Anonymous Eagle - Marquette Volleyball 2017 Season PreviewYour home for coverage of Wisconsin's elite college athletics.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46843/anon-fave.png2017-08-23T11:31:02-05:00http://www.anonymouseagle.com/rss/stream/159039672017-08-23T11:31:02-05:002017-08-23T11:31:02-05:00Volleyball 2017 Season Preview: Four Questions
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<figcaption>Marquette will need big seasons from Allie Barber (10), Jenna Rosenthal (middle), and Madeline Mosher (12) in 2017. | <a href="http://Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball">Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball</a></figcaption>
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<p>You expected three questions, didn’t you?! GOTCHA.</p> <h3 id="3XIJNh">1 - Who is going to lead <a href="https://www.anonymouseagle.com/">Marquette</a> in attacks this season?</h3>
<p id="vAZOtC">This is a bigger issue that you might realize. </p>
<p id="yMzhec">We’re headed into Ryan Theis’ fourth season as head coach at Marquette. He’s had two women lead the Golden Eagles in attacks: Autumn Bailey for one season, and then Taylor Louis for the past two. Bailey and Louis didn’t just lead MU in attacks, though. The offense was being primarily routed through them, racking up somewhere between 33% and 36% of the attacks each year. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a lot, but consider this: The second leading attacker has always had less than 20% of the swings under Theis, and that percentage has decreased each year. Nele Barber took 19.3% of the attacks in 2014, Joy Miley was at 16.3% in 2015, and Meghan Niemann was at just 14.2% last season. </p>
<p id="XoX2eR">It seems important to point out at this juncture that Bailey transferred out of the program immediately after that season, and Louis left after the 2016 campaign. Were there other issues that played a part? Almost assuredly. But I’d wager that the heavy usage wasn’t helping matters.</p>
<p id="JqBIEa">So now, for the third time in his four seasons, Theis has to replace a sophomore that led his team in attacks. The leading candidate would probably be Allie Barber, but the Cedarburg native and preseason all-Big East honoree came off the bench for all but four of Marquette’s matches last season and didn’t play in 11 sets, while Madeline Mosher started 20 times and missed out on just two sets all season. On the flip side, Barber averaged nearly a full kill more per set on more than twice as many attacks, so it definitely seems like Barber has the advantage.</p>
<p id="d5zY4Y">It might not be either one of them, by the way. Hope Werch racked up over 1,900 kills for Neenah over the past four years and worked her way into a top 80 recruiting ranking according to Prep Volleyball. Both Bailey and Louis got their spots as freshmen (ok, Louis was a redshirt freshman, but still), so it wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world to see Theis turn the show over to Werch.</p>
<h3 id="CDuwvw">2 - Who is going to be the primary setter?</h3>
<p id="RIY5aV">If you’re getting the impression that it might be a little hard for Marquette to earn a seventh straight NCAA tournament berth in 2017, well, you’re not wrong. </p>
<p id="NCGTIj">In addition to finding a new focal point for the offense, Ryan Theis also needs to find a new setter. After two of the most productive season by a setter in program history, Sara Blasier’s eligibility is up. She walks away from Marquette with the sixth most assists in program history in just two seasons on campus and if she had been around for a full four years, she could have taken a run at Liz Egasti’s 17 year old program record for a career.</p>
<p id="9MPTBm">Instead, the keys to the Marquette offense are getting handed to someone else. Odds are it will be Lauren Speckman. The sophomore from San Jose, California saw just 32 sets worth of action last season, averaging just 1.84 assists per set. This sounds bad, but please remember that almost all of these appearances were in relief of Blasier, so she usually didn’t play much more than a handful of points at a time. She’s been the only fully committed setter on the roster since the end of the 2016 campaign, so Speckman was getting the reps in the spring. Whether or not that pays off in her earning the starting nod will have to be be seen. Sarah Rose joins the team as a freshman this season and at least in terms of roster construction, she’s going to push Speckman for playing time. There’s also Abby Julian, who is listed as a setter/defensive specialist on the roster. She played in just five sets as a redshirt freshman last season and did not even record an assist, so somehow I don’t think she’ll end up fitting the bill.</p>
<h3 id="QWNE0T">3 - Who is going to take up the mantle as libero?</h3>
