Marquette University Athletics
Volleyball Holds Seasonal Banquet
4/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
April 2, 2006
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette volleyball team held its banquet on April 2 at the Alumni Memorial Union. More than 65 friends and family of the Marquette volleyball team, along with Marquette staff including Athletic Director Bill Cords and Senior Vice President Greg Kliebhan gathered to remember the 2005 season. The banquet was not the traditional awards type dinner that a team usually has at the end of the season. This focused on the seniors, and their accomplishments in their four years, as well as the direction of the program.
This season saw a new chapter in Marquette volleyball begin as the team became members of the BIG EAST Conference. The Golden Eagles ended the 2005 season 17-13, 8-6 BIG EAST which made consecutive winning seasons - the first time the program as accomplished the feat since turning Division I.
Senior Theresa Coughlin became Marquette's all-time career record holder for kills with 1,725 and all-time attacks leader with 4,365. She also boasts the seventh best all-time hitting percentage with 23.1 for her career. Coughlin was Marquette's first ever BIG EAST Player of the Week and ended the season and her career with All-BIG EAST Second Team accolades.
Sophomore Kimberley Todd enjoyed a remarkable season as she was one of two players to earn back-to-back BIG EAST Player of the Week honors after she hit a school record 35 kills against Seton Hall. She was a two-time all-tournament team selection and capped the season with a First Team All-BIG EAST honors.
"As much as we can focus on the individual accomplishments of players like Kim Todd and Theresa Coughlin, those two wouldn't have been able to get those records if it wasn't for the rest of the team and their teammates setting up the play," said head coach Pati Rolf. "We are here to celebrate what we did as a team. Even though we may have not had the same record as last season (2004) this season may have been better because we moved into a new conference which posed major challenges, we fought through injuries and saw new competition."
Head coach Pati Rolf also talked about what the three seniors, Coughlin, Heidi Pfeiffer and Caitie O'Brien, who concluded her career with the fifth-best career digs total (1,020), meant to the program in other ways than just playing as well as what impact they will have on its future.
"Caitie, Heidi and Theresa all had major contributions to this program," explained Rolf. "We didn't get the quality recruiting class with out them being apart of Marquette volleyball. The three incoming freshmen are here because of these three women. This program will continue to get better because of the quality student-athletes we have."
