“It’s important to be at home if not the second weekend, then the third weekend of the season,” Rolf said. “Otherwise, the kids end up being road warriors.”

The tournament, which begins on Friday, brings Bradley, Missouri and Ohio to Milwaukee to take on the team, who’s record stands at 1-5.

Bradley, who will be the first team to meet the Golden Eagles in the tournament, comes in with an overall record of 2-5. The Braves have earned victories over Eastern Illinois and Maryland-Baltimore County, on the way to capturing the Mark Twain Hotel Invitational Tournament they hosted this past weekend.

Ohio comes into the tournament with a record of 3-3. The Bobcats recently participated in the Indiana University-Purdue Fort Wayne Tournament where they won two of the three tournament games. In addition, senior mid-blocker Laura Hageman was named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week. It is the sixth time in her career she has garnered the honor.

The final opponent for the Golden Eagles is No. 18 Missouri, the highest ranking volleyball squad the Tigers have ever had. Coming into tournament play on Friday, the team has a record of 5-1, with the one loss to Utah. In all but one of their five victories this year, the Tigers have come out of the gate and swept their opponents, 3-0.

According to Rolf, the team’s biggest concern is Bradley who it will be facing on day one of the tournament.

“Right now we don’t prepare for Missouri,” Rolf said. “Even though we have preparations and we know what Missouri does, we are only concerned about Bradley.”

The opening match pits Missouri and Ohio against each other in the early match, while the Golden Eagles and Bradley close off the night with a 7 p.m. start time, which is also fan appreciation night at the Marquette Gym. The tournament concludes on Saturday when Missouri meets Bradley at 10:30 a.m., followed by Marquette taking on Ohio at 12:30 p.m. The final set of matches is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. when Ohio goes up against Bradley, followed by Marquette and Missouri at 7 p.m. to close the tournament.