<p id="N5aYF3">Yep, Ryan Theis has a third incredibly important role on the team to fill thanks to a departure on the roster. Sometimes, I find it amazing that Marquette was still picked to finish third in the Big East given their massive roster questions. Not looking good on you, non-Creighton Big East teams.</p>
<p id="IjrBpE">Anyway, Lauren Houg is gone after being the only woman to play libero for Theis at Marquette. It was a bit of a surprise that she got the job three years ago, at least based on how her freshman year went, but she ended up as one of the best liberos in the Big East on a regular basis and currently sits in second place on Marquette’s all-time digs chart, trailing only Julie Jeziorowski, the woman she replaced. </p>
<p id="Uak3Lm">Someone is going to have to step into Houg’s shoes here, and somehow, I actually don’t think it’s going to be Manon Geoffroy, MU’s lone returning experienced defensive specialist. This will be Geoffroy’s senior season, and it’s probably best for Marquette in the long term to keep her in the DS role that she played along side Houg. That gives someone else the chance to hold on to the libero position over the next few seasons and give the Golden Eagles continuity there. </p>
<p id="tnnVvI">The question is, then, who will that be? Abby Julian has been in Milwaukee for two seasons now, but as we discussed, she’s barely played. Still, she’d be familiar with what Theis is asking from his libero. If not Julian, then the job is going to have to go to one of Marquette’s two freshmen defensive specialists. Martha Konovodoff and Gabbi Martinez both have quality credentials in their prep and club careers, so they could be suited to the task. It’s going to come down to whichever woman Theis is most comfortable with, but I would also expect him to pick one of them and stick with her for the long haul.</p>
<h3 id="nXfOr2">4 - Can Marquette make it to a seventh consecutive NCAA tournament?</h3>
<p id="kRRiy6">That’s the big one, of course. The volleyball team has the longest active NCAA tournament streak on campus right now (men’s lacrosse is the second longest at two, believe it or not), and there’d be nothing better than seeing that streak continue. </p>
<p id="rPZTXo">It’s not going to be easy, though. Marquette will play five of their 12 non-conference matches against teams ranked in the AVCA preseason top 25, including each of their first three. They also have a game against a Wichita State squad that picked up a few votes in the preseason poll, which means that the coaches have the Shockers a few notches ahead of Marquette to start the season. That means the Golden Eagles will not be favored to win in at least half of their non-conference matches, and that does not bode well for their postseason hopes. </p>
<p id="vaQWzK">Also not helping MU out is the fact that the Big East has a well earned reputation as a weak volleyball conference. Only four Big East teams won 20 or more matches last season, and only two of those teams lost fewer than 10 times. Not coincidentally, those two — Creighton and Marquette — were the only two teams to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Only 4 Big East teams finished the 2016 regular season in the top 100 of the RPI, and there’s a pretty big gap between Villanova at #72 and Butler at #121. Georgetown and Providence were down below #225, and while that doesn’t seem awful, remember that Marquette has to play them both twice.</p>
<p id="RFJX74">Let’s be honest: Marquette was a little bit lucky to make it into the NCAA tournament last year with a record of 23-8 and an RPI of 43. The Golden Eagles are going to need to steal wins (yes, plural) in the non-conference portion of the schedule and avoid horrible losses against Big East foes. 10 losses by Selection Sunday is definitely a possibility with this schedule and this largely inexperienced roster. 10 losses is also probably going to keep them out of the dance. It’s a small margin for error.</p>
https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2017/8/23/16188408/marquette-golden-eagles-volleyball-2017-season-preview-mosher-barber-rose-speckman-geoffroyBrewtown Andy2017-08-21T09:45:02-05:002017-08-21T09:45:02-05:00Marquette Volleyball 2017 Season Preview: The Newcomers
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<figcaption><a href="http://Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball">Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball</a></figcaption>
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<p>Marquette brings in nine fresh faces as they look to make an immediate impact on the court.</p> <p id="7qH4uW">The 2017 <a href="https://www.anonymouseagle.com/">Marquette</a> volleyball team will feature nine new faces this season as they look to appear in their seventh straight NCAA tournament appearance. The team opens up their season with three matches against opponents all featured in the AVCA top 25. Head coach Ryan Theis has the No. 21 ranked recruiting class in the country and will have his hands full with a very young roster featuring seven freshman and two transfers. Lets take a look at the new faces on the roster. </p>
