Purdue volleyball head coach Dave Shondell announced the return of alumna Carrie Gurnell (2006-09) as the team's supervisor of operations in July 2021.
Most recently, Gurnell was the associate head coach at North Texas, where she was a member of the coaching staff since 2018. During her time in Denton, Gurnell assisted the Mean Green to two winning seasons, a pair of conference tournament appearances and eight all-conference players.
"Our program is looking forward to the return of Carrie Gurnell as Purdue Volleyball's new supervisor of operations," said head coach Dave Shondell. "During her stellar playing career for the Boilermakers, she became one of the team's most popular players with fans and teammates. She was a tremendous athlete and what I remember most about Carrie is her kindness, humble disposition and concern for others. These traits will be significant in allowing her to organize and lead our squad in so many ways. I am very pleased to welcome a Boilermaker alumna to our staff to provide first-hand knowledge to our athletes about our amazing university."
In addition to her coaching responsibilities at North Texas, Gurnell served as recruiting coordinator, organized team travel and oversaw camp operations. Prior to her time in Denton, she spent two seasons as the first assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Gardner Webb.
"I chose to come back to Purdue for the same reasons that brought me here when I was being recruited," Gurnell said. "Not only do I love Purdue, but you can't beat this coaching staff. My relationship with this program has only strengthened over the years and I'm expecting things to be even sweeter the second time around. We have an amazing team that is expected to do some big things this year and I can't wait get things rolling."
Gurnell was a four-year starter for the Boilermakers under Shondell from 2006-2009, where she competed in two NCAA Regional Semifinals (2006 and 2008) and the team's NCAA Second Round appearance in 2007. Gurnell is a member of the Boilermaker's 1,000 kill club, with 1,045 during her career. As a senior in 2009, the Katy, Texas native led the team in kills, kills per set, attacks and solo blocks.
Gurnell graduated from Purdue in 2010 with a B.A. in Professional Writing with a minor in art and design. After receiving her degree, Gurnell played professionally for Volleyball Club Tirol in Innsbruck, Austria from 2011-2014, before returning stateside to begin her coaching career.
