Golden Eagles Defeat Texas State, 3-2, Friday Afternoon

Sept. 4, 2009

MILWAUKEE- The Marquette women's volleyball team defeated Texas State, 3-2, Friday afternoon in its opening match of the Marquette Invitational (23-25, 25-23, 27-25, 23-25, 15-10).

Junior Nikki Klingsporn led the way for MU with a career-high 50 assists and 13 digs, on her way to her third double-double of the season. Sophomore Ashley Beyer also registered a double-double with 17 kills and 15 digs. Rabbecka Gonyo tied a career high with nine blocks and Ciara Jones recorded a career-high 15 kills.

Texas State came out strong in the first set, not letting Marquette take a lead throughout the entire course of play. Marquette got within its closest reach after a kill down the middle by Carol Henney, which put the score at 15-14. The Bobcats went on a three-point run after a couple Marquette errors and a kill by Ally Buitron. One more Golden Eagle run threatened Texas State's lead when Klingsporn connected with Leslie Bielski for a kill to make the score 21-24. An attack error by Texas State and then another kill from Henney put Marquette within a point. Texas pulled away with the win, 25-23, after a kill from Jessica Weynand.

The Golden Eagles came out in the second set with a strong defense and an even stronger offense. After a four point Marquette run early in the set, the Golden Eagles led by as much as seven after several blocks and kills from junior Gonyo and Jones. The Bobcats responded late to MU's aggressive play and scored four straight points late in the set, putting the score within only one at the 24-23 mark. A service error from Texas State handed MU the win, 25-23.

MU upheld its motivation and battled through an equally difficult third and fourth set. Remarkable play by MU's Jones and Klingsporn made a significant impact to the afternoon's success. MU defeated the Bobcats in well-fought play in the third set, but Texas would not let them finish it in the fourth. Tenacious net play by Texas State's Mo Middleton and Jessica Weynand gave MU difficulty in defending their home court. Weynand registered eight kills in the fourth set while Middelton added five, giving them the upperhand in the 25-23 Bobcat victory.

The fifth and final set of the match revealed promising potential from Marquette's younger players and newcomers. Solid defense by sophomores Alex Coello and Beyer challenged the Bobcat offense, who had a hard time responding to the scrappiness of the Golden Eagle squad. Jones added three kills to the final set, and Marquette pulled away with the win over the Bobcats, 15-10.