<h1 id="j3ZUu6">Middle</h1>
<p id="xzZoJz">Marquette fans already know the starting middle spot will go to Jenna Rosenthal this upcoming season as she was chosen to the Preseason All-Big East team, but Ryan Theis brings in two backups in freshman <strong>Elizabeth Orf</strong> and sophomore transfer <strong>Sandy Mohr</strong>. The roster has these two women listed as middle blockers, so Theis may bring them in for defensive purposes, but that is doubtful as Rosenthal approaches the all time blocks record this season. Orf is listed at 6-3 and comes from St. Louis, Missouri. She was listed as the No. 39 prospect on the PrepVolleyball Senior Ace list and was named as a PrepVolleyball Club All-American. Orf owns the all time kills record at Villa Duchesne High School in St. Louis with over 1,100 career kills. </p>
<p id="vezPa7"><em>[Editor’s note: </em><a href="https://twitter.com/AnonymousEagle/status/887374043711668225"><em>I am ready and waiting</em></a><em> for all of the Elizabeth Orf highlights.]</em></p>
<p id="Lmmxaa">Mohr is sophomore transfer student from Evangel University. She stands at 6 feet four inches tall and was ranked as the No. 37 player in the PrepVolleyball Senior Ace list in 2016. Mohr, a native of Muskego, Wisconsin, averaged 2.24 kills and .93 blocks per set last season at Evangel and looks to provide some more offense off the bench. <a href="https://marquettewire.org/3973633/tribune/tribune-sports/summer-update-fall-sports-begin-preseason-soccer-polls-released/">She is a late addition to the roster</a>, apparently replacing transfer Kayli Trausch, who is not on the roster <a href="http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/042517aab.html">even though Marquette announced her arrival in April</a>. </p>
<h1 id="2r5Wja">Outside</h1>
<p id="bTPUFK">Preseason All Big East Player Allie Barber will start on the outside, likely along with Madeline Mosher. Ryan Theis brought in three freshman and a transfer student this offseason, though, so he has options when it comes to replacing Taylor Louis’ historic volume of attacks. <strong>Kortlyn Henderson</strong> is a freshman from Waco, Texas. Standing at 6-1, Henderson was featured as a top 250 PrepVolleyball Senior Ace during her senior year and set a record for most kills in a game in 2016.</p>
<p id="2H4tWc"><strong>Hope Werch</strong> is a 6-1 incoming freshman out of Neenah, Wisconsin. She was ranked as the No. 78 player on PrepVolleyball’s Senior Ace list as she recorded 1,918 career kills and 1,543 digs career digs. Werch also hit an outstanding .322 while being named to Honorable Mention list on the Under Armour All-American roster, and given her recruiting ranking, you’d have to guess that she has a shot at becoming the focal point of the Marquette offense this season to replace Louis.</p>
<p id="VjzCuc"><strong>Anna Haak</strong> is the transfer student in the group, trading in the University of Miami and Coral Gables for Milwaukee in the winter. It’s not that weird, though, as the 5-11 Haak hails from Angelholm, Sweden. In her two years at Miami, Haak tallied 3.21 kills per set and 2.36 digs per game. She was on the Swedish senior national team in 2014 and 2015. Look for her to get plenty of playing time behind Madeline Mosher. </p>
<p id="EF5mqX"><strong>Liza Kastrup </strong>hails from Dortmund, Germany as she looks to provide from the right side for Ryan Theis. The 6-1 incoming freshman won the German National Championship in the U20 division in 2017. Kastrup was also the captain of her club team the past couple years. </p>
<h1 id="wV10oY">Defensive Specialist</h1>
<p id="GNRWY0">This position will most likely belong to Manon Geoffroy in the start of the season, but Ryan Theis brings in two freshman defensive specialists as he begins to plan for the future as Geoffroy is a senior. <strong>Martha Konovodoff</strong> is a 5-7 incoming freshman from Sugar Grove, Illinois. She attended Rosary High School and recorded 1,660 career digs in her four years there. Konovodoff won the 2016 AAU National Championship with her club team. </p>
<p id="8x0qaT">Marquette also brings in <strong>Gabbi Martinez</strong>, a 5-4 freshman from Austin, Texas. Martinez recorded 608 career digs at Westlake High School in Austin. Martinez was selected as an Honorable Mention player during the Under Armour All American selection. She also averaged 4.9 digs per set her senior year. </p>
<p id="DEqO7Y">It would not be surprising to see one of these two women end up as Marquette’s libero this season. Geoffroy played DS along side libero Lauren Houg last year, so it would make a certain kind of sense for Theis to keep Geoffroy in her comfort zone while setting up one of his freshmen to be his libero for the next four seasons.</p>
