Carsen Murray knows better than anyone that nothing is given in the NCAA tournament — especially simply making it.
The graduate student middle blocker has amassed a more-than respectable career resume: three Big East championships, one Sweet 16 appearance, three All-Big East team honors and a bevy of other personal awards. But it’s not unblemished.
There is a black mark. A stain. Something she still remembers to this day, four years after it happened, and won’t ever forget.
“That still sticks with me and (Ella) Foti,” Murray said Sunday night, talking about when Marquette volleyball didn’t make the Big Dance in 2020-2021, when COVID-19 led to a reduced field.
“That feeling, that it’s not always guaranteed, and all the hard work that we put in this year, that it’s paying off and we get to go to the postseason, means a lot. Even after experiencing it four times now, it still means a lot for us.”
So after waiting 30 minutes in an Athletic and Human Performance Research Center film room, when the Golden Eagles heard their name called, the entire room lit up.
NEWS: Marquette volleyball is the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles are in the Penn State quarter and will face Florida Gulf Coast in the first round. #muvb #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/wpYiGqvazd
— Jack Albright (@JackAlbrightMU) December 1, 2024
Sitting in the back row of the room was Murray, many of her other fellow graduates flanking both of her sides.
For that group of seven, the confirmation of an NCAA tournament birth carried extra weight — it is their last time experiencing the thrill of seeing their school show up on the broadcast, confirming their season still had life.
But it is also the last chance for them to do something they talk about every year: achieving what no other Marquette volleyball team has before.
“Just pushing past, getting to a Sweet 16, and then making it even further, going to the Elite Eight, like no Marquette team has ever done,” Murray said. “It’s always, how can we make history and leave our mark. Especially in my final year, it’s like, ‘How can I leave my mark?'”
Marquette has made it to the Sweet 16 before (2018 and 2022), but both times came when it hosted. If they can beat Florida Gulf Coast and then the winner of No. 4 seed Utah vs. Charleston, the Golden Eagles will have earned a second weekend appearance outside of the Al McGuire Center for the first time in program history.
Murray doesn’t have any specific boxes she wants to check off before her collegiate career is finished, but ending on a high note is her highest priority.
“A happy ending, as happy as it can get,” Murray said about her personal goals. “Just leaving it all out there and putting forth my best effort, knowing that no matter what happens in this last run, knowing I gave it my all so that, I can be proud of how I was able to contribute.”
Another Golden Eagle graduate is setter Yadhira Anchante.
She transferred to Marquette ahead of the 2022 season and began making an instant impact. She, like Murray, leaves with multiple Big East championships, a Big East setter of the year award and a bevy of personal accomplishments that etched her into program record books.
Unlike Murray, she didn’t experience watching her team get left out of the party. But she still understands the accomplishments of going dancing, and the chance to make more history.
“I think it’s our opportunity to have a good finale,” she said. “All together make the best season that we’ve ever had in all these years together. As I told my teammates, I really like the end of the season. Just because it gives you hope. It’s a new beginning for every team. Everything can happen.”
Ahead of her final NCAA tournament, she remembers all she’s accomplished in a Marquette jersey.
“Our first year (2022), we had a pretty good run in the tournament,” Anchante said. “Made it to the Sweet 16, it was a really good experience, playing at the Fiserv (Forum). Those moments were really special.”
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @JackAlbrightMU.
