In the second game, the Phoenix took an early lead as they ran the score to 8-2 early on. Instead of calling a timeout to gather her team, coach Pati Rolf let her squad play through the adversity to bring the score back to 10-7. The Phoenix then went on another mini-run, in which they lead by as many as six points bringing the score to 21-15.
The Golden Eagles managed to battle back to within three with the score at 21-18. Following a Green Bay timeout, the Phoenix extended their lead to 24-19, but that was the last run they would make as the Golden Eagles battled back thanks to a 7-2 run in which they secured their first tie of the match.
Following a Phoenix timeout, the Golden Eagles went on a 4-1 run to close out game two with a 30-27 win.
According to Rolf, deciding when to call a timeout in the second game was a tough decision to make.
“It’s tough to balance out when to call a timeout and when to not call one,” she said. “Sometimes the kids are tired and it’s better to get them off the court.
“Tuesday, they looked fresh and focused out there on the court so I decided not to call a timeout,” Rolf continued. “They were able to dig themselves out of the hole.”
In game three the match went down to the wire, but the Golden Eagles earned the win with a 31-29 score over the Phoenix.
The final point came as Coughlin dotted a service ace to the back line of Green Bay. Leading the attack for the Golden Eagles was Coughlin, who along with her four service aces added 16 kills. Senior captain Gemma Greer dished out 42 assists, while freshman Jamie Mueller and junior Sarah Vernon each contributed nine digs.
The win marks the sixth consecutive for the Golden Eagles and the longest win streak in Rolf’s tenure at Marquette. With the victory, the team improved its overall record to 11-15 to go along with its Conference USA mark of 7-5.
To close out the regular season, the Golden Eagles, who have already clinched a C-USA tournament berth, take on conference foe DePaul, Friday. The Blue Demons come into the match dropping three of their last four conference matches and need a win to keep their tournament hopes alive.
Rolf knows going into the match, DePaul will be looking to finish its regular season with a win, but the Golden Eagles have reasons of their own to pick up the win Friday.
“We know the importance of this game,” she said. “It will have (impact) on our seeding in the conference tournament, but we try not to stress that. We are trying to improve and get better each game.”