Making the change from the blue jersey to the yellow jersey is not always an easy one, but for Jamie Mueller the move from libero in defense to outside hitter in offense worked seamlessly, leading the Golden Eagles to a first place finish in the Marquette Challenge.
Mueller tallied a total of 42 kills in the three match tournament, including a career-high 24 versus IUPUI during the early game on Saturday while playing outside hitter. In the first match of the tournament against Iowa she primarly played libero and managed only six kills, but the junior did a great deal of damage versus IUPUI and New Hampshire.
Going back to outside hitter was not a difficult task for Mueller because she excelled at that position as a sophomore.
"That was my position last year, and I've been playing that position my whole life so I should be used to it," Mueller said.
In their first game of the tournament, the Golden Eagles played host to Iowa and defeated the Hawkeyes 3-1 by taking the first two games, losing the third game and eventually winning the fourth game.
A major area of concern for the Golden Eagles had been their blocking. It was a major concern for the team during practice this week and their blocking numbers improved drastically during the Marquette Challenge. In the three wins this weekend, the team tallied a 30.5 total team blocks in their three victories.
Though the team is not yet where it wants to be in terms of its blocking, it is heading in the right direction.
"It is a gradual process and a very, very disciplined skill," said head coach Pati Rolf. "That will be what makes the difference this season because blocking is what shuts down their attackers. Every day (in practice) we are going to put a half hour into blocking and defense and getting ready for Colorado and Stanford because they are going to be bigger than us."
In their second match of the tournament versus IUPUI, the Golden Eagles followed the form of their first match by winning the first two games, losing the third and then finishing the match with a win in the fourth game. The Golden Eagles had an attack percentage of 24 compared to IUPUI's 19 percent. In the match Marquette was paced by Mueller's 24 kills and senior outside hitter Theresa Coughlin, who finished with 15 kills.
The final match of the tournament versus New Hampshire was the ultimate test for the Golden Eagles. After soundly defeating New Hampshire in game one 30-21, the Golden Eagles also picked up the victory in game two, winning 32-30. In game three there was a definitive switch in momentum as the Golden Eagles lost 30-28. The fourth game started out in favor of New Hampshire, as the Golden Eagles could not shift the momentum back to their side of the court. The team was trailing 28-22 at one point but managed to come from behind and earn the 31-29 victory.
During a timeout in the decisive fourth game Rolf told the team, "No one expects us to win. Just go out there and play." In effect the team did just that and walked away with the win after a late rally.
"The third game you could feel the shift in momentum," Rolf said. "New Hampshire is not a 0-6 team; that is a very strong, powerful team and they stepped it up against us. We decided to say 'you're not expected to win,' then all of a sudden we thought we were the underdogs and we used reverse psychology."
The game versus New Hampshire also meant more playing time for junior Lauren Pierce. Prior to the game Pierce had seen limited action but she played a key role in the win.
"Lauren did a good job," Rolf said. "It is really hard to be put in a situation where you haven't been playing. Lauren is an incredibly skilled defensive player and she shows a lot of leadership."
The first place tournament finish was not the only accolades the team received this past weekend. Sophomore Kim Todd was named to the all-tournament team, her second all-tournament team this season. She received the same honor last weekend after playing in the Holiday Inn Milwaukee City Centre Volleyball Kick-Off.
Senior Theresa Coughlin was named tournament MVP for the second weekend in a row.
In the other tournament action, on Friday IUPUI defeated New Hampshire, on Saturday Iowa defeated IUPUI in five games and also went on to defeat New Hampshire that day.
Next weekend the team heads to Colorado to take part in the Colorado Invitational hosted by the University of Colorado. This will be the team's first road test as they will battle with defending NCAA Champion Stanford, followed by games versus Colorado and Creighton.
This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 6, 2005.