<h1 id="Vv0fPJ">Setter</h1>
<p id="8sRsy5">Finally, Ryan Theis added one setter to the roster this offseason and that’s <strong>Sarah Rose</strong>. She is a 5-7 incoming freshman from Elmhurst, Illinois and she attended York Community High School. During her four years at York Community, Rose tallied 2,605 career assists and 865 career digs. Look for her to back up Lauren Speckman as Speckman is the expected starter. </p>
<p id="3y3psR">There hasn’t been any official word on this coming out of the McGuire Center as of yet, but don’t be surprised to see Marquette put at least one of their seven freshmen on a redshirt season. Given the shortage of returning veterans, Theis needs players to make an impact immediately this year, but there’s also more freshmen than there is available playing time. We may have to wait until the end of the first weekend of action to have an idea as to who might be sitting out, though. Last year, the word was that Allie Barber was going to be redshirted, but BOOM, there she was playing against USC in the opening game. She ended up as Big East Co-Freshman of the Year and Barber returns this season as a preseason All Big East honoree. Go figure, huh?</p>
<p id="qeS0Vb">Follow the team Twitter account for game updates and news from the team.</p>
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<a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://twitter.com/MarquetteVB">Tweets by MarquetteVB</a>
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<p id="QU2CFW">Also follow me on Twitter @OwenBrown11_ for Marquette sports updates and takes.</p>
https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2017/8/21/16172774/2017-marquette-golden-eagles-volleyball-freshmen-transfers-orf-werch-haak-kastrup-rose-hendersonBroadway Brown2017-08-17T13:00:02-05:002017-08-17T13:00:02-05:00Volleyball 2017 Season Preview: The Returning Players
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<figcaption><a href="http://Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball">Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball</a></figcaption>
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<p>A look at who returns to the squad looking to return to the NCAA tournament for the 7th year in a row.</p> <p id="Slrg5E">The 2016 <a href="https://www.anonymouseagle.com/">Marquette</a> volleyball season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year after the squad lost to <a href="https://www.cougcenter.com/">Washington State</a> 3 sets to 1.</p>
<p id="KxS3Eo">Entering his fourth season as head coach, Ryan Theis returns six women from last year’s roster as he looks to bring the Golden Eagles back the NCAA Tournament for the seventh year in a row. Here is what to look for/expect from those six women.</p>
<h1 id="TzwvPE">Middle Hitter</h1>
<p id="yfoJVi">Marquette returns one middle hitter this year, but <strong>Jenna Rosenthal</strong> proved last year that she is all Ryan Theis will need this season. The 6-6 middle hitter from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin enters her redshirt junior year as she looks to have another monster season after playing in all 121 sets last year. In those 121 sets, she averaged 2.3 kills and 1.22 blocks per set. Rosenthal has been a star since she stepped on campus; in her redshirt freshman season she recorded 2 kills and 1.19 blocks per set while being named to the First Team All-Big East and the AVCA All-East Coast Region Team. Look for Rosenthal to take a bigger role in the offense with the transfer of Taylor Louis and Meghan Niemann’s eligibility ending. She’s already been named to the Preseason All Big East Team and spent this summer with U. S. Women’s Collegiate National Team Europe Tour.</p>
<h1 id="wzirSF">Outside Hitter </h1>
<p id="uZXcFl">The Golden Eagles return two outsides in <strong>Allie Barber</strong> and <strong>Madeline Mosher</strong>. Barber is coming off a very solid freshman campaign while playing in 110 sets. The 6-5 outside from Cedarburg, Wisconsin registered 1.99 kills and .51 blocks last season during her Big East Co-Freshman of the year inaugural season. Barber will likely be the player to benefit the most from Taylor Louis transferring to Iowa, as Louis’ team leading total of attacks have to go to someone. Barber joined Rosenthal on the Preseason All Big East Team.</p>
<p id="ZABThY">Madeline Mosher will likely play opposite of Barber this season. She played in 119 sets while averaging .92 kills and .51 blocks per set in a perfectly acceptable rookie campaign. Marquette will have a strong core in Rosenthal, Barber and Mosher to build out from to provide most of the offense in this upcoming season.</p>
<h1 id="EmmdZe">Defensive Specialist </h1>
