Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Volleyball Picked Fourth In BIG EAST
8/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 12, 2010
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Marquette University women's volleyball team was picked to finish fourth in the BIG EAST Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, league officials announced Thursday afternoon. Senior setter Nikki Klingsporn and junior outside hitter Ashley Beyer were also named to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team, making Marquette one of only four schools with multiple honorees.
"I think we still have a lot of things to prove as a program," head coach Bond Shymansky said. "I know that our team wants to finish No. 1 and we are going to have to do it by winning on the road a lot this year, which is a challenge in conference play. We just want to make sure that we don't get too far ahead of ourselves because there are still four big weekends that we have to play before the conference season starts. We need to better prepare for the ups and downs that are inevitable over the course of a BIG EAST season."
The fourth-place ranking marks the highest preseason mark MU has received since entering the league in 2005 and its first-place vote is the only one ever garnered by the Golden Eagles.
Klingsporn and Beyer each earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2009 and are two of five returning starters for Marquette. The Golden Eagles finished 18-12 overall (6-8 BIG EAST) in 2009 during head coach Bond Shymansky's first year with the program and tied for eighth in the BIG EAST.
Marquette opens play on Aug. 27 against Stony Brook at the Golden Gopher Invite and will face top-10 programs in Minnesota and Stanford during the campaign's first two weeks.
2010 BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Awards and Coaches Poll
School Points
1. Cincinnati (14) 196
2. Louisville 176
3. Notre Dame 161
4. Marquette (1) 158
5. Pittsburgh 139
6. USF 122
7. Seton Hall 96
8. Syracuse 94
9. Connecticut 90
10. St. John's 85
11. Villanova 81
12. Georgetown 65
13. West Virginia 60
14. Rutgers 35
15. DePaul 17
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Stephanie Niemer, Cincinnati, Sr., OH
All-BIG EAST Preseason Team
*Lola Arslanbekova, Louisville, So., OH
Ashley Beyer, Marquette Jr., OH
Allie Boaz, USF, Sr., RS
Kristen Dealy, Notre Dame, Jr., OH
Vanessa Dorismond, Georgetown, Sr., OH
Annie Fesl, Cincinnati, Sr., S
Missy Harpenau, Cincinnati, Jr., OH
Nikki Klingsporn, Marquette, Sr., S
Kim Maroon, Villanova, Jr., L
Maggie Mergen, Villanova, Jr., MB
Rebecca Murray, Connecticut, Sr., MH
*Stephanie Niemer, Cincinnati, Sr., OH
Kellie Sciacca, Notre Dame, Sr., MB
Amy Town, Pittsburgh, Sr., OH
* - unanimous selection
^ - Due to a tie in voting, extra members have been added to the BIG EAST Preseason All-Conference Team
