Out with the old, in with the new.
No one can track when the saying started, but Marquette volleyball is a prime example of it this season.
Sure, the Golden Eagles lost seven seniors to graduation, three players to the transfer portal and the most successful volleyball coach to ever reside in the Al McGuire Center. Sure, nobody outside of that locker room really knows what to expect, heck, even they might not.
Marquette is back with almost an entirely new roster, new coaching staff and new identity. With just under a week until opening serve, here’s a peek at what you might be able to expect from this new-look Marquette volleyball:
Those who departed
- The headliner move of the offseason came at the head coach position. After 11 seasons at Marquette, head coach Ryan Theis left for Florida in February, signaling the end of the most dominant decade in program history.
- Of the 1,673 kills the team amassed last season, 1,116 are not on the roster anymore. Of course, the most notable deduction for that stat is Aubrey Hamilton. The two-time All-Big East player became just the 14th Golden Eagle ever to hit the 1,000-kill mark last season. The outside hitter scored double-digit kills in 27 of Marquette’s 34 games last season, good enough for a grand total of 436.
- Another notable and almost downright irreplaceable departure from MU was former-Big East Setter of the Year, Yadhira Anchante. Anchante was an AVCA All-American in 2024, dishing out 1,258 assists and 397 digs.
- Middle blocker Carsen Murray earned her second degree from Marquette in the spring, departing the program as the most efficient hitter in MU history, swinging a .377 over the course of five seasons.
- Hitters Ella Foti and Jenna Reitsma both graduated as well, taking with them a combined 372 kills from last season.
- Defensive specialist Molly Berezowitz, who appeared in all 34 matches while splitting time at libero with several others before winning the job down the stretch, transferred to Kentucky in December.
New faces and new places
Tom Mendoza was announced as the head coach of the program in early March. Mendoza brings with him nine years of D1 coaching experience, most recently at the University of South Carolina and previously at High Point.
With Mendoza, came almost an entirely new roster as well:
- Isabela Haggard joins the Golden Eagles from Lexington, Kentucky. The setter was a top-100 national prospect according to PrepDig.
- Mari King comes to Marquette from Florida — where she is the state’s all-time high school kills leader. The outside hitter was ranked as the 18th best player in the state.
- Keira Schmidt joins as a middle blocker from Minnesota. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker is able to use her frame at the net and become a block threat frequently.
- Avery Helms is a defensive specialist/libero from St. Charles, Missouri. She’s often recognized for her ability to spread the floor with a balance passing attack, while also possessing good defensive skills.
- Annika Kowalski is another defensive specialist/libero from Wisconsin who was originally an attacker in high school but switched to the DS/Libero roll due to her excellent ball handling.
- Emma Parks, an outside hitter from Pennsylvania, is another 6-foot-2 outside hitter with what some describe as “high athletic upside.”
There were also four players who transferred in this offseason:
- Elena Radeff is a transfer from Santa Clara. She’s an outside hitter who earned All-WCC honors in beach volleyball in 2023.
- Allyson Eckel is a defensive specialist/libero transfer from Middle Tennessee. Originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin, Eckel was averaging 2.15 digs per set by the end of her time at MTSU.
- Allie Korba is likely the best candidate to replace Anchante. The Central Michigan transfer is the reigning MAC Setter of the Year after logging 1,137 assists last season.
- Eastern Illinois transfer Julia Stanev comes to Marquette with two years of eligibility. Stanev averages nearly a block per set and will add to Marquette’s net presence.
What to expect this season
Mendoza is undoubtedly going to have to lean on his veteran returners this season, especially early on. Those returners include unanimous preseason All-Big East selection Hattie Bray, preseason All-Big East selection Natalie Ring, Morgan Daugherty, Ella Holmstrom and Sienna Ifill.
“They’ve been great,” Mendoza said. “They’ve done a great job helping the younger players understand what college athletics is. This summer, they helped the younger players get up to speed, especially in the weight room, and I think that’s why we haven’t had as many setbacks.”
It’s hard to know exactly what to expect from this group this season, but Mendoza’s squad is going to work its tail off to put itself in good positions to attack.
“It’s about controlling the first and second contact, trying to put ourselves in good positions,” Mendoza said. “So if we do that, and our attackers can go be aggressive, I think it’ll help us beat the teams that are as physical or more physical than us, which we have plenty of on our schedule.”
Marquette opens up the season Aug. 30 in Honolulu against Hawaii.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at matthew.baltz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.