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Murray making impact on both end of game for Theis’ team
By Ben Schultz
benjamin.a.schultz@marquette.edu
A season after playing in just 11 sets, Carsen Murray has made a big jump and is making her presence felt early in her second season with the Golden Eagles.
“(The coaching staff) knew she was getting better through the course of last year,” head coach Ryan Theis said. “I don’t know if we expected this quick of a showing this year.”
Eight games into the season, Murray has racked up 42 kills and 25 total blocks while also earning all-tournament honors in the Red & White Invitational hosted by Illinois State University.
Murray has already well surpassed the seven kills and two total blocks she had in her first season.
The cause of this season’s early success didn’t happen overnight. It took a season of learning from the sidelines, from every opportunity she got and putting in extra work when no one was watching.
“Last year I put in a lot of extra time, going in for lessons and just trying to really work hard to learn the mechanics that the coaches wanted us to use and then getting to sit back and watch the game, the speed and even getting to play a little just helped build my confidence,” Murray said.
Going into this season with her newfound confidence, Murray said she saw an opportunity to play and has taken advantage of it.
“I saw an opportunity to be a big contributor to my team this year and it’s such an honor to be able to start for this team because every one of these girls works so hard and it just makes me wanna work hard for them too,” Murray said.
Graduate student outside hitter Hope Werch has taken notice of not just Murray’s growth in play, but what she brings as being 6 feet 4 inches tall.
“Carsen is super fun, she doesn’t let a lot get to her. She comes in and she’s just ready to go,” Werch said. “Carsen has the longest arms I think I’ve ever seen, she just hangs up there and will get a touch on anything she can.”
Theis said though those long arms have helped Murray get better at blocking, he also attributes her work in the weight room and quickly learning the techniques he and his coaching staff are teaching.
“She’s got to spend a good part of last year, at least lifting ... She got significantly stronger, little bit higher above the net,” Theis said. “She’s always been pretty high but just so much more fluid now and able to score at all different areas of the court, which is really impressive.”
In each of Marquette’s eight games, Murray started alongside graduate student middle blocker Savannah Rennie.
Murray said playing with an experienced and high-level middle in Rennie not only helps the team but leads her to learn even more when Rennie leads by example.
“Watching her (Rennie) play and learning from her when we’re doing drills in practice has just helped me figure out these girls have been playing for a long time now,” Murray said. “They know what they’re doing so it’s awesome whenever I can get feedback from them and when they’re super supportive.”
As Rennie is leading by example and becoming a bigger leader on the team, she said Murray is not just taking advantage from learning from but but also pushing Rennie herself.
“I try to lead by example, I feel like that’s really effective and I’m trying as a leader to be better at figuring out what
Photo by Collin Nawrocki collin.nawrocki@marquette.edu
Carsen Murray (12) celebrates during Marquette volleyball’s 0-3 loss to No. 8 University of Kentucky Sept. 11 at the Al McGuire Center.
teammates want like, helpwise or just like communicationwise,” Rennie said. “Carsen has great skills that I don’t have, I don’t touch 10’5 so that’s something that Carsen and I, we push each other on.”
Along with seeing the skills that Murray possesses, Rennie sees Murray as a great teammate and as someone whose personality makes her a teammate she enjoys playing with.
“Carsen, she’s awesome. I’m much older but she’s so young , fun, a great teammate, always super positive and I think that’s what you need on the court or on the team,” Rennie said. “Everyone is super different, and you need all different personalities to make a team function and she really brings the positivity and bubbliness of the team and that’s one of her best assets.”
Murray brings her bubbliness with her everywhere she goes, she said she makes sure she brings her game to the court as well.
Yet even when her game is doing all the talking, Murray has her eyes set on one thing.
“I want my biggest focus to be on playing for my teammates and just doing my job well,” Murray said. “I would say my expectation is just executing our game plan well and not worrying about my individual performance but our team performance as a whole.”
