Hall of Fame honor tops accolade-loaded career for former Purdue volleyball star

WEST LAFAYETTE — Never before had Dave Shondell seen a volleyball player make the game look so effortless.

The Purdue coach saw it when he was entrenched in a high-profile recruiting battle for Colorado native Ariel (Turner) Gebhardt and he witnessed it even more so after he won that recruiting war to add her to the Boilermaker roster.

"She is brilliant," Shondell said. "We knew that when we recruited her, the kind of student she was and how easy she made things look. She operated daily how she operated on the volleyball floor."

Gebhardt played for the Boilermakers from 2009-12 and put together a resume that outdoes just about everyone who ever put on a Purdue volleyball jersey.

Equally as impressive is the resume she compiled in the classroom, one that would ultimately take her to her current role as an aerospace engineer, where she does orbit interjectory analysis.

Not only was Gebhardt the best player in the Big Ten conference and one of the best in the country during her time in gold and black, she was one of the top student-athletes in the nation, evidenced by her receiving the Academic All-American of the Year for volleyball.

Adding to a long list of accolades as a Purdue volleyball player — multiple All-American honors and 2011 Big Ten Player of the Year among them — is Gebhardt's most recent one, which will come Friday at New Journey Farms in Lafayette.

The 2013 graduate will be inducted into the Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame, one of seven honorees in the 2020 class.

"I got lucky, let's just put it that way," Gebhardt said. "There is no way I could have foreseen all the opportunities that going to Purdue opened up for me. I am very grateful."

Gebhardt graduated with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering before embarking on a four-year professional volleyball career, spending two years in France and two in Germany. 

Ultimately, she ended up in her home state after getting accepted into the University of Colorado master's program for aerospace engineering, where she also doubled as a volunteer assistant volleyball coach for the Buffaloes.

Maybe it was a heavy work load, but as Shondell noted, things seemed to come easy to Gebhardt.

After balancing being a star volleyball player and a top-notch engineering student at Purdue, real life is quite simple.

"Compared to when I was in school (at Purdue), it is easy now," Gebhardt said. "I just have to go to work 40 hours a week. It is a different set of challenges, but it is something that I have been prepared for."

While she set herself up for a career while in West Lafayette, Gebhardt simultaneously took Purdue's volleyball program to new heights.

In 2010, she led the Boilermakers to an Elite Eight appearance, including an upset of top-ranked Florida in the Sweet 16. The following year, she was a first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year after compiling 586 kills, which ranks as the second most in a single season in Purdue history.

She graduated with the second most kills in school history (1,906) and is one of just seven players to compile more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs (1,030).

Shondell believes there is some correlation between Gebhardt's engineering background and the way she was able to dissect opponents on the volleyball court.

"One thing Ariel didn't need to do was hit the ball as hard as she could," Shondell recalled. "She was magical. She always understood how things worked and she understood the defense as well as the opponents knew their defense. She might hit an inside out angle shot. She had such an understanding of how points could come easy more than any player I've ever coached. 

"She is smarter than the average bear and more talented than a lot of people. It wasn't routine by any stretch of the imagination, but Ariel always had a way of making things look easy. I knew she was going to be a great success."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Instagram and Twitter @samueltking.

Hall of Fame inductees

Ariel (Turner) Gebhardt is among seven former student-athletes who will be inducted in the 2020 Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday. Here are the other six inductees:

Shaun Guice, track and field

The former Boilermaker high jumper was a seven-time All-American, earning three outdoor and four indoor honors during his career from 2000-04. He finished fifth three times at the NCAA outdoor championships during his career and placed second twice, third once and ninth during his indoor career. 

Robbie Hummel, basketball

Before being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Hummel compiled more than 1,500 career points, 800 rebounds and 250 assists for the Boilermakers, receiving second-team All-America honors in 2010 and being a three-time All-Big Ten first-team selection (2008, '10, '12). Hummel, who suffered a torn ACL twice while at Purdue, was the 2009 Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Chuck Kyle, football

A former All-American defensive lineman, Kyle played for the Boilermakers from 1966-68 and was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. He finished his career with 27 tackles in the 1968 Old Oaken Bucket game against Indiana. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and embarked on a career in the Canadian Football League and later played for the New York Jets. 

Casey Matthews, diving

In 2013, Matthews won the 3-meter title at the NCAA Championships and was a four-time qualifier for the NCAA meet, receiving All-American honors in 2010 and '13. In 2014, she was the Big Ten Diver of the Championships after winning the 1-meter title. As a junior, after winning the 3-meter national title, she was named Purdue's Female Athlete of the Year. 

Bruce Parkinson, basketball

Purdue's record holder for assists in a game (18), season (207) and career (690) played from 1973-77, helping the Boilermakers win the 1974 NIT championship. He scored 1,244 career points and was a one time first-team All-Big Ten selection. As captain of the Pan American games team in 1975, Parkinson helped the United States win a gold medal.

Shereka Wright, basketball

The only three-time All-American in program history, Wright scored 2,251 career points between 2001-04 and was the 13th overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft by the Detroit Shock. She is the all-time leader in offensive rebounds at Purdue and seventh overall in career rebounds, as well as second in scoring. In 2001, Wright was named to the Women's Final Four All-Tournament team after helping the Boilermakers to a runner-up finish. She was the Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2003 and '04 and also helped Purdue win regular season titles in 2001 and '02.