A great deal of the success that the Golden Eagles’ Women’s Volleyball team could be attributed to the veteran leadership that was ever-present throughout the season.
This season will be a different story.
It is not a complete makeover as only six of the eighteen players are newcomers; however, those athletes will have rather large shoes to fill.
The position where this is most evident as at outside hitter, where the Golden Eagles lost All Big East Second Team selection Ashley Beyer and AVCA HM All-American Ciara Jones to graduation. Marquette will also have to deal with the loss of reigning Big East Freshman of the Year, Chelsea Heier, which leaves a void at the setter position as well.
These are the names that Golden Eagles fans will quickly become familiar with this season:
-Casey Read (Outside Hitter) is entering her junior season as a Golden Eagle. As a sophomore last year, she played a total of three sets in just two matches.
-Erin Lehman (Outside Hitter) is a freshman from Green Bay, Wisconsin. She will likely be thrust right into the starting lineup along with Read to fill the voids left by Beyer and Jones.
-Elizabeth Koberstein (Setter) is the only upperclassmen among the six newcomers to the Golden Eagles. She is from Madison, Wisconsin.
-Mary Nilles (Setter) is a freshman from Batavia, Illinois. Nilles and Koberstein will be competing for playing team in the spot left by the departed Heier.
Amidst the newcomers, Marquette also has a group of talented, familiar faces returning to lead the team in the coming year.
-Danielle Carlson (Middle Hitter) is coming off an AVCA HM All-American selection in her junior year in which she averaged 2.77 kills/set (the most of any returning Golden Eagle). In her senior season, she will be one of the main sources of leadership for the squad, both on and off the court.
-Carol Henney (Middle Hitter) is also entering her senior year at Marquette. Last year, she averaged 0.93 blocks/set (second among returning players) and 1.44 kills/set. Between her and Carlson, middle hitter is expected to be the most stable position on the Golden Eagles in 2012.
-Holly Mertens (Right Side Hitter) is a red-shirt senior that averaged 2.22 kills/set and 0.58 blocks/set in 2011. Marquette will count on stability at the other hitter positions to make up for the inexperience outside.
-Julie Jeziorowski (Libero) was a terrific defensive player for the Golden Eagles in 2011. She had over double the amount of digs/set of any of her returning teammates (5.06). The shortest Golden Eagle in height is expected to be among the biggest in contribution in 2012.
The Golden Eagles have achieved a great deal of success thus far under Coach Bond Shymansky, which included their first tournament appearance and victory against Western Kentucky last season. 2011 is considered the most successful year in program history as they finished with a mark of 24-11, which included a remarkable 12-2 record in Big East play. The goal for 2012 is not just to get back to the tournament but to make a deep run as the young women look to embody the motto of their beloved coach and achieve “Success Today.”
John Muir, WMUR Assistant Sports Director