WEST LAFAYETTE − Mimi Mambu was a go-to hitter for an NCAA Tournament team as a freshman, but she was seeking something more.
After one season in which she led Georgia Tech in kills, Mambu entered the transfer portal.
Already loaded on the outside with a returning All-American in Kenna Wollard and Addy Tindall coming off a redshirt season, Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell added Mambu to the Boilermaker roster as a young but experienced presence he thought could challenge Tindall for the second outside hitter spot.
“I felt like on a given night, we may have to go with one of them because they were fresh or it was a better matchup or we needed a bigger block, we would go with Addy or if we needed a little fire and more maturity because of the time she spent playing in the ACC we might go with Mimi,” Shondell admitted after Tuesday’s sweep of defending national champion Texas A&M in Mackey Arena.
Shondell, and Mambu for that matter, had no idea how monumental that move would be.
Wollard announced last week she will miss an undetermined amount of time from volleyball for “an unexpected health issue.”
It thrust both Tindall and Mambu into elevated roles and the duo is quickly becoming a dynamic one-two punch.
Against Texas A&M in front of 10,084 fans, Tindall and Mambu combined for 28 kills. Through two matches, Tindall leads the Boilermakers with 38 kills and Mambu is right behind with 31.
“These two coming out their first two games, it’s been so rewarding for me to see their hard work be shown,” Purdue setter Taylor Anderson said.
If healthy, Wollard would be Purdue’s bell cow after being one of the Big Ten’s most lethal hitters a season ago.
Through two matches against ranked opponents, Tindall and Mambu, who were expected to compete with each other for game reps, are carrying Purdue’s offense.
Tindall, fresh off 22 kills at Creighton, added 16 more at a ridiculous .536 clip against the Aggies. One year ago, she was redshirting, but using her intro to major college volleyball to be ready a year later.
“I learned so much from the older girls and just how to play smart,” Tindall said of sitting out last season with an injury. “You can’t just pull down and bounce, you have to be smart off the hands, all the things, find different shots and I just grew up a lot and learned you have to expand your game.”
Mambu signed with Purdue just after Christmas, inspired by watching the Boilermakers from afar during her freshman season at Georgia Tech.
Purdue lost four key pieces from its 2024 Sweet 16 team after Eva Hudson, Chloe Chicoine, Lourdes Meyers and Lizzie Carr transferred. Purdue shifted Wollard from the right side to the left side to alleviate the losses of Chicoine and Hudson and with Wollard leading the way, the Boilermakers reached the Elite Eight last season.
“I think I was just looking for a team that really wants it, and obviously this team does,” Mambu said. They come off a lot of people transferring, and then that next season, no one expected them to be so great. Seeing that story was the most inspiring thing that I saw all season.
“And that’s all I wanted, like to just go out there and play, have someone support me. And then, if I’m not playing great, there’s someone right next to me that’s doing amazing and I can support them.”
Mambu’s addition was supposed to complement Tindall. As it turns out, that’s exactly what’s happening, just not how Shondell anticipated it.
“They absolutely played beyond expectations at this point in time,” Shondell said.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: In Kenna Wollard’s absence, Purdue volleyball finds new dynamic duo
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