Marquette University Athletics
Weekly Marquette Volleyball Release
11/30/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Golden Eagles Conclude Season With 18-13 Record, Best Winning Percentage In 13 Seasons Marquette wrapped up the 1999 season with an 18-13 overall record and a 9-7 mark in Conference USA matches. The 58.1% winning percentage is the best since the 1985 campaign. The nine C-USA victories are the highest number of league wins since the 1996 and 1997 squads each recorded six.
The Golden Eagles posted a 1-1 record at the Conference Challenge in Orlando, Fla., last weekend. Marquette swept Kentucky 3-0 and fell to #4 Florida 3-0.
On the season, Marquette averaged 15.29 kills, 13.98 assists, 1.64 aces, 15.35 digs and 2.07 total team blocks and hit .193.
Vesna Grbavac turned in an impressive sophomore campaign. She led Marquette with a 4.52 kills percentage and registered 520 kills, a Marquette single-season record. Grbavac also hit .237, served a team-high 38 aces, and averaged 2.74 digs. She was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team.
Chris Curtin concluded her career as Marquette?s kills and hitting attempts leader. In 1999, she averaged 3.37 kills and 0.88 blocks and hit .253. Curtin was just the second player in school history to earn a spot on the All-Conference USA First Team.
Kelly Kaylor had the highest aces (0.37 sapg) and digs (3.16 dpg) among the Golden Eagles. She ranked third on the team with a 2.84 kills average.
Liz Egasti averaged 12.84 assists and 2.24 digs a game. She moved into first place on Marquette?s career assists list in just her third season on the team.
Mehgan Devine averaged 2.17 kills and a team-best 1.14 blocks. She also hit .268.
Head Coach Laura Farina Laura Farina completed her first campaign as a college coach with an 18-13 record. Her 18 victories are the most by a first-year coach in school history.
Farina was named the second coach in school history on Jan. 25. She spent the previous six seasons as an assistant at Michigan State. A 1992 graduate of Illinois, she was a Second-Team All-American. Farina also received a master?s degree from Michigan State in 1998.
Farina is assisted by Courtney DeBolt and Matt Darling.
Last Week in Review The Golden Eagles were 1-1 at the Conference Challenge in Orlando, Fla., last weekend. Here?s a review of those matches:
MARQUETTE 3, Kentucky 0 - The Golden Eagles recorded a 15-10, 15-7, 15-6 sweep of Kentucky in the first day of the Conference Challenge on Nov. 26.
The Golden Eagles hit .207 and recorded 45 kills. Marquette also served eight aces. The Wildcats had 39 kills and hit .223 and registered seven total team blocks, but committed 12 service errors and six block errors.
Vesna Grbavac paced Marquette with 14 kills. Chris Curtin added 10 kills and two block assists and hit .318 (10-3-22). Liz Egasti had 40 assists and served three aces. Kelly Kaylor had a team-high eight digs and had three aces.
Katie Eiserman and Kristen Batt tied for team honors with nine kills for Kentucky. Megan Weiskircher led Kentucky with nine digs and four block assists.
Florida 3, MARQUETTE 0 - Marquette dropped a 15-3, 15-5, 15-6 decision to Florida, ranked fourth nationally, on Nov. 27 in the second day of the Conference Challenge in Orlando, Fla. It was the 26th straight win for the Gators
The Gators hit .324, compared to -.130 for Marquette. Florida recorded 12 team blocks to one by the Golden Eagles.
Vesna Grbavac topped Marquette with five kills. Annie Richey had a team-best six digs. Kelly Kaylor added four kills.
Jenny Whitehead led Florida with nine kills. Heather Wright added eight kills and hit .636 (8-1-11). Nicole McCray had nine block assists and Kris Bova added 11 digs.
Marquette Volleyball Team Earns District Ranking The Golden Eagles returned to the District 6 rankings on Nov. 16. The Golden Eagles check in at ninth place and were one of six C-USA teams ranked.
Marquette earned its highest-ever ranking in the Oct. 4 District 6 poll. The Golden Eagles were ranked sixth and were one of four Conference USA teams ranked that week.
Golden Eagles Face Tough Schedule Marquette faced two nationally-ranked teams in 1999. The Golden Eagles fell 3-0 to No. 4 Florida at the Florida Volleyball Conference Challenge on Nov. 27. Marquette dropped a 3-0 decision to then-#13 Wisconsin on Sept. 17.
