Volleyball Looks to Secure Top-Six Seed
11/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 8, 2006
MILWAUKEE - November 3, in a 3-1 victory over Connecticut, the Marquette volleyball team guaranteed itself a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament. On Friday evening in South Orange, N.J., against Seton Hall (15-13, 4-8), it can secure a top-six seed in the playoffs with a victory, or loss by USF and Villanova. The Golden Eagles (14-12, 9-4), winners in five of their last six matches, are 6-1 on the road in the BIG EAST this season.
"I am glad we have the chance to be one of the top-six teams in the conference," said head coach Pati Rolf. "We were aiming for a top-three spot, but we've made some mistakes and have learned from them, and I think probably the biggest thing we can continue to do is work on our consistency."
Rolf is eager to see the team's opponent after the regular season concludes Sunday evening, but knows the team still has work to do.
"We are still trying to expand our offense and get people settled in. We have had some lineup issues due to injuries. Teams evolve and I think we are still evolving. If you ever think you have gotten there, you are mistaken. There is always room for improvement no matter what part of the season it is. We are just hoping to continue to grow as we peak toward the end of the season. There are some big match-ups this weekend and we'll figure out where we lie and then get ready for that first match."
Marquette junior Kimberley Todd, chosen to the weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll on Monday, leads the BIG EAST with 4.68 kills per game. Senior Jamie Mueller is fifth in the league with 4.14 kills per game and sixth with 4.57 digs per game. Against St. John's, Nov. 5, Mueller set an MU single-season record for digs with her 442nd, and after combining for 32 kills against SJU and Connecticut (Nov. 3), she is six from reaching the 1,000 kill mark. With the six kills, Mueller would become the ninth athlete in Marquette history to reach the milestone. She would also become the first Marquette volleyball player ever to reach the 1,000 kill and 1,000-dig mark.
"We are really going to work on our offense, work on being very disciplined and spreading things out," said Rolf of the game plan against Seton Hall. "In the last couple weeks it's been pretty predictable with Jamie (Mueller) and Kim (Todd). We are going to work on improving our serving and passing game to try and build our confidence. We also want to try and continue to elevate our blocking game."
Seton Hall has been solid at home this season, boasting a 7-2 record at Walsh Gymnasium.
"I expect to see some scrappy play," said Rolf about playing against Seton Hall. "They have some nice players on this team. There are two outside hitters that hit a lot of balls and they have a really nice defensive libero who does a great job with getting balls up."
The Pirates are led offensively by sophomore Tricia Meyers who ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with a 35.6 hitting percentage and tenth with 3.84 kills per game. Freshman Allie Matters is second on the squad with 3.70 K/G. Setting up the offense and second in the league with 12.64 assists per game is sophomore Brittany Rahrer. Defensively, senior Jessica Pompei is ninth in the conference with 4.38 digs per game and leading the team in blocks is Meyers, with 0.98 blocks per game. Junior Jennifer Procuniar (0.38) and sophomore Tricia Meyers (0.38) rank ninth and tenth in the league in aces per game, respectively.
Marquette leads the all-time series, 1-0, after defeating Seton Hall, 3-2, last season at the Al McGuire Center. Down 2-1 in the match, the Golden Eagles rallied to win the final two games thanks to a then-MU and BIG EAST record 35-kill performance by Todd. Mueller added 16 kills and 17 digs for a double-double, her 11th of the season.
In just its second season in the BIG EAST, the Golden Eagles went from a seventh seed with an 8-6 conference record in 2005 to an improvement in both areas in 2006, with the final results yet to be seen.
"This season has been an improvement," added Rolf. "We will take whatever we can get. One thing about Marquette and about my team is that our expectations are always high. We will be ready. We are a team that continues to want to improve. Basics will be the key to our success: serving, passing and blocking."
As one of two (Syracuse) teams in the BIG EAST playing one match this weekend, the Golden Eagles will await the results of Sunday's conference matches for their tournament seed to be determined.
