Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
Pacific University
Golden Eagles fall to Pacific 3-1 in the Kick-off Finale, Still Named Tournament Champions
2/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2005
MILWAUKEE - After a strong start against Pacific winning game one, the Golden Eagles could not hang on and fell to the Tigers, 3-1, in the finale of the Holiday Inn Milwaukee Centre Volleyball Kick-off tonight in the Al McGuire Center. Despite the loss, Marquette was the tournament champions due to tallying the most game wins (seven) and Theresa Coughlin was named tournament MVP.
"I am proud of the way we played throughout the tournament," said head coach Pati Rolf. "I thought we matched up well with both the size of Pacific and Viriginia Commonwealth. We are young so we need to get the experience under us of matching up with big teams like the ones we saw this weekend and I think we will be fine."
The Golden Eagles started off hot in game one winning 30-27. Pacific led for most of the first game, but after tying it up at 16, Nicole Wallace hit a big kill and the Golden Eagles never looked back. Both Coughlin and sophomore Jenn Brown registered four kills apiece in the win.
Both teams played very aggressive in game two, but Pacific came out the victor, 31 -29. Sophomore Tiffany Helmbrecht recorded a career-high six kills in game two to lead Marquette, while Ashley Groothuis recorded five kills and Sidney Bennett added four to lead the Tigers.
Game three proved to be the same story as Pacific won the game, 30-23, to lead 2-1 heading into the deciding game. The Tigers came up big defensively at the net totaling four team blocks in the win.
Marquette had a shaky start to begin game four and Pacific capitalized on it defeating the Golden Eagles, 30-22. Groothuis tallied nine kills to lead Pacific and ended the match with 25 total kills, and for the second consecutive game the Tigers made four team blocks for 11 total team blocks in the match.
Four Golden Eagles recorded double-figure kills led by Coughlin with 15. Brown followed with 12 on the night, sophomore Kim Todd with 11 and Helmbrecht with a career-high 10. Junior transfer Katie Weidner added 44 assists for Marquette.
Named to the all-tournament team were Golden Eagles Todd, Brown and Coughlin, along with Bennett and Groothuis from Pacific, and Griselle Lopez Pereira from Virginia Commonwealth.
Marquette returns to action next weekend when it hosts the Marquette Challenge featuring Iowa, New Hampshire and IUPUI beginning Friday, September 2. IUPUI will face New Hampshire to open tournament play at 4:30 p.m., while the Golden Eagles will meet Iowa at 7 p.m.