MEN’S SOCCER
By Ava Mares
ava.mares@marquette.edu
Marquette men’s soccer first-year midfielder Edrey Caceres is not one to back down in the face of adversity.
Born in El Salvador, Caceres moved with his family to Houston, Texas at the young age of ten.
“We didn’t know the language, it was a whole different culture, and whole new experiences,” Caceres said. “When I moved to Texas, I didn’t have a team, it was hard. I thought soccer might be over but I didn’t want it to be over. Losing soccer would be unimaginable. My dad was a professional soccer player back in El Salvador, so it’s a family thing.”
At the age of ten, Caceres was invited to try-out for the U11 Houston Dynamo Academy team, where current MU teammate Beto Soto also played before arriving to Marquette.
“When I went to try out, everyone was speaking English and I was like, ‘what is going on here?’” Caceres said laughing. “Luckily, the U11 coach knew Spanish and he helped me through the whole process. I was just a shy little boy.”
Training with the Dynamos wasn’t the only experience Caceres had in his back pocket before coming to play in Milwaukee.
While playing a tournament for the Dynamos in Florida, Caceres was approached by El Salvador National Team scouts.
“I guess I did really well because they came to talk to me and then a couple months later I got an email inviting me to play at the U23 level,” Caceres said.
Head Coach Louis Bennett commended Caceres on this accomplishment.
“Marquette is a progressive possession team, Edrey epitomizes progressive possession,” Bennett said. “We always knew he was a great player, international games just gave him that extra experience.”
While it wasn’t always easy for Caceres, he begun his journey with the U23 El Salvador National Team during the final months of 2019.
“At first, I was uncomfortable. I wasn’t from El Salvador,” Caceres said. “Playing alongside 21, 22 and 23-year-olds, they couldn’t believe I was 18. It was an amazing experience, when I look back. I never
Photo by Collin Nawrocki collin.nawrocki@marquette.edu Edrey Caceres (6) runs away in excitement after scoring his first career goal in Marquette’s 4-3 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Aug. 29.
imagined myself playing for the U23 national team, I’m super happy and grateful that had happened to me.”
With six games into the season, Caceres is off to a strong start with the Golden Eagles.
After the first week of the season, he was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
“It felt really good but I know I have to keep improving on my game,” Caceres said.
So far on the season, Caceres has started all six games while adding a goal and two assists.
“His possession and style fits right in with us (Marquette), from both the attacking side and the defensive,” redshirt junior midfielder Alan Salmeron said. “His stats speak for himself, obviously, and it’s great that he joined us. He adds that little bit of flare and creativity. He’s good on both sides of the ball, he can make those game changing passes.”
Caceres said the veterans on the team have helped him adjust to the college level.
“Coming to a new team is sometimes difficult, but players like Alan (Salmeron), Wegs (Zak Wegner), Zyan (Andrade), and other midfielders helped me,” Caceres said. “I tried to analyze the way they played and the way they communicate, so I could fit into it.”
According to Bennett, Caceres has had no problem adjusting to college ball.
“College can be much more physical, we (coaching staff) only worried how quickly he could adjust, and he has adjusted fantastically … simply because he plays quickly, he understands spaces are limited,” Bennett said.
As a midfielder, Bennett said Caceres has a wide skill set he is able to bring to the team.
“His passing ability, his calmness, his ability to find space for teammates when you don’t think space is there. He also hustles and defends,” Bennett said. “He’s the standard for ball retention. Edrey keeps the ball playing 360 (degrees). He improves the overall expectation of our midfielders.”
As for Caceres’ personality on and off the field, Bennett said he isn’t shy.
“He’s a little quiet but he’s not shy. A nice lad, he enjoys a joke, he’s got a good vibe around him,” Bennett said. “There’s not an ego, there’s a confidence. He just loves to train, and there’s a level of expectation that we have and he’s living up to it, which is fantastic.”
