Entering Tuesday night’s intra-state rival match with the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix, the Marquette Golden Eagles (8-3) had won four straight contests at home.

Sophomores Courtney Mrotek and Julie Jeziorowski ensured the streak made it to five.

After a sluggish first set, the Golden Eagles rebounded and used a 10-0 run to open the third set to take down the Phoenix in four sets (21-25, 25-13, 25-20, 25-15) at the Al McGuire Center.

The Golden Eagles last had dropped a set on Sept. 3, but that streak ended quickly Tuesday as three service errors and a handful of sloppy plays that lacked offensive rhythm led to a .030 hit percentage in the first frame and a lost set.

Junior middle hitter Dani Carlson, who finished with 12 kills and two assisted blocks, said the team lacked energy early, taking each play one at a time instead of building momentum.

“Things just weren’t clicking and it seemed like we weren’t riding off each other’s momentum,” Carlson said.

The Golden Eagles had been strong in the first set before Tuesday night. In seven wins prior to Tuesday they owned a 6-1 record in the first set.

Coach Bond Shymansky attributed the rebound in the first set to a focused group of players who are able to “turn the light switch on.”

“We’ve really turned a corner because, last year, if our team came out without turning the light switch on, they couldn’t turn it on mid-match,” Shymansky said. “And tonight, we came out flat, and we didn’t have the light switch turned on, but we turned it on.”

After right side hitter Courtney Mrotek ended the second set with two kills and a solo block, Carlson said the team was calm because it was still very much in the game and had not opened up its playbook at all.

In the third set, the Golden Eagles reeled off 10 straight points to pull away from the Phoenix (3-8) in the third set.

Mrotek, who finished with a career-high 12 kills and a blistering .524 hit percentage, said the team relaxed after the second set and went back to the basics, keeping the momentum and pressure on Green Bay.

The Golden Eagles improved their hit percentage in each set, while Jeziorowski played the role of electrician with her defensive play in the latter portion of the match.

The sophomore libero finished with 30 digs, one off her career-high, and covered all areas of the floor. Her play woke up the defense, which put the offense back into rhythm and completed the momentum shift.

“That’s what turned the tide for us because then our physicality outlasted them through the course of the match,” Shymansky said.

As impressive as it is for the team to be able to rebound after a poor set, Mrotek said the team’s goal is to begin the game with the light switch on, rather than having to “turn it on” mid-match.

“We’re past the freakout, and we’re past th

e overexcitement or overamped kind of mentality,” Shymansky said. “And I see our team being able to focus in when the competition gets really tight.”