Marquette University Athletics
Volleyball Hits the Road for Two-Match Tilt
10/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Golden Eagles match up against BIG EAST foes West Virginia and Pittsburgh
MILWAUKEE - The Golden Eagles (8-7, 2-2 BIG EAST) hit the road this weekend for a two-match swing at conference foes West Virginia and Pittsburgh. Marquette will face West Virginia in Morgantown at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, October 8 at 2 p.m. EDT, before heading to Pittsburgh on Sunday to battle the Panthers at the Fitzgerald Field House at 2 p.m. EDT.
?It is very important for us to play well this weekend,? said head coach Pati Rolf. ?Instead of looking at the big picture, we are taking it weekend by weekend working our way back. Even with the loss last weekend (against Notre Dame) we did some things well and we have been improving with our defense and passing. We will get the result we are looking for if we stick to the game plan and continue to play smart.?
A young squad of Mountaineers (13-5, 2-2 BIG EAST), boasting eight underclassmen, enter this weekend?s match having won three straight defeating St. Francis (Pa.) in three games on Wednesday, and earning back-to-back BIG EAST wins against Georgetown (3-1) and USF (3-1) last weekend. Senior outside hitters Stephanie Zolna and Kelly Mullins lead West Virginia with 4.25 and 3.69 kills per game, respectively, while the Mountaineers rank third in the conference in opponent hitting percentage holding its opponents to just 15.3 percent. West Virginia leads the all-time series defeating the Golden Eagles both times they played, but the two teams have not met since 1989.
The 2004 BIG EAST Tournament runner-up and NCAA participant, Pitt (10-7, 3-1 BIG EAST) heads into this weekend with a string of three wins under its belt defeating three BIG EAST foes, Rutgers (3-2), USF (3-1) and Georgetown (3-0). With the sweep at Georgetown, head coach Chris Beerman earned his 200th career victory. The Panthers? lone conference loss came at the hands of Villanova (3-0). Sophomore outside hitter Diana Andreyko leads Pitt with 4.90 kills per game, while the Panthers also boast this week?s BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, Nicole Taurence, who tallied 92 assists and 14 digs in the two matches this past weekend and ranks fourth in the conference in set assists. The Golden Eagles and the Panthers have met just once before their meeting on Sunday with Pitt holding the one game advantage winning the lone contest on Aug. 30, 2003, 3-0.
The Golden Eagles had another up and down weekend as they earned another split sweeping DePaul, 3-0, on Friday, Sept. 30, but falling to no. 10 Notre Dame, 3-1, on Sunday. Senior outside hitter Theresa Coughlin continues to lead Marquette with 4.38 kills per game ranking her third in the BIG EAST in kills. Coughlin earned her third weekly BIG EAST honor of the season being selected to the conference honor roll this week for posting back-to-back double figured kills matches marking her 17th consecutive match dating back to the 2004 season she has registered double-digit kills. The outside hitter also notched her seventh double-double of the season against Notre Dame contributing 11 digs.
?This trip will give us the opportunity to get back on the upswing and gain more experience,? added Rolf. ?We need to continue to just execute the basics, and I really believe those little things will win the day.?
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