Marquette University Athletics
Marquette to Play in State Farm Illini Classic
9/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 5, 2007
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette volleyball team travels to Champaign, Ill., to play in the State Farm Illini Classic at Huff Hall, September 7-8. This will be the third tournament for MU in the 2007 season. The Golden Eagles (2-3) will face Illinois (4-2) on Friday at 7 p.m and either Creighton (3-3) or Tennessee (4-1) at 12 p.m. Saturday.
"I'm excited about this weekend, it's going to be another notch because Illinois, Tenesse and Creighton are all very good teams," head coach Pati Rolf said.
Marquette heads into Champaign following a 2-1 weekend at the Marquette Kick-Off Tournament. The Golden Eagles defeated Miami (Fla.), 3-2 (30-26, 26-30, 30-23, 24-30, 15-11), and Oakland, 3-0 (30-23, 30-27, 30-22), before falling to Texas-Arlington, 3-0, (20-30, 29-31, 23-30) in the final match of the tournament.
Senior Kim Todd led the Golden Eagles for the weekend, slamming 55 kills and averaging 5.00 per game. She also collected 35 digs. For her effort she was named tournament MVP and earned a spot on the BIG?EAST?Honor Roll for the week of Sept. 3.
Katie Weidner also turned in a strong weekend performance. The senior setter dished out 142 assists for a 12.91 per game average. She also tallied 30 digs and notched her first double-double of the season in the win over Miami.
The Golden Eagles also put up strong defensive numbers last weekend. Senior Jenn Brown led MU for 18 total blocks and 1.64 per game. Junior Ashlee Fisher stopped 11 balls for a 1.00 per game average.
The State Farm Illini Classic will prove to be tough competition for the Golden Eagles with the tournament format different from its usual style. MU will face Illinois on Friday, but it is uncertain which team they will compete with on Saturday, so they will have to be prepared for either Creighton or Tennessee.
"The format for the weekend is a little different, it is more like a playoff format," Rolf said. "We've decided to focus on Friday night and depends on who wins or loses in the other game, prepare in terms of scouting and tape review."
Illinois has a 4-2 record coming into the tournament. Playing last weekend it took No. 22 LSU to five games before losing the match, 3-2, and earned victories over Rice and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
"With Illinois on Friday, I think the biggest challenge will be the speed and size of their offense," coach Rolf said. "They're bigger than what we've been playing and will be the biggest team we've played yet."
Tennessee comes to Champaign boasting a 4-1 record, including a win over No. 21 Utah. Though not ranked, they have earned votes in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. Milan Clarke leads the Lady Vols with 60 total kills, averaging 3.53 per game. Setter Jena Berg has dished out 10.65 assists per game and racked up 181.
Creighton is 3-3 on the season, with victories over Montana State, Stephen F. Austin and Iowa State. Kelly Goc leads the Bluejays with 47 kills, 3.92 per game and a .429 hitting percentage. Bianca Rivera is averaging 5.58 digs per contest and has collected 106 total.
"We're just looking forward to continuing to ratchet up our offense. Our passing is unbelievable, we're passing extremely well, so I think that will compliment our offense," Rolf said.
