Sophomore Rabbecka Gonyo was not supposed to be the Marquette women's volleyball team's No. 1 middle blocker. In fact, she had always played right-side and was unfamiliar with the position.

But when freshman middle blocker Holly Mertens tore her ACL in preseason, Gonyo was forced to the plate.

"It makes me know I have to play better being in the front row with the setter and not having a right-side hitter," Gonyo said. "I know I need to perform better. I've stepped up my game."

But adapting to new situations quickly is nothing new for the 6-foot-4 blocker from Ingelside, Ill.

Gonyo was the only freshman last year and has assumed an early upperclassman leadership role with the outside hitters.

"She says 'step up' when we're not getting things we need out of star players," coach Pati Rolf said. "Becca has picked up the load which is good."

Gonyo said Rolf has higher expectations for her, as she is the only sophomore and a major hitter.

"I can't make the mistakes freshmen do," Gonyo said. "She expects a lot more out of me to be the leader out there."

And while she has not been the "star" of the team, Gonyo is certainly improving.

She's placed third on the team in kills, with 213, and second in blocks, with 99.

Gonyo ranks eighth in the Big East in attack percent for individual matches, tallying 16 kills and one error out of 29 attempts at Notre Dame. She is also ranked 10th in the Big East in blocks, recording 50 total blocks and averaging 1.06 per game.

"It's been fun watching a girl 6-foot-4, sophomore, young player, improving every weekend," coach Pati Rolf said. "Last weekend was not a good weekend, but she sees what she needs to do."

Gonyo began playing organized volleyball only four years ago as a sophomore in high school. She played with defensive specialist Hailey Viola on the Wisconsin juniors, helping lead the team to nationals in 2005.

That same year, Gonyo found out she had Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a deadly disease if not treated. Gonyo said recovering from the disease motivated her to take advantage of playing.

"After that I have to play my best because things can happen that you can't play again," Gonyo said.

Although at times inconsistent — she recorded two kills in Connecticut's game versus 18 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee — Gonyo has improved over the season, Rolf said, playing with "major sparks."

"Sometimes she doesn't understand just how really good she is, how much power she has," Rolf said. "She could literally take over the gym like she did at Notre Dame.

"She is a good player and is going to become a great player."

Freshman outside hitter Ciara Jones said Gonyo's play has progressed since the beginning of the season.

"She's gotten a lot better with just going and not thinking," Jones said. "Pati tells us a lot of things to do, but I think now she's just playing and doing a lot better at a high level."

The team will host West Virginia and Pittsburgh this weekend in their last two Big East games.