Although the final score of the final game of the spring season suggests otherwise, the DePaul volleyball team believes it can use this game as momentum for the future.
Two Division I programs concluded their spring seasons April 20 inside the Evergreen Park Community High School gymnasium. DePaul Volleyball “hosted” the Western Michigan Broncos, the reigning MAC Champions. The two teams battled at the net, exchanging scoring rallies throughout, and the Broncos won 4-1 after all five sets were played.
Western Michigan was coming off one of the best seasons in program history and was the perfect team for DePaul to play in the finals. A 30-2 record and an upset win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament over nationally ranked Auburn added to the excitement.
“There's a reason I left this team last. As you can see, they're just playing with a great motor,” DePaul head coach Marie Zidek said. “They play a lot of selfless volleyball and play together, and that’s something we’re trying to work on in terms of things.”
On March 1, the Blue Demons announced their spring tournament schedule, which concluded with a game against Western Michigan. DePaul began the season against two in-state opponents, Illinois State and Loyola Chicago, before participating in round robins against Michigan State, Michigan Street and Toledo State in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
This season, Zidek said 20 hours of work were spent and one of the key areas of improvement that coaches and players focused on was “balls out of the system” from serve receive. An out-of-system ball is when the pass from the back row is too far for the setter to perform a middle or sliding attack.
“Our setter Ashley (Kudiamat) does a really good job of keeping all of our hitters ready and open,” outside hitter Audrey Klemp said. “This is a change that we've mastered pretty well.”
Klemp and fellow outside hitter Jill Presley have carried much of DePaul's offensive load this year, and that trend continued against Western Michigan. In total, Klemp and Presley killed 877 people that year. Klemp's 3.03 kills per set ranked 12th in the conference. Presley averaged 4.45 per set, leading the Big East in that category and ranking 13th in the nation. This led to her earning an All-Big East Team (unanimous) nomination and an All-Big East Tournament Team nomination.
Pressley says having the team calling her number in the back row gives the offense variety and keeps the defense guessing where the ball is going to go.
“We use that as an extra attack,” Pressley said. “Before, it was just used as an outlet. But now there are more options and it's being used as a way to score rather than just passing the ball.”
Due to the low ceiling at this high school, getting the ball over during a rally proved difficult.
“We've actually been training for it,” Zidek said. “In our gym, we took down the batting cage and floated it over the court. And we've been training for the past couple of weeks knowing this was coming. We didn't want that to be an excuse today. Ta.”
'No excuses' McGrath-Phillips is undergoing renovations and has recently become the watchword for DePaul volleyball. Whether your team has multiple courts to practice on or plays in a packed gym, your team is prepared.
Under Zidek's guidance, the volleyball program has steadily improved year after year, both on the court and in the classroom. In 2021, Zidek and his staff led DePaul to its first-ever Big East Tournament berth, with the team posting a program-best 19-12 record (12-6 in conference play). The Blue Demon coaching staff was named Big East Coaching Staff of the Year for its success. This year, Zidek once again accomplished what DePaul volleyball had never been able to accomplish before. won the Big East Tournament game, Won the postseason title of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
Academically, her players earned the Big East Team Academic Excellence Award in 2019 and 2023. The volleyball program has won her USMC/AVCA Academic Award for the past 16 consecutive seasons, including all six of her seasons under Zidek. The team also recorded her GPA within the top 20% of team GPAs within Division I last season and was also recognized on the Honor Roll.
So, what will happen to DePaul volleyball next fall? Head coach Zidek hopes his players maintain the habits they built in the weight room and on the court this offseason. It's about carrying over the hunger from last fall's postseason run.
“It's about winning a championship,” Zidek said. “That's the goal. If we really want to chase a championship, we have to learn how to manage each other and bring out more power, and how to play a higher level of team volleyball. , and that starts with the staff, and that starts with me.”
Zidek says for DePaul volleyball, it might actually be that simple. They just need to play at a higher level.
“We’re going to take this and everything we’ve learned and worked on into the fall season,” Crump said.
For Pressly, next season will take on a whole new meaning.
“This is my last season, so I'm ready to go out strong,” Presley said. “A lot of us want to win a Big East Championship and that's our mindset heading into the fall.”