Highly-touted Purdue volleyball 2023 class builds instant bond

WEST LAFAYETTE — The future of Purdue volleyball found its chemistry a year before the five current members of the 2023 recruiting class even arrive as students.

The week was about the Boilermakers' elite camp, but Grace Heaney, Julia Kane, Taylor Anderson, Chloe Chicoine and Kenna Wollard took it as an opportunity to familiarize themselves with their future teammates.

"We all wanted to stay together, but we couldn't find an Airbnb so my grandmother decided to host," said Kane, whose grandmother is a local resident.

Kane is a libero prospect who resides in Orlando, Florida, but her parents met during graduate school at Purdue and her aunt and uncle were former Boilermaker cheerleaders.

Chicoine, a senior outside hitter from nearby McCutcheon High School, played chauffeur, showing her teammates around their future home with trips to Target, Walt's Other Pub and Bruno's along the way.

Once the group puts their names to paper on national letters of intent, it will likely be regarded as one of the nation's top recruiting classes.

And one that might have a heads up after the camaraderie they built last week.

"We've seen each other from different club tournaments," said Heaney, from Elkhorn, Nebraska. "We've met and talked, but other than that, it has been social media and texting."

Now it's more than that.

Each can put not only a friendly face to those texts, but also a personality that doesn't always come through via words on a phone screen.

"We all have different personalities and we each bring something to the group," said Wollard, a verbal commitment from Chillicothe, Illinois last June. "It is fun getting to know everyone and getting to hear their background."

The time spent together and relationships made was reassuring for at least two members of the 2023 recruiting class.

Anderson is from San Antonio, Texas, and wondered how she'd brave through Indiana's cold winters.

"I knew as long as I can build good relationships, I can get through the snow and crazy weather," said Anderson, a 6-foot-1 setter.

Chicoine originally committed to Penn State before reopening her recruitment and deciding to stay home for her college volleyball career.

She is the highest-ranked recruit among the Boilermaker commits, but all are nationally regarded among the nation's best.

That bodes well for the future.

And each seems to mesh well with Purdue's style and culture.

"We're all talking about the future and about how we have a shot to be really good in coming years," Chicoine said. "The team culture at Purdue is so much better than a lot of places. Other programs have great players but Purdue does a good job of integrating everybody."

There's still a full year of high school before Purdue's 2023 class unites together again in Holloway Gymnasium.

But they'll arrive already with a connection formed.

"When we get back from a long day of camp, we just sat around and talked. We got to know each other better," Kane said. "We are all very excited to get here, but we still have to focus on our last year of club. This is a pretty big class and a lot of different positions. Hopefully we will take on a big role when we get here."

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

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Highly-touted Purdue volleyball 2023 class builds instant bond