<p id="7xQfcE">Marquette only has one player named as a defensive specialist: <strong>Manon Geoffroy</strong>. The 5-5 rising senior hails from France and played in 118 sets for the Golden Eagles in 2016, her first season on the team. Geoffroy averaged 2.05 digs per set and also had 22 serving aces. Geoffroy will be a leader in the back row this year as she is the oldest player on the roster and could be Theis’ choice to replace Lauren Houg at libero. </p>
<h1 id="h8uqUi">Setter</h1>
<p id="hSAXQU">Ryan Theis will go with three setters on the roster, but <strong>Lauren Speckman</strong> will be first in line to get a crack at the starting spot. Speckman has some big shoes to fill as she replaces Sara Blaiser who averaged 10.01 assists per set last year. The 5-9 rising sophomore from San Jose, California appeared in 32 sets last season and averaged 1.84 assists per set in her freshman year, and she could thrive thanks to her familiarity at setting up Barber, Mosher, and Rosenthal for attacks. Speckman had a career high 15 assists in last years game against crosstown rival UW-Milwaukee.</p>
<p id="I2TInr">Finally, we get to <strong>Abby Julian</strong>. The 5-7 redshirt sophomore from Lewis Center, Ohio is listed as a setter and defensive specialist so she could see time at both positions this year. Julian only appeared in five sets last year, but with Speckman’s limited experience and Marquette’s lack of experienced defensive specialists, the chance will be there for her to get on the floor one way or another.</p>
<p id="Vys5kx">Marquette opens the season with three games in Hawaii against three top 25 teams, including the season opener against the #20 ranked Rainbow Wahine. It might be a tall test for this team, but last year’s squad took down #7 USC in their opening game. </p>
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https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2017/8/17/16156272/2017-marquette-volleyball-season-preview-returning-players-rosenthal-barber-mosher-geoffroyBroadway Brown2017-08-09T19:03:59-05:002017-08-09T19:03:59-05:00AVCA Releases Volleyball Preseason Top 25
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<figcaption>Allie Barber and the Golden Eagles will have to hustle just to finish 6-6 in non-conference play. | <a href="http://Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball">Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball</a></figcaption>
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<p>Marquette’s non-conference schedule is littered with ranked foes, and that’s before they tangle with Creighton.....</p> <p id="neKSCS">On Wednesday, the American Volleyball Coaches Association released <a href="https://www.avca.org/polls/di-women/8-9-2017.html">their preseason top 25 poll</a>. As expected, the Big Ten and Pac-12 dominate the poll. The Big Ten has eight teams, and the Pac-12 occupies six spots. </p>
<p id="gRnmmK">Also taking up a lot of space in the top 25: Teams that <a href="https://www.anonymouseagle.com/">Marquette</a> will play this season. The Golden Eagles have seven games against teams in the preseason poll and one against a team that is in the Receiving Votes department. Things start off wild and woolly for Marquette, as MU will see #20 (Hawaii), #13 (UCLA), and #22 (San Diego) in rapid succession in their first weekend of the 2017 season. The second weekend’s tournament bring Wichita State, who picked up enough votes for seven points, into the fray, while Kentucky and their #14 preseason ranking will be headed to Milwaukee and the McGuire Center on September 10th. Four days later, Marquette will road trip west on I-94 for an encounter with #7 Wisconsin.</p>
<p id="GcmTow">That’s half of Marquette’s 12 match non-conference schedule right there. With head coach Ryan Theis needing to replace his leading attacker, his setter, and his libero for 2017, it will be a long strange trip for the Golden Eagles to merely get to 6-6 by the time Big East action starts on September 20th. Anything better than a .500 record will easily have Marquette on track for a seventh straight NCAA tournament appearance, and anything worse than .500 could definitely put that streak in danger.</p>
<p id="tfu9JY">Regardless of how the non-conference schedule goes, Marquette will need to rack up wins against their Big East rivals to lock up that NCAA tournament berth. Never has that more been the case since The Reformation than this season, as Creighton starts the year ranked #9 in the country. As always, MU will play the Bluejays twice, and unless Theis gets his newcomers pointed in the right direction quickly, those matches could be bloodbaths. That’s why it will be important for MU to snag as many wins as possible against the rest of the league.</p>
<p id="Vl324w">Marquette’s first match of the season comes on August 25th, two weeks from this Friday, when they play the hosting (and ranked #20) Hawaii Rainbow Wahine in Honolulu with the start time set for just before midnight Central time.</p>
<p id="VJq2Gs">Check out the full top 25 <a href="https://www.avca.org/polls/di-women/8-9-2017.html">right here</a>.</p>