Looking ahead to Caceres’ future at Marquette, Bennett believes his midfield is in good hands for years to come.
“When Edrey does him, he’s definitely one of the best midfield players in the conference, in the region and in the country I think,” Bennett said. “In the future, if he’s the standard we will be very, very good in midfield.”
When it comes to his own personal aspiration, the game of soccer hits home more than what meets the eye.
“Playing soccer at a higher level is one of my dreams of course but I do it for my family and myself,” the midfielder said. “My family sacrificed so much for me, so now that I am able to get a degree at Marquette, to maybe make it pro, and help my family out, that’s what really motivates me.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PAYING: WBB influences next generation of hoopers
Continued from page 12
Marotta said. “We can always go up and be in Mequon itself but it’s something about being in Milwaukee where we play every single day and with UWM, that makes it very special.”
Flipping the switch
For three and half hours, the roles of coach and player were turned on their heads as the players put the whistle around their neck while coaching up the young kids.
“Sometimes our team doesn’t always realize the impact they make on young people and the opportunity to give a high five or smile is really everything,” Duffy said. “To be able to give back to the young girls and boys in our community and teach them a thing or two is pretty special.”
Van Kleunen said flipping the switch is exciting.
“I’ve been in their shoes before,” Van Kleunen said. “Doing clinics like this, looking up to college women, going to certain different camps. Playing basketball my whole life, I did the same thing. So the fact that I’ve been able to see it, come through it and then now be able to translate it, it’s an awesome experience.”
Saturday’s event was an opportunity for a lot of the Golden Eagles to impact young basketball players just as they were impacted by coaches during their childhoods.
For McLaughlin, this impact came from her dad.
“(He) was my guy growing up, my coach who taught me everything I knew up until middle school and high school where I had trainers,” McLaughlin said. “My dad was always the person that I looked up to, one I inspired to be and just to be that happy person in the community that just loves to get back.”
Meanwhile for Van Kleunen, it was her grade school coach.
“He was extremely helpful in the fundamentals and he didn’t care how talented you were, he just wanted you to work,” Van Kleunen said. “He really set the foundation for me and that’s kind of where I started falling in love with the game of basketball.”
Some of the drills for the day included ball handling, passing drills, defensive shuffles and shooting competitions.
As Van Kleunen led the passing drill, she said there was a simple goal she wanted to demonstrate while coaching.
“That the little things matter,” Van Kleunen said. “That’s big with us, especially with Marquette women’s basketball. You’re never too young or too old to work on simple passing drills. Being able to do that, it’s really important to be able to show these kids that.”
Marotta said she hoped she was able to impact the kids in a lot of ways once they left her agility station.
“The energy is something that I always stress on,” Marotta said. “If they can come in here and they can have fun, that’s something that I’ll feel happy about. Giving them the opportunity to come here and play some basketball is something that as a child, you want that every single day.”
Van Kleunen said she hopes today leaves a lasting impression on the young players.
“Whether that’s coming to a Marquette or Milwaukee game or just having fun,” Van Kleunen said. “Sometimes in this sport, that (fun) gets lost a little so having fun bringing the community together is extremely important. I’m really glad to be able to have a chance to do this. At the end of the day, bringing us all together is what’s important.”
And while the day was for the kids, Marotta said it was just as much for the players.
“We get to work together in different stations and get to meet some young girls that I haven’t talked to a lot,” Marotta said. “Freshmen last year didn’t have this experience, so it’s really important for them.”
Next up for the Golden Eagles’ season kickoff schedule is Marquette Madness, which is scheduled for Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Al McGuire Center.
All in all, Duffy said she is excited to have the season just around the corner.
“This is a preseason time for both teams where we’re working really hard (on) strength conditioning and getting in the gym, but to be able to come out and do events like this before (it) really gets going in the heart of the season is great,” Duffy said. “The next couple months, you’re gonna see us out a lot just giving back and trying to get a great buzz around both basketball programs.”
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