DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Purdue Fort Wayne
DePaul Honors '93 Great Midwest Conference Tournament Champions
9/8/2018 11:52:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
To cap off the DePaul invitational, the Blue Demons honored the '93 Great Midwest Conferece Tournament Champion Team as part of alumnae night festivities.
CHICAGO – McGrath-Phillips Arena was packed with strong women tonight as the Blue Demons honored the 1993 Great Midwest Conference Tournament Champions and NCAA Tournament team to cap off the DePaul Invitational along with it being alumnae night and DPU's home- opening weekend. DePaul fought until the final second but fell in four sets to Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1 (22-25, 22-25, 26-24, 17-25).
"Coaching at McGrath-Phillips for the first time in my tenure was a very special experience," said head coach Marie Zidek. "Like I've said many times, this is a personal opportunity and a professional opportunity for me and it means so much to me.
"I came here as a kid and got a chance to watch the 1993 team play and I was just ten years old. Now having the opportunity to stand on the sidelines and get this program back to a championship level is an extreme honor."
As part of alumnae night, 23 players from DePaul volleyball's past walked across the court to be recognized for their service and loyalty to the DePaul tradition.
After play in the DePaul Invitational wrapped up, a minute-long video was displayed to commemorate the 1993 Great Midwest Conference Tournament Champions and NCAA Tournament team coached by Anne Marie Marassa. Eleven members of the team received flower bouquets as they were honored for their astounding season.
"Having the alumnae here was really cool and I know that's a simple way to say it but when you can see the women that came before us and paved the path and paved the way, it's great seeing who they are now in their post-grad lives as adults, women, moms and professionals.
"DePaul set them up for success and I think it was really important for our players to not only feel their support, but to see role models and to see how special DePaul can be as a transformative part of their lives."
As for the components of the current DePaul volleyball program, Zidek acknowledges the growth that is already taking place not just in the athletes' well-roundedness, but in the mental game of both the staff and players.
"One thing about the team that people probably can not tell from the outside is how well-rounded they are becoming as players.
"When we came in, they were very one-dimensional athletes. Everybody could do one thing pretty well and we have inserted a system that forces these athletes to be good at multiple different things and at multiple positions because then you are not just relying on one player to have a great game, you are relying on a system.
"I think that when people look at the win-loss column they do not understand how hard it is to understand the system and to implement it and these girls do it every day in practice."
As for the closing match of the DePaul Invitational, Purdue Fort Wayne bustled into a 4-0 lead to start off the first set. A kill from Ashley Marshall and a handful of Mastodon errors would bind the score at 5-5 and the teams would meet again at 6-6 and 9-9 before a three-point run featuring a Mattie Norris kill put DePaul up 12-9. With three more ties in between, Purdue Fort Wayne would inch away and take the first set 25-22.
Coming off of a steady tempo in the first set, DePaul established a 2-0 lead that Purdue Fort Wayne would eventually catch at 2-2 but then DPU would remain ahead until the teams met again at 7-7. With both sides exchanging points for most of the set, the score knotted six more times before Purdue Fort Wayne pulled away 25-22.
With both teams being very responsive, the score intertwined until a 7-7 bind that DePaul would escape on a three-point run featuring back-to-back Mattie Norris kills and capped off by an Isabell De La Rosa kill. The intense nature of the set kept up until last minute when there were 24's across the board after Donna Brown and Norris kills. The set was capped off on a four-point run from DPU courtesy of kills from Donna Brown, Mattie Norris, Natalie Hayward and a service ace from Isabell Banez. DPU took the set 26-24.
"That third set was huge for us," Zidek exclaimed. "For us, the win-loss column is what it is and the set-by-set is what we focus on. That win was huge and that does a ton for confidence and keeps the girls hungry to work hard in practice to prepare for our next weekend's competition where they will get three more opportunities to come out strong."
In the fourth set, DPU stayed hungry but fell behind by up to a nine point difference and went on to drop 25-17.
"We talk about it every day, we just want to move the needle forward. If we can move the needle forward physically, mentally and emotionally and compete a little bit harder every day, we are good.
DePaul will play in the Chicago Cup next weekend featuring UIC, Loyola-Chicago and Northwestern. The Blue Demons will return to McGrath-Phillips Arena for some more home action Sept. 28 in a match against conference foe Villanova.
"For next weekend, we are working on competitive maturity and being competitive every day in practice. When you play in the Chicago Cup, all of those schools are our rivals because they are right here just miles away.
"Having an elite-level, competitive identity going into those matches can give you the edge when it comes to playing those local teams."
DePaul Invitational All-Tournament Team:
Massiel Matos- FAU
Sigourney Kame- FAU
Abbi Reid- FAU
Caylee Parker- UConn
Lizzie Kline- UConn
Nicole Rightnowar- Purdue Fort Wayne
Katie Crowe- Purdue Fort Wayne
Emma Price- DePaul