https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2017/8/9/16122500/avca-2017-ncaa-womens-volleyball-preseason-top-25-marquette-golden-eaglesBrewtown Andy2017-08-07T09:45:02-05:002017-08-07T09:45:02-05:00Marquette To Make 17 Fall Appearances On The BEDN
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: Butler at Villanova" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/h-8ns1wJyfhjci-de3EssWM10IU=/0x0:4429x2953/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56083557/usa_today_9898642.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Lots of men’s soccer, lots of women’s soccer, just a dash of volleyball, and one cross country championship race.</p> <p id="kfaaP6">The Big East<a href="http://www.bigeast.com/news/2017/7/28/mens-soccer-big-east-announces-2017-bigeastdigital-fall-slate.aspx"> recently announced the broadcast schedule for fall sports on the Big East Digital Network</a>, and YOUR <a href="https://www.anonymouseagle.com/">Marquette Golden Eagles</a> will appear on the streaming service for 16 regular season contests plus the cross country conference championships which, by coincidence, Marquette is hosting this year.</p>
<p id="dYxQ5G">All 16 regular season contests come as part of Big East play for each of the three fall sports. Men’s soccer is the first MU team to appear, as the road trip to Villanova will be on the first day of BEDN coverage. All told, four of Marquette’s five road games and two of their home games will be streamed for free through Fox Sports Go. The lone road exception is MU’s visit to St. John’s, likely due to the Red Storm’s goofy side deal with WatchESPN.</p>
<p id="DnKNF4">Women’s soccer will get their first broadcast on September 24th when the Golden Eagles visit Butler. Four of Marquette’s five road games and four of their three home games get the BEDN treatment with only a trip to DePaul and a home date against Providence not making the cut.</p>
<p id="8Q4CrC">If you’ve been counting along, then you already know that volleyball will only be broadcast on the BEDN three times this fall: at home against Seton Hall and against Xavier, as well as the regular season finale on the road against DePaul. </p>
<p id="yRt2aw">In addition to those regular season games, the first round and semifinals of both the men’s and women’s soccer tournament will be streamed on the BEDN, as will the volleyball semifinals. Marquette will be hosting the volleyball tournament in late November at the McGuire Center, as well as hosting the Big East cross country championships at University of Wisconsin-Parkside in late October. Both men’s and women’s soccer will be using a “best team remaining hosts the game” format for the Big East tournament this season, so it’s possible that Valley Fields could see one or more tournament games in November.</p>
<p id="iDZDo6">If you’re wondering about how to watch Marquette’s other games, well, that’s up in the air right now. Road games gettin some kind of streaming broadcast, either paid or otherwise, can be a hit or miss proposition. Marquette has streamed almost all of the non-BEDN home games for free through <a href="http://GoMarquette.com">GoMarquette.com</a> over the past few years, but for right now, there are no streaming broadcasts listed on the website.</p>
<p id="CndLxX">Here’s the full schedule of Marquette games on the Big East Digital Network this fall.</p>
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<p id="Hw3XAI">You can check out the full slate of every BEDN broadcast <a href="http://www.bigeast.com/documents/2017/7/28//2017_BEDN_Fall_Schedule.pdf?id=4699">right here</a>.</p>
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https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2017/8/7/16104914/big-east-digital-network-bedn-soccer-volleyball-marquette-golden-eagles-fox-sports-goBrewtown Andy2017-08-02T18:17:44-05:002017-08-02T18:17:44-05:00Rosenthal & Barber Named To Big East Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team
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<img alt="Jenna Rosenthal" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OYtx0VVYHA0S48fSlYUxxb-2oDM=/150x0:975x550/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56024797/Rosenthal_via_FB.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jenna Rosenthal looks to make a major impact on the Golden Eagles this season. | <a href="http://Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball">Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball</a></figcaption>