In addition to those two teams, five other opponents - Houston, Louisville, Northern Illinois, South Florida, UW-Milwaukee - played in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Florida advanced to the national semifinal match, losing to eventual champion Long Beach State.
Conference USA and the NCAA Tournament Three teams from Conference USA will participate in the NCAA Tournament. Cincinnati earned an automatic berth after winning he C-USA Tournament. Houston and Louisville received at-large bids.
Chris Curtin and Vesna Grbavac Honored by Conference USA At the Conference USA Tournament Chris Curtin and Vesna Grbavac were honored by the league office.
Curtin was named to the All-Conference USA First Team, while Grbavac earned a spot on the All-C-USA Second Team.
Curtin is just the second player in school history to be chosen to the All-Conference USA First Team. Martha Meyer, who Curtin surpassed as Marquette?s career kills leader this season, earned the honor in 1997.
Saint Louis? Laura Risley and Houston?s Michelle Frazier shared C-USA Player of the Year honors. DePaul?s Dawn Dockstader was honored as the league?s coach of the year.
Chris Curtin Establishes Marquette Career Kills and Hitting Attempts Records Senior Chris Curtin set the Marquette career kills record against Southern Miss on Oct. 29. She finished her career with 1,280 career kills. Curtin surpassed Martha Meyer who held the record with 1,258. Meyer was a four-year letterwinner from 1994-97.
Curtin is one of just four Marquette players who has recorded 1,000 or more career kills.
She also established the school record in career hitting attempts in Marquette?s 3-2 loss to Houston in the Conference USA Tournament quarterfinals on Nov. 19. Curtin has 3,087 career hitting attempts, just the second player in school history to have more than 3,000 hitting attempts. She replaced Jeni Myers (1995-98), who held the previous record of 3,036.
Liz Egasti Sets Marquette Career Assist Record Junior Liz Egasti broke the Marquette career record in assists on Oct. 15 against Houston.
Egasti overtook Jennifer Martin, who set the previous record of 3,651 assists from 1988-91. Through three seasons, she has 4,330 career assists.
Egasti holds the top three single-season assist records and is one of three players to surpass the 1,000-assist mark in one season. Her 1,477 assists this season are the second most in one Marquette campaign. She is the only player in school history to hold the top three single-season marks in one statistical category.
Golden Eagles Set Match Records Five match records were set or tied during the weekend series of Nov. 5 and Nov. 7.
Against Cincinnati on Nov. 5, Liz Egasti established a match record with 88 assists. The previous record was set by Mary Donohue on Nov. 15, 1986, against Valparaiso. The Golden Eagles set the single-match record with 259 hitting attempts and tied the team records with 102 kills and 94 assists.
In Marquette?s next outing against Louisville on Nov. 7, Vesna Grbavac became the first player in school history to reach the 30-kill mark. Her 30 kills replaced the previous record of 29, which Christine Norgle set against Valparaiso on Nov. 15, 1986.
Climbing the Career Charts Two Golden Eagles rank among Marquette?s all-time leaders in several statistical categories. Here?s the breakdown:
Kills
1. Chris Curtin 1,280
Attempts
1. Chris Curtin 3,087
Hitting Percentage
4. Chris Curtin .245 (1280-523-3087)
Assists
1. Liz Egasti 4,330
Service Aces
8. Liz Egasti 96 (11 shy of seventh)
Block Solos
5. Chris Curtin 68
10. Mehgan Devine 40 (1 shy of ninth)
Block Assists
2. Chris Curtin 305
10. Mehgan Devine 151 (2 shy of ninth)
Grbavac Sets Single-Season Kills and Hitting Attempts Marks Vesna Grbavac established Marquette single-season kills record on Nov. 11 at Saint Louis. She wrapped up the season with 520 kills. She overtook Kristin Patterson, who set the previous mark of 432 during the 1985 season. Grbavac and Patterson are the only players in school history to record 400 or more kills in one season. Patterson accomplished that feat in both 1984 and 1985.
In the Nov. 14 sweep of UNC Charlotte, she moved into first place on Marquette?s single season hitting attempts list. She finished the season with 1,287 hitting attempts to her credit in 1999.
