When senior Anna Haak was not suited up for Marquette in its matchup against Providence Oct. 27, some fans may have wondered how the Golden Eagles would fare without one of their regular starters in the back line.
But there was one player who stepped up in Haak’s absence: freshman defensive specialist Katie Schoessow.
“I knew that I had to come out with a lot of heart,” Schoessow said. “A lot of the times that I thought about that, I just pushed that behind me. I pushed forward and got better as we went along.”
Head coach Ryan Theis did not disclose why Haak was out, but he said his team was used to the lineup change due to playing different formations during practice.
Schoessow, a native of Mukwonago, Wisconsin, has started to see even more playing time for the Golden Eagles as BIG EAST play has progressed. She said she attributes her increase in court time to her resilience in practice.
“Working hard in practice really pays off,” Schoessow said. “All of us are coming in, and we’re grinding every single day. It’s a really big confidence booster.”
Back at Mukwonago High School, Schoessow was a star at the libero spot as a three-time all-state, all-conference and all-area player. As the team’s captain, she led it to its first-ever state playoff appearance in school history in 2017, where they won the sectional championship.
At the end of her four-year career, Schoessow amassed over 2,000 digs.
But when she came to Marquette, playing time was much more scarce. There are three other players at her position: sophomore starter Martha Konovodoff, senior Abby Julian and sophomore Gabbi Martinez.
However, Schoessow has carved out a solid role on the court for the Golden Eagles.
At the beginning of the season, she played about once per game. She came in to serve in place of a front line hitter and then patrolled the back half of the court looking for digs.
Now Schoessow is thriving off the bench, earning a spot as the second player to come in for the Golden Eagles.
“You have to be glued in, always focused on what’s next (as a reserve),” Schoessow said. “You never know. Right when you come out, the ball might be hit right to you, so you really have to do a good job of just focusing in and relaxing.”
Most of Schoessow’s role on the squad is to replace outside hitters Haak or sophomore Hope Werch, causing the team to play a more defensive style, similar to most other teams in the league.
Schoessow’s role on the floor is not the most glamorous, but she fills a much-needed spot on the Golden Eagles’ squad. As a defensive specialist, her job mostly consists of two functions: digging out the opposition’s attacks and serving.
Though her success won’t typically appear in the box score aside from the occasional service ace, Schoessow seamlessly fits into the defense, minimizing the impact of Haak’s absence.
Theis said he appreciates the versatility of Schoessow and the rest of his bench.
“Our team knows what they’re doing,” Theis said. “The kids being inserted into situations have done those things their whole lives. … I’m not really concerned at all in terms of people being able to step into their roles.”
Now the Golden Eagles (20-5, 10-2 BIG EAST) head into the final stretch of their conference schedule. Even though they beat each of these teams in straight sets earlier on in the season, Schoessow said she knows the team cannot rest on their laurels.
“We take every match seriously,” Schoessow said. “We really need to work on taking it point by point, game by game, and just go from there.”