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<p>The Golden Eagles are picked to finish third in the Big East as part of a mishmash of teams trying to catch up to Creighton.</p> <p id="GjjR4a">On Wednesday, the Big East announced the preseason women’s volleyball awards, and two <a href="https://www.anonymouseagle.com/">Marquette</a> players were included on the all-conference team. Redshirt junior middle hitter Jenna Rosenthal is one of seven unanimous choices for the squad, and she is joined on the team by sophomore outside hitter Allie Barber.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ICYMI: The 2017 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BIGEASTvb?src=hash">#BIGEASTvb</a> Preseason All-Conference Team <a href="https://t.co/WAACcSstlO">https://t.co/WAACcSstlO</a> <a href="https://t.co/lI0hdw670Q">pic.twitter.com/lI0hdw670Q</a></p>— BIG EAST Conference (@BIGEAST) <a href="https://twitter.com/BIGEAST/status/892831347177385984">August 2, 2017</a>
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<p id="Zfe5wY">As a team, the Golden Eagles were picked to finish third in the Big East by a vote of the league’s coaches. Marquette picked up 62 points in the balloting, including the first place vote of Creighton’s Kirsten Bernal Booth, as coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/butler-bulldogs">Butler</a> was second with 66 points, and the defending champion <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/creighton-bluejays">Bluejays</a> were a unanimous choice to repeat with the other nine first place votes.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">2017-18 is here everyone! Time for the first <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BIGEAST?src=hash">#BIGEAST</a> preseason poll! <a href="https://twitter.com/CreightonVB">@CreightonVB</a> is the unanimous No. 1 in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BIGEASTvb?src=hash">#BIGEASTvb</a> Coaches' Poll <a href="https://t.co/ORHu1DZuYW">pic.twitter.com/ORHu1DZuYW</a></p>— BIG EAST Conference (@BIGEAST) <a href="https://twitter.com/BIGEAST/status/892809854577987587">August 2, 2017</a>
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<p id="sukKoH">Rosenthal and Barber were both All-Big East First Team honorees following the 2016 season. Rosenthal was Marquette’s second most productive offensive weapon with 2.30 kills per set last season. She was also the second most accurate attacker in the conference, connecting at a .363 clip, and her Marquette-best 1.22 blocks per set was also second in the Big East. Barber was a surprise honoree last year, both on the First Team and as co-Freshman of the Year. Barber averaged 2.20 kills per set in Big East matches and was putting kills on the floor on the regular, hitting .318 in conference play.</p>
<p id="nbr6sA">As the league favorite, it’s not a surprise to see four Bluejays on the preseason all-conference team. It’s also not a surprise to see senior setter Lydia Dimke as the preseason Player of the Year. She picked up the postseason version of that award in 2016, so it’s only fair that she be installed as the preseason award winner now. With seven unanimous choices for the all-conference team, Dimke will clearly face some challenges for that crown when November comes calling, most likely from Jaali Winters, her own teammate.</p>
<p id="NOeeU8">Here’s the full all-conference team list: </p>
<p id="OJfj11"><strong>Anna Logan, Butler, Jr., OH ^</strong><br><strong>Lydia Dimke, Creighton, Sr., S ^</strong><br><strong>Taryn Kloth, Creighton, Jr., OH ^</strong><br><strong>Jaali Winters, Creighton, Jr., OH ^</strong><br><strong>Brittany Witt, Creighton, So., DS</strong><br><strong>Brittany Maxwell, DePaul, Jr., RS ^</strong><br><strong>Symone Speech, Georgetown, Jr., MB</strong><br><strong>Allie Barber, Marquette, So., OH</strong><br><strong>Jenna Rosenthal, Marquette, RS-Jr., MH ^</strong><br><strong>Erica Di Maulo, St. John’s, So., S ^</strong><br><strong>Allie Loitz, Villanova, Sr., OH</strong><br><strong>Kristen Massa, Xavier, Sr., OH</strong></p>
<p id="TJ4x7W">And here’s the full rundown on the preseason team poll:</p>
<p id="KjmeOd"><strong>1. Creighton 81 pts.</strong><br><strong>2. Butler 66</strong><br><strong>3. Marquette 62</strong><br><strong>4. Xavier 51</strong><br><strong>5. Villanova 46</strong><br><strong>6. St. John’s 43</strong><br><strong>7. DePaul 36</strong><br><strong>8. Seton Hall 35</strong><br><strong>9. Georgetown 21</strong><br><strong>10. Providence 9</strong></p>
<p id="6jEoiW">I think it’s safe to say that the league’s coaches don’t know what to make of the Big East outside of Creighton. If Butler had gotten all nine second place votes, they’d have 72 points. They missed that by a fairly significant margin. Moreover, when you take away the nine points from Booth’s first place vote, Marquette has just 53 points. If the other 8 votes all went to second place for the Golden Eagles would mean 64 points, so they obviously fell well short of that mark.</p>
