Heading into this weekend’s Big East Volleyball Championship, Marquette holds the No. 2 seed, following a 13-2 regular season performance in conference play. However, coach Bond Shymansky is very confident in his team’s triumph because it is playing the championship at home.

“Home court advantage for us at the Al is huge,” Shymansky said. “It’s been big for us all regular season. Now, here we go, Big East Championship, let’s win it right here.”

Senior middle hitter Dani Carlson, who notched her 1000th career kill in the final point of Sunday’s victory over No. 3 seeded Notre Dame, is glad she has more matches to play at the Al McGuire Center.

“It couldn’t be any more perfect,” Carlson said. “It’s great playing here; it’s great having the fan base. This is the best team I think Marquette has had in a long time. It’s going to be fun to compete in our own building and beat people.”

Marquette hosted the 2011 Big East Tournament as well. On that occasion, the team secured a No. 3 seed but fell to second-seeded Cincinnati in a grueling five-set semifinal. Carlson says she doesn’t see that happening again.

“We’re going to do better than we did last year because we want to do it,” Carlson said. “It’s our goal. That’s what’s driving us. We want a Big East Tournament championship so bad.”

To win the championship, Marquette will first have to knock off seventh-seeded Pittsburgh on Friday at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles defeated the Panthers in four sets at home earlier this season.

The next likely obstacle Marquette faces is Notre Dame, who Marquette beat twice in 2012. The Golden Eagles narrowly won the first tilt, a five-set affair in South Bend in which Marquette lost the first and third sets by a combined 50-25. Last weekend’s showdown proved much easier, as Marquette swept the Irish by a combined margin of 20 points.

Top-seeded Louisville likely looms in the championship match, and Marquette could face the Cardinals for the third time this season. However, Shymansky said his team has to focus on getting to Sunday first.

“We’ve got to get to championship day,” Shymansky said. “That’s going to take great effort, great focus and a great team, and that’s what we believe we have right now. … We feel like we’re running headlong at that. We’re going to have a tough match on Friday and a tough match on Saturday.”

Senior right side hitter Holly Mertens, who led Marquette in kills this season while posting double digits in every Big East match, agreed that focusing on Friday and Saturday’s matches comes first.

“Second seed, not too bad,” Mertens said. “We’re going to go out and hopefully see Louisville again and get them in the championship. First two games though, take it one at a time.”

If they do make it to Sunday, the Golden Eagles will have a chance to avenge a pair of regular season losses to the Cardinals in 2012. Louisville took the first match at the Al in four sets before sweeping the Golden Eagles at home last Friday. The sweep was Marquette’s only three-set loss this season.

Mertens is confident that the revenge factor and built-up energy will be enough to push Marquette past the Cardinals.

“We’re going to have so much built up inside of us that that is going to be the day we take it from them,” she said.

Ultimately, Shymansky expects his team to take another step forward in the championship this year.

“Being at home and having the comforts of our own building, the energy here was awesome last year,” Shymansky said. “We expect that same thing and maybe even a little bit better. I feel like our Marquette crowd keeps growing, and we look forward to being able to take the title right here in the Al McGuire Center.”