Marquette Players Join Single-Season Leaders Vesna Grbavac, Liz Egasti and Chris Curtin have joined the single-season leaders in several statistical categories. Here?s where they rank:
Kills
1. Vesna Grbavac 520
8. Chris Curtin 371
Hitting Attempts
1. Vesna Grbavac 1,287
Hitting Percentage
9. Chris Curtin .253 (371-143-901)
Assists
2. Liz Egasti 1,477 (53 shy of first)
Golden Eagles Among Conference USA Statistical Leaders In this week?s Conference USA Statistics, several Golden Eagles were among the league leaders. Here?s the breakdown:
Kills Vesna Grbavac 5th 4.52
Hitting Percentage Mehgan Devine 7th .269, Chris Curtin 9th .253
Assists Liz Egasti 5th 12.84
Aces Kelly Kaylor 3rd 0.37, Vesna Grbavac 6th 0.33
Blocks Mehgan Devine 4th 1.14
In the league?s team statistics, Marquette tops all C-USA squads with a 1.63 service aces average.
Season Superlatives
Team
Kills 102 vs. Cincinnati - Nov. 5#
Hitting Attempts 259 vs. Cincinnati - Nov. 5*
Hitting % .385 (47-10-96) vs. Memphis - Sept. 24
Assists 94 vs. Cincinnati - Nov. 5#
Aces 13 vs. UAB - Sept. 26
Digs 100 vs. Providence - Sept. 10
Block Solos 5 vs. Stephen F. Austin - Sept. 4
Block Assists 28 vs. DePaul - Sept. 28
Individual
Kills 30 - Vesna Grbavac vs. Louisville - Nov. 7*
Hitting Attempts 65 - Vesna Grbavac vs. Louisville - Nov. 7, 65 - Vesna Grbavac vs. Cincinnati - Oct. 3
Hitting % .576 - Vesna Grbavac vs. Memphis - Nov. 18
Assists 88 - Liz Egasti vs. Cincinnati - Nov. 5*
Aces 6 - Vesna Grbavac vs. UNC Charlotte - Oct. 8
Digs 30 - Annie Richey vs. Tulane - Oct. 31
Block Solos 4 - Chris Curtin vs. UW-Milwaukee - Sept. 18
Block Assists 8 - Mehgan Devine vs. DePaul - Sept. 28
*school record
#ties school record
Double-Figure Kill Matches Marquette - 75 (Vesna Grbavac - 25, Chris Curtin - 21, Kelly Kaylor - 14, Katherine Lindros - 5, Mehgan Devine, Danielle Hagen - 4, Amy Levin - 2). Opponents - 63.
Twenty-Kill Matches Marquette - 17 (Vesna Grbavac - 13, Chris Curtin - 4). Opponents - 12.
Thirty-Kill Matches Marquette - 1 (Vesna Grbavac - 1). Opponents - 1.
Double-Figure Dig Matches Marquette - 68 (Vesna Grbavac - 19, Kelly Kaylor - 13, Liz Egasti - 9, Chris Curtin - 8, Danielle Hagen - 6, Annie Richey - 5, Katherine Lindros - 4, Katie Watters - 2, Maura Donnellan - 1). Opponents - 75.
Twenty-Dig Matches Marquette - 3 (Vesna Grbavac, Kelly Kaylor, Annie Richey - 1). Opponents - 6.
Thirty-Dig Matches Marquette - 1 (Annie Richey - 1). Opponents - 1.
Double-Double Matches (Kills-Digs) Marquette - 41 (Vesna Grbavac - 18, Kelly Kaylor - 9, Chris Curtin - 7, Katherine Lindros - 4, Danielle Hagen - 3). Opponents - 34.
Twenty-Twenty Matches (Kills-Digs) Marquette - 1 (Vesna Grbavac - 1). Opponents - 0.
Double-Double Matches (Assists-Digs) Marquette - 9 (Liz Egasti - 9). Opponents - 9.
Triple-Double Matches (Kills-Assists-Digs) Marquette - 0. Opponents - 2.
1999 Honors
Chris Curtin - All-Conference USA First Team, Mortar Board Purdue Premier All-Tournament Team (Sept. 3-4), Conference USA Player of the Week (Nov. 8)
Mehgan Devine - Marquette Challenge All-Tournament Team (Sept. 10-11)
Vesna Grbavac - All-Conference USA Second Team, Marquette Challenge MVP (Sept. 10-11), Marquette Challenge All-Tournament Team (Sept. 10-11), Wisconsin Challenge All-Tournament Team (Sept. 17-18), Conference USA Player of the Week (Sept. 27)
