Volleyball Team Shuts Out Manitoba in Exhibition

Sept. 16, 2006

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette volleyball team evened its Marquette Challenge record at 1-1 Saturday afternoon in an exhibition match with Manitoba, Canada, defeating the Bisons, 3-0 (30-26, 30-22, 30-26), at the Al McGuire Center.

"I thought we did a really nice job this afternoon," said head coach Pati Rolf. "A lot of young players stepped-up. We worked hard to change things up a bit and played a good game."

The Golden Eagles opened the frame with a 4-1 run on an ace by junior Kimberley Todd and maintained the lead until the Bisons tied the game at 6-6.

After trading points, Manitoba made a 3-0 run to take a 10-9 lead, its first of the game. It increased its lead to two at 11-9, but three-straight points by Marquette helped reestablished its lead, 12-11.

A second 3-0 run by the Golden Eagles, highlighted by a kill from junior Jenn Brown, made it 15-12, and forced the Bisons to use their first timeout.

Out of the break, MU was able to maintain the lead, increasing it to five at 24-19 on an error by Manitoba.

After the huddle, the Bisons were able to cut their deficit to two after scoring three consecutive points, but the Golden Eagles answered with a 3-0 run of their own, retaking a five-point advantage at 27-22 on a kill by senior Jamie Mueller.

Manitoba was not through, however, as it once again cut the lead to two at 27-25.

Despite a strong effort by the Bisons down the stretch, blocks by freshman Leslie Bielski and Todd on the final point sealed game one for the Golden Eagles, 30-36.

Game two began with a tight battle on the scoreboard as the teams traded the first 12 points and found themselves tied, 6-6.

The Golden Eagles took the first significant lead of the game at 10-7 on blocks by Todd and senior Nicole Wallace, forcing a Bisons timeout. Out of the break MU increased its lead to four at 16-12 on blocks by Brown and junior Tiffany Helmbrecht.

Manitoba used their second timeout at that point, but was unable to get closer than three as the Golden Eagles increased their lead to as much as eight, winning the second frame 30-22 on a kill by Bielski.

Mueller and Bielski each recorded six kills to lead Marquette in the second game.

The start of the third game featured another struggle for control as nine ties and four lead changes were tallied in the first 26 points with the teams tied 13-13.

The slimmest of leads became cause for concern as the Golden Eagles took a 15-13 lead, enough to justify a timeout by the Bisons.

A 4-0 run out of the break gave Manitoba a two-point advantage, but the lead was short lived as Marquette knotted the game at 17-17.

Back and forth the score went again until MU increased its lead to three at 25-22, its largest of the game to that point.

This time, the Golden Eagles survived a timeout by the Bisons, hanging on for a 30-26 victory.

Mueller led Marquette with 12 kills in the match, while Todd tallied a team-high 12 digs.

MU will conclude the Marquette Challenge at 7 p.m. with a match against Stony Brook (5-8), which lost to San Francisco (11-1) earlier today, 3-0.