<p id="pUcjPa">While I would still mark Ryan Theis’ team as the second best in the Big East, there are reasons to question Marquette’s ability to qualify for a seventh straight NCAA tournament. They have lost leading attacker Taylor Louis to transfer, and Meghan Niemann, the program’s all time leader in blocks, finished up her eligibility last season. MU returns just six players from 2016 and Theis will have to weave not four, not five, not six, but nine new players into his lineup this year. Seven of the nine newcomers are freshmen, and while Marquette is regarded as having a top 25 recruiting class for the second straight season, expecting the freshmen to carry heavy loads is not a great plan.</p>
https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2017/8/2/16085484/marquette-golden-eagles-rosenthal-barber-2017-big-east-volleyball-preseason-all-conference-teamBrewtown Andy2017-04-27T21:01:52-05:002017-04-27T21:01:52-05:00Volleyball Announces 2017 Schedule
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<img alt="Marquette women’s volleyball" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m1aBFXQNf5Ere-X8pro92ZzJFSU=/190x0:1125x623/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54499367/Allie_20Barber_20via_20FB.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Big things will be expected from Allie Barber in 2017. | <a href="http://Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball">Facebook.com/MarquetteVolleyball</a></figcaption>
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<p>It’s going to be one hell of a test for a roster with eight newcomers.</p> <p id="VKTlkK">On Thursday, <a href="https://www.anonymouseagle.com/">Marquette</a> volleyball announced <a href="http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/042717aaa.html">their 2017 schedule</a>. This came as a little bit of a surprise, as it is about a month earlier than last year’s schedule, but hey: when it’s done, it’s done.</p>
<p id="CJelR3">As usual, MU’s home schedule will consist of the nine Big East matches along with the Marquette Invitational. The guests for the Invitational this year are Kentucky, which is coming off a second round appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2016, as well as Loyola-Chicago.</p>
<p id="NMTHha">The Golden Eagles will participate in two non-conference tournament events to kick off the season. They’ll be in Hawaii to start off the schedule, where they will play the Rainbow Wahine along with UCLA and San Diego. That’s going to be one hell of a start to the season, as all three of those squads were ranked in the top 15 of the AVCA poll at the end of the season.</p>
<p id="46X3vK">From there, Marquette will move to Indianapolis the following weekend for a tournament hosted by IUPUI. In addition to the Jaguars, MU will also play Miami (OH) and Wichita State. Both the Redhawks and the Shockers were NCAA tournament teams a year ago, so it won’t be much of a letdown in competition level from the previous week for head coach Ryan Theis and his team.</p>
<p id="cWlA5j">Following the Marquette Invitational, the Golden Eagles will meet up with two of their in-state rivals. They’ll visit UW-Milwaukee, and then follow that up just two days later with a trip to Madison to play the Badgers. It will be the first meeting between Marquette and Wisconsin since 2008, and given how the Badgers have played the past few seasons, it should be a pretty important match.</p>
<p id="hxscVN">After sticking around in Madison for another day to tangle with Southern Miss, Marquette will open up Big East action on September 20th with a road trip to Butler. The home slate for league play gets started on September 22nd when Seton Hall rolls into town, and Manon Geoffroy’s Senior Day (yes, she’s on the only one on the roster this year) will be on November 11th when MU hosts Villanova at the McGuire Center.</p>
<p id="53SRfM">Speaking of the McGuire Center, Marquette will host the Big East tournament again in 2017, with the semifinals set for Friday, November 24th, aka the day after Thanksgiving, and the championship match scheduled for the very next day.</p>
<p id="E6VDy3">With the recently announced group of signees, Marquette will have eight newcomers on the roster in the fall, including seven freshmen. I think <a href="http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/042717aaa.html">this quote from Ryan Theis in the press release</a> does a good job of explaining the task in front of the Golden Eagles for 2017:</p>
<blockquote><p id="sm9OGZ">"We have an extremely challenging non-conference schedule," Theis said. "We will have to get our group ready to compete in a hurry. We will be battle tested by the time we start BIG EAST play and we are excited to have the conference tournament back at Marquette in November. Our goal is to get another shot at December and make the most of it."</p></blockquote>
<p id="op0wUr">Here’s the full schedule for you.</p>
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https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2017/4/27/15461680/marquette-golden-eagles-volleyball-announces-2017-schedule-hawaii-ucla-san-diego-wichita-stateBrewtown Andy