part to six serving errors. With Kentucky increasing their success in blocking or returning Wisconsin’s hits, especially from Booth and Colyer, Wisconsin lost their offensive rhythm, and trailed the Wildcats for the first half of the set. 

Fuerbringer, however, kept Wisconsin close, bringing some spark with two points off of second-touch dumps. Then the Badgers went on a three point run off of two solo blocks and a kill. With those points, Wisconsin pushed out ahead of Kentucky, 10-9.

When the Badgers fell behind by a point, Sheffield called a challenge on a questionable Kentucky save. Officials overturned the original call and awarded Wisconsin the point, pushing them ahead of Kentucky by one. 

Kentucky then went on a six-point run late in the set, pulling ahead of the Badgers 24-20. Fuerbringer and middle blocker Alicia Andrew eventually threw Kentucky off with a block to break the point streak, but it wasn’t enough to secure the set for Wisconsin. Kentucky won set two, 25-22.