Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Volleyball Steals One from USF
11/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
MILWAUKEE, Wis -- For the third consecutive match, the Marquette Volleyball team was forced to go the distance to pick up yet another C-USA win. The Golden Eagles (9-15, 6-5 C-USA) came out sluggish in the first two games against USF before waking up and earning a thrilling 14-30, 27-30, 30-24, 30-26, 16-14 victory. Head Coach Pati Rolf summed it up, "this team, they're young.They start slow and all of a sudden they wake up. It makes us crazy, but we're excited."
The Bulls (10-18, 4-6 C-USA) came out charging in game one, behind early offensive firepower from Shameka Mitchell (five kills in game one). Mitchell's three sliding attacks from the right side and two quick-sets up the middle staked USF to a 13-9 lead. From there, the rest of the Bulls (hitting .500 for the game) ran away a 17-4 rally to take game one 30-14. Adding to the offensive fireworks for USF were Fran Pozzi and Bonnye Glover (four kills apiece). Meanwhile, Marquette struggled to put any offensive showing together as Erica Heisser ended up being the only Golden Eagle with a positive hitting average in the first frame (3-2-8 for .125). "I thought Erica did a great job leading us early. Her maturity got us through some tough games, and while her numbers were not spectacular, what she did for our motivation was wonderful," said Rolf.
Marquette showed signs of life in game two, as the Golden Eagles seemed to figure out the Bulls' attack, digging 16 USF attempts. MU rallied from an eight-point deficit to tie the game at 16, behind balanced attacking and two errors by the Bulls' Fran Pozzi. From there, outstanding offense from Ann Lopata (four kills, one error) and Theresa Coughlin (five kills) were not enough, as the Bulls capitalized on four MU errors over the last 14 points to take a seemingly-commanding 2-0 lead in games.
However, following a lengthy team meeting between games two and three, Marquette raced onto the court and away with the third game, winning 30-24. The Golden Eagles shook themselves loose, and pounded away, hitting .444 for the game. Not to be outdone, the Bulls' offense was equally aggressive, hitting .345 in game three. The powerful display left both teams' defenders scrambling, as the 54-point game saw a total of nine digs (MU 5- USF 4). Aga Niemcezewska provided a change of pace for Marquette, picking up three kills over five attempts. Rolf noted the performance of Niemcezewska after the game, "I'm very pleased with Aga coming in an a helping out our team and picking up our momentum when we needed it. Her leadership and experience really helped us wake up."
Marquette's sloppy play seemed to take over in game four, as twelve errors (seven attack, three service and two blocking) kept the Bulls in the lead at 22-20. Marquette's offense came back to life behind the hitting of Erin Freer (seven kills, .636 average) and Theresa Coughlin (eight kills, .400 average). The Golden Eagles took ten of the final 14 points to force game five.
The see-sawing between USF and MU in the first four games was nothing, however, compared to the swinging momentum in game five. The Bulls sprinted out to an early 3-0 lead, with Johari Williams and Shameka Mitchell both disposing of Marquette over-passes for easy kills. The Golden Eagles quickly stormed back, behind the outside hitting of Coughlin (three kills, plus one ace) and Freer (two kills) over nine points, pushing Marquette to a 13-9 lead. MU would not be able to close the Bulls out quickly, though, as the USF squad gathered itself to tie the game back up at 14-14 with a block solo by setter Melayne Wootan. USF would score no more, as an outside kill by Freer, combined with an attack error by Mitchell left the Golden Eagles with their fourth consecutive win in C-USA play.
On the night, Marquette was led by Sophomore Theresa Coughlin's 21 kills on 49 attempts, with junior Erin Freer chipping in 19 kills and nine digs. Junior Sarah Vernon paced the defense with 12 digs, while senior setter Gemma Greer's 58 assists left her one shy of the 1,000 mark on the season.
The Bulls were led by Shameka Mitchell's match-high 25 kills, on .525 hitting. Melayne Wootan added 57 assists and three total blocks, while Fran Pozzi and Kelsi Andrew-Wasylik led the defense with 11 and ten digs, respectively.
The Golden Eagles are back in action Saturday night, as they host UAB. Game time at the Marquette Gym is 7 p.m.
