Courtney Kintzel Joins Marquette Volleyball In 2014

This afternoon, Marquette has announced that middle hitter Courtney Kintzel will transfer to Marquette from Northern Iowa beginning with the second session of summer school.  Kintzel will be eligible to play immediately and come in as a redshirt junior.

Kintzel led Northern Iowa in blocks in 2013 with 142 on the season, and her mark of 1.22 per set ranked her second in the Missouri Valley Conference.  She adds an excellent dimension to the Golden Eagles, who only had one player average more than a block per set last season.  Teal Schnurr came on late in the season to average 1.14 blocks/set, while Meghan Niemann's total of 86 led MU.  Kintzel can hold her own on the attack as well, ranking 10th in the MVC in hitting percentage and 16th in kills.  She had 18 double digit kill totals while playing in all 31 matches, including a double-double of 11 kills and 12 blocks against eventual national runner up Wisconsin in a neutral site five set loss.

Kintzel is the second transfer in for the Golden Eagles this offseason.  She joins Ellen Hays as experienced newcomers to the team, and both women provide something that Marquette either didn't have last year or was lacking going into next year.  Hays is a defensive specialist, which Marquette desperately needed following the end of eligibility for Julie Jeziorowski, Cat Meyer, and Rachel Stier.  The addition of Kintzel brings head coach Ryan Theis to 17 players on the roster for 2014, well over the scholarship limit of 12, as per usual.

Marquette opens the season on August 30 against UC-Santa Barbara as part of the Colorado State Rams Volleyball Classic.