Fast Five: What to watch for in Marquette’s match against Wisconsin at Fiserv

The match at Fiserv Forum has only happened once before, and that was two years ago. 

It drew 17,037 fans — an NCAA attendance record for an indoor regular season game, a state record for attendance at a women’s sporting event and ranks as the 15th-most attended NCAA women’s volleyball match ever (including NCAA tournament play).

Now, the annual in-state rivalry between the Golden Eagles and the 7th ranked Badgers is back in Fiserv, as the NBA arena transforms its hardwood court and hoops for basketball to a taraflex mat and net for volleyball.

The Golden Eagles (5-2) and No. 7 Wisconsin, are both are coming off two-game win streaks, with three-set sweeps.

The match at Fiserv will determine whose streak will continue, and who’s will be snapped.

Here are five things to watch for during the game: 

1. Wisconsin is not playing the same team 

This time around, the Badgers are now going up against the Tom Mendoza era of Marquette volleyball. 

However, not knowing what Marquette has looked like before could give the Golden Eagles the upper hand, pulling out unexpected stops. Yet, this could also be an area of weakness, as the Badgers could start a run, which could cause Marquette to crumble.  

Marquette’s newcomers, who make up 35 percent of the team, will be looking to the veteran players who’ve experienced this atmosphere before. 

The Golden Eagles have yet to play a ranked team this season, let alone a top ten team.  

Will they be able to face the pressures of what this game means to the state of Wisconsin? Will they be able to keep their composure with the hostility of the fans chanting against them? 

Mistakes lead to distractions, which lead to poor presence on the court, which leads to overall performance. Therefore, eliminate the mistakes, take away the distractions and you have a better-performing team. 

2. Opportunities to run the offense

Serve-receive means having the first chance to attack.

The Golden Eagles’ reception errors per set (1.07) are notably higher than Wisconsin’s (.50). In their matches against San Diego and Utah State, the team had eight reception errors. In their most recent match against UW-Milwaukee, there were four.

If the Badgers target first-year setter Isabela Haggard in serve rotations, that will force senior defensive specialist Adriana Studer to take that second ball, causing a disrupted offense. 

Haggard will be looking to senior outside hitter Natalie Ring to fire any shot of a kill attempt, aggressive swing or open court shot like she did against Hawaii where she tallied 27 kills. 

Some more big net presence is lone returning starter graduate student middle blocker Hattie Bray, who is averaging 10.7 kills per game. 

3. Marquette’s defense needs to anticipate

Sophomore setter Charlie Fuerbringer likes to connect with her outsides. 

Makes sense, right? 

The ability to see the entire court and know where the Golden Eagles are set makes it easier for crosscourt angles and line shots, and who do you feed the ball to when you’re out-of-system? The outside pin. 

Even though 2023 National player of the year Sarah Franklin has left, 6-foot-3 senior outside hitter Mimi Colyer, who, leads the Big Ten in kills per set (5.21), is still there, and will be looking for that hole in the defense to perfectly place kills. Doing the same will be redshirt sophomores Una Vajagic and Grace Egan. 

Plus, a wingspan on the other side of the net will cause Marquette’s offense to get creative with their roll and deep corner shots. Senior middle blocker Carter Booth has five inches on Bray, standing at 6-foot-7-inches, and has an attack record of .338 so far this season. In 2023, Booth had six blocks and finished with 12 points against Marquette. 

Reading the situation the Badgers are in and watching where Fuerbringer will run her offense is going to be key to slowing down the pace of the game and putting Marquette in a good position to execute shots to score on.

4. The red and white in the crowd 

Two years ago, most of the 17,037 fans at Fiserv Forum were clearly not rooting for the home team. It didn’t matter that there were Marquette student sections, and even though it was less than a mile away from Marquette’s campus, you would have thought you were on Mifflin Street before a Badger game day. 

The cheers and hollers coming from the stands will be just as, if not louder, coming from the Madison fans as those who came dressed in blue & gold. So, whether or not Marquette will be able to handle the pressure, is a question that can only be answered as the game goes on. 

5. Marquette’s digging contributors

On the season, the Golden Eagles have accumulated 396 digs. Now although it’s senior defensive specialist Adriana Studer who wears the libero jersey and leads that stat category (114), whoever is in the back row rotation makes sure to contribute to keeping the point alive.

Haggard, who has 65, and Ring, who has 42, both have the ability to read the counterattacks and can react quickly. The quicker the reaction, the quicker the tempo, the more aggressive the offense becomes.

So, what will Marquette have to do against the Badgers?

Read the ball, stay in-system, keep the composure and attack.