Marquette will be moving all varsity sports from Conference USA to the Big East Conference next school year. To commemorate Marquette's 10th and final year in C-USA, the Tribune is running a series taking a look at each varsity sport's time in the conference. This third installment features the volleyball team.
Entering a new surrounding, it is always a good idea to have someone with you to hold your hands and ease the transition. So when the volleyball team dips its toes into the pool that is the Big East, they will be swimming with a handful of teams that are leaving Conference USA with it.
"It's always good to go anywhere with friends," head coach Pati Rolf said, referring to Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville and South Florida joining the Golden Eagles in the Big East.
"I think it will help our confidence because we have played them so many times and are very familiar with all of them," junior Caitie O'Brien said.
The mark that those teams have left on the conference is undeniable. With the exception of the Golden Eagles, the other four teams leaving for the Big East have accounted for nine of the 10 C-USA tournament championships.
"I think ultimately that the top level of teams in C-USA are going to the Big East will be a big benefit," Rolf said.
Though the Golden Eagles are the only team leaving C-USA without a conference championship, they are leaving the conference on the highest possible note — with the exception of Louisville. The Golden Eagles set a team record for C-USA wins in a season with 12, including two in the C-USA tournament before losing to the Cardinals in the final.
"We lost that game, but I don't think that we really lost," Rolf said. "We shouldn't have beaten them based on fact. If you put the two teams together you know we were going to have a hard time beating them based on fact. Getting to that championship game, I think everyone has the feeling that once you have seen it, you want to go back. It was an honor to get there, but it was a disappointment to lose."
The team's first conference championship game also served as a learning tool for Rolf.
"I realized how much work went into that weekend and that it is still not good enough," she said. "I think all of us stepped back that week and learned what we were doing is not good enough. Even though we think we're doing great we are learning to pick up the work and work even harder. Those are the types of steps to build up a program."
"I thought we were doing a great job but we've all decided we can do better to put ourselves in a better position for next year," Rolf said.
The steam the team picked up from last year is good to have but it doesn't equal wins in a new season, according to Rolf.
"(Momentum) is an interesting element," she said. "You have momentum, but you really don't have momentum. You always want to finish strong to end on a good feeling, but the reality is when the new season starts you're starting all over again."
Excluding last season, the Golden Eagles have struggled to pick up wins in C-USA. Prior to last year, the team's second highest win total was nine in both 1999 and 2001 under head coach Laura Farina.
In total, the Golden Eagles have an overall record of 64-81, but the bulk of their C-USA success came last season, when they finished with a regular season record of 10-3.
Though Rolf was in C-USA for only three full seasons, one thing she found unique about the conference was the camaraderie between the coaches.
"I liked the fact that all of the coaches got along very well and are actually very close, and that is unusual in Division I," Rolf said.
"The equity in the conference was also unique. There was the powerhouse in Louisville, but I think from the top to bottom it was a very strong conference."
This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 12 2005.