Oct. 5, 2006

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MILWAUKEE - In 1975, Marquette embarked on an adventure into the unknown. Volleyball was played for the first time at the university and a new tradition was born. Thirty-two seasons and 1,080 games after the inaugural team's first victory over Wis.-Parkside (2-1), this season's Golden Eagles (7-8, 3-1) are one win from capturing No. 500 in the program's history. Only a visit to Notre Dame, Ind., to take on the Fighting Irish (9-5, 3-0), Friday at 4 p.m. ET, and a date with DePaul (4-14, 0-3) in Chicago, Ill., Sunday at 3 p.m., stand in the way of this amazing accomplishment.

"It's been a long road for Marquette," said head coach Pati Rolf. "We've been working hard, beginning with Tat (Shiely), Laura (Farina) and then myself, there has only been three of us. All of us, including the players, have worked hard. It is exciting to see the program generating the winning attitude. When you leave a program like Marquette, you know you are walking away with a great education, and when you've played at Marquette, you are given the opportunity to win championships. The 500th victory encompasses all of that. We are going to push hard to keep the success of Marquette volleyball going."

A second feat that will be closely watched this weekend is that of junior Kimberley Todd, who after 74 matches and 272 games has 967 kills in her career. The outside hitter is on the verge of becoming just the eighth student-athlete in Marquette volleyball history to reach 1,000 kills.

Rolf recognizes the hard work and dedication it takes to reach a mark such at this, but at the same time, she realizes reaching any benchmark is less impressive if the team does not benefit as well.

"Kim has meant a lot to the team and provides solid play. She is a tremendous volleyball player who displays a high level of intensity. We are working on consistency with her right now because she is one of the top players in the BIG EAST. She is playing a critical role in the line of our success. She has the ability to bring this team to a top level. Kim knows that even with her personal accomplishments, they can be overshadowed by the fact that if the team doesn't do well, the personal accomplishments really don't mean much. She is providing great leadership and a good example for her teammates, and they are feeding off of that."

Todd has recorded 25+ kills in four of the last five matches. Similarly, MU has won four of its last five matches, climbing out of a hole that had the team 3-7 at one point. Rolf is encouraged at the fact her team has gained a great deal of confidence over the last three weeks and finally seems to be running on all cylinders.

"I try to be very optimistic about the team. We are a very strong team more than capable of winning. I think the success is coming from them. They believe in themselves. I have always known it, but they have to realize it as well and I think they are seeing it now. I am hoping that they continue to see they are equal to any team that comes along. I think the team has been through a lot this year and I am very hopeful they will be able to accomplish their goals. I think our success is due to their tremendous winning attitude."

Running its BIG EAST record to 3-1 after back-to-back wins on the road at Georgetown (3-0), Sept. 29, and South Florida (3-2), Oct. 1, Marquette finds itself tied for third early in the conference standings. It is the first time the Golden Eagles have won three of their first four league matches to start a season since 2000 when they were a part of Conference USA.

Not only Todd, who was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll for her efforts against the Hoyas and Bulls, but many others, like freshman Leslie Bielski, are contributing to the recent success of the team.

Bielski recorded the first double-double of her career against USF, tallying 12 kills and a career-best 12 blocks. She ranks third on the team with 2.10 K/G and 0.98 B/G.

"Leslie is capable of so much," said Rolf about the impact her freshman has made on the team so far this season. "Her blocking has been tremendous and now we will work on getting her more into the offense. She is coming along at a great pace."

Junior Monica Renfrow, ninth in the BIG EAST in assists (10.11 A/G) and 10th in hitting percentage (30.4), along with senior Jamie Mueller, second in the conference in digs (5.32 D/G) and eighth in kills (3.98 K/G), will also play big roles in the team's success this weekend.

First up for Marquette is Notre Dame, which began the season 4-0 and ranked No. 21 in the country, but is now 9-5 and out of the polls. The Fighting Irish are 3-0 in the BIG EAST this season after wins against Rutgers (3-0), Villanova (3-1) and Seton Hall, all coming on the road. Freshman Christina Kaelin leads ND offensively, ranking ninth in the conference with 3.93 K/G. Leading the team and ranking third in the league with 1.45 B/G is sophomore Justine Stremick.

"I am expecting to see a very disciplined, very methodical team," explained Rolf. "Notre Dame doesn't do anything fancy. They do their jobs and are very steady. It will be nice for us to play a team that is very disciplined."

Notre Dame, after defeating Marquette at The Al last season, 3-1, improved its record to 8-0 all time against the Golden Eagles.

Next up for MU is DePaul. The Blue Demons have struggled thus far in 2006, starting 0-3 in BIG EAST play after losses against Villanova (0-3), Rutgers (2-3) and Seton Hall (0-3), all on the road. Leading the attack for DPU is senior Morgan Ingersoll, who ranks seventh in the conference with 4.10 K/G. Setting for Ingersoll is freshman Emily McGinnis, who with 10.64 A/G is fifth in the league.

Rolf realizes that despite DePaul's record, the team is capable of playing very competitive volleyball and should not be taken lightly.

"It is going to be very important for us to pay attention, get into the game and work fast. DePaul has been struggling a little bit, but that doesn't mean anything. Our job is to get out there and get our job done. Any team is capable of playing great on any day. We are going to go out and continue to run our offense the way we are supposed to and continue to mix up our hitters."

Despite extending their consecutive winning streak to five matches with a 3-0 victory in Milwaukee against the Blue Demons last season, the Golden Eagles still trail 15-28 all time in the series.

"We need to follow our game plan this weekend," concluded Rolf. "This team, if they follow the game plan, will do very well because they have all the talent in the world. We have a tough weekend ahead of us. If we come relaxed and ready to play, I think we will do fine."

Live statistics will be available on the internet for each match this weekend. To view play-by-play action against Notre Dame, visit www.gomarquette.com and click the Gametracker link on the volleyball schedule. For live updates against DePaul, go to www.depaulbluedemons.com/livestats/volleyball.