There is no doubt about it. Marquette volleyball looks different from years past.
Losing seven seniors to graduation, three to the transfer portal and the best head coach the program has ever had the new-look team sparks curiosity about its future.
Here are the three biggest things to look out for this season, which starts Saturday as the clock strikes midnight against Hawaii in the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball classic:
Starting lineups
New head coach Tom Mendoza will have to look to his five veteran players, but as for a starting seven, nobody really knows what that will look like.
The Golden Eagles only have one returning starter, so let’s break down the possibilities by position.
Setter: We don’t actually know what kind of rotation Mendoza will run. In the case of a 5-1, Allie Korba would be the best option to start out in that back right zone. The Central Michigan transfer was the 2024 MAC Setter of the Year after recording 1,137 assists last season. In a 6-2 offense, his other option would be first-year Isabela Haggard.
Middles: This is where he has choices. Most likely to start out would be unanimous preseason All-Big East selection Hattie Bray, who averaged a .334 attack percentage last season and will be even more pivotal than in years past after the graduation of Carsen Murray. After her, transfer Julia Stanev and first-year Keira Schmidt could also be potential alternatives.
Opposites: Senior Sienna Ifill has been a part of the Golden Eagle squad, starting her first career match last season, recording two kills and two digs against Eastern Illinois. Elena Radeff, who has come off five seasons with Santa Clara University playing as a right-side statistically has the most experience. The other choice: sophomore Calli Kenny, who is a bit of a wild card position player who has settled into a role as a 6-2 setter/right-side in her past.
Outsides: There are two options for veterans and two options for newcomers. Most likely, that starter spot will go to All-Big East preseason honoree Natalie Ring, who has proved to be just as smart a hitter as she is powerful. Only seeing action in two sets before earning a medical redshirt last season, Ella Holmstrom might have a shot at the front row. The other considerations for Mendoza: Emma Parks and Mari King.
The different colored jersey
Almost every volleyball coach can agree: every play starts with a pass. Then, it becomes a domino effect.
That near-perfect pass to the setter is what will then provide more options to run the offense, and choosing that passer, the one in the back row. Calling “mine” is a crucial part of how the game works.
Last season, libero time was split amongst several players, but Molly Berezowitz held down the back row towards the end. Due to Berezowitz transferring to The University of Kentucky, Mendoza could decide to take that route in the first few matches, slotting players in that spot and shifting it around to see what fits until he finds what sticks.
His options? Most likely to fill the role would be senior Adriana Studer who split libero time with Berezowitz. Another choice could be junior Allyson Eckel, a transfer from Middle Tennessee coming back to her home state, who averaged 2.15 digs per set at the end of last season. His next contender: first-year Avery Helms who graduated from her high school being the school’s record holder for most digs in a season (665 in 2024). Sophomore Calli Kenny, who was the team’s serving specialist her first year, is someone else Mendoza has at his disposal if he so chooses.
Helms and Studer donned the off-colored jerseys in the Blue & Gold scrimmage. Neither first-year Annika Kowalski nor senior Morgan Daughtery participated due to injuries, Mendoza said.
It becomes a question of who it is going to be and when it will be — the theme of this preseason.
The anticipation is building, isn’t it?
Ready or not
Scrimmages and practices are a starting point, but when the end goal of a Big East title is on the line, there is little room for mistakes.
It’s almost go-time, and no matter how prepared these 10 newcomers are, their first match is just a day away. They will have to rely on the fundamentals taught to them throughout their careers and look to their peers.
People are going to have to step up. Maybe first on that list is Ring.
Last season, with the likes of Aubrey Hamilton, Ella Foti and Jenna Reitsma, opponents had other proven threats. Now, she is No. 1 on the scouting report. The concern. Can she can keep up the same consistency when everyone in the building knows who’s the main attacking look?
There’s also the first-years.
Composing 35% of the roster, they will have to quickly drop the memory of what high school volleyball was, and, even faster, pick up what DI, Big East volleyball is. At some point in time, they will have to see the court. It’s inevitable.
Will they crack under the pressure of playing for a new team? Or shine wearing the blue and gold?
Only time will tell.
This story was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.