DePaul women’s volleyball emerged victorious in the DePaul Invitational Tournament, winning all three matches without dropping a single set. DePaul hosted the University of Northern Illinois, St. Thomas University and the University of Evansville this weekend for the three-day tournament.
Excellent performances by senior outside hitters Jill Pressly and graduate student Audrey Klemp propelled DePaul to great success throughout the tournament. Pressly and Klemp notched 38 and 36 kills, respectively, throughout the tournament, and their consistency and leadership allowed their teammates to succeed.
“I think it allows the other players to play within themselves,” head coach Marie Zidek said. “They [Pressly and Klemp] take on team responsibility so other players do not have to feel that pressure. This allows freshman middle blocker Meghan Scholz, sophomore middle blocker Katelynn Oxley to go and be great within themselves. They can go and play their game because other people are taking on team responsibility, that is a recipe for success.”
Scholz started all three matches this weekend after joining the team in August. She finished the tournament with 11 kills and 16 blocks, making her presence known in every set. Scholz spoke on her coaches’ messages leading up to this tournament.
“All the players and coaches just tell me to keep my head up,” Scholz said. “I am not used to playing at this high of a level, but everyone has been helping me out in practice and making sure I reach the level I need to be at.”
DePaul’s match against The University of Evansville was their weekend’s toughest test. A high-scoring second set that went into extra points showed that the level of competition was more than comparable to that of the Big East.
“Evansville is a great test because teams like Xavier and Butler know all our girls, and the longer you play in the Big East the more personal battles you develop,” Zidek said. “You remember the last time you played these teams because it is a dog eat dog league, and this was a dog eat dog game against Evansville that was just as personal as the Big East.”
After last season, which saw the Blue Demons go 10-20, Zidek expressed the need to keep momentum and be consistent throughout the upcoming season.
“We have played three games in a row last week and again this week, so we are trying to rehearse holding our game and repeating,” Zidek said. “We need to wash, rinse and repeat, wash, rinse and repeat. Then you add the fact that a team is coming after you so not only do you have to repeat your own game, but now you have to whether someone (different opponents) coming after you with everything they have.”
DePaul washed, rinsed and repeated their way to a tournament victory this weekend, and this consistency will be the determining factor on whether or not the Blue Demons can secure a Big East Tournament berth later this fall. DePaul now sets its sights on its road matchup with the University of Milwaukee this Tuesday.
