Marquette Tribune I December 6

Merry Music for MU

‘Oh How Sweet It Is’

MU moves on to round of 16 in NCAA tournament

By Ben Schultz benjamin.a.schultz@marquette.edu

The Al McGuire Center is getting a new banner.

On Friday, No. 4 seed Marquette swept No. 5 seed

Georgia Tech to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history, and they did so on their home floor in front of the 2,066 fans who stayed and celebrated for minutes after the final point.

“One thing for me is when we walk into the Al, you see all those banners on the wall, and it’s basketball and like the Al and all this cool stuff,” sophomore

middle blocker Hattie Bray said. “We got our little section in the corner. It’s really cool that we’re adding to that, and we get to make our section bigger and show what this program is all about.”

When the banner goes up, it’ll be the fourth for volleyball and likely be placed next to the banner from their last appearance in the Sweet 16, which came

in 2018.

Marquette stormed through Ball State on Thursday night and then Georgia Tech on Friday, on its way to the Sweet 16. The sweep over the Yellow Jackets was the first time Georgia Tech lost in straight sets all season.

“I feel we were out of character a little bit today, which is unfortunate because that’s not the match you want to be feeling

like that,” Georgia Tech head coach Michelle Collier said. “We couldn’t execute what we wanted to do and felt that would give us the best chance of competing against them.”

Georgia Tech started the match on fire, taking a 6-2 lead before Marquette called timeout. Marquette answered back and took a 9-8 lead while on a 5-0 run

Marquette students ‘Rock the Rec’ before closure

By Kevin Fitzpatrick kevin.m.fitzpatrick@marquette.edu

Nearly 700 Marquette stu dents, according to Director

of Recreational Sports John Sweeney, “closed” the Helfaer Tennis Stadium and Recreation Center with smashing plates, bumper cars and a relaxation room, including an oxygen bar Friday and Saturday night.

The event was sponsored by student affairs and Late Night Marquette inside the Rec Cen

ter, featuring activities such as a rage room where participants were allowed to write anything they wanted on a plate before shattering it against the soonto-be-removed racquetball floor. The event comes before the official closing of the Rec Center Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. in lieu of the construction of the

Wellness + Recreation facil ity, expected to be completed by the end of 2024. During the construction, students will be able to use a variety of interim recreation spaces available on campus.

The Rec Center was built in 1975, costing $2.4 million, in contrast to the $80 million

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Krampusnaught

expected price tag of the new facility.

The event contained a to tal of nine different activities, spanning both nights, with other activities like Christmas crafts, an inflatable obstacle course, log rolling, a life-sized

OPINIONS

Marquette student Izzy Ward opens up a tattoo studio inside her dorm room

No. 4 Marquette Volleyball moved on to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history with a win on Friday. The Golden Eagles face off against No.1 seed Texas on Thursday.

Photo by Keifer Russell keifer.russell@marquette.edu

REC: New wellness center set to open in 2024

Continued from page 1

Candyland and roller skating. In addition, Ian’s pizza was provided Friday night and a breakfast bar on Saturday.

“I thought it was such a smart idea, just like right be fore finals too to let anger out, it was great, it was so fun,” Lily Boland, first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences, said. “I’ve always wanted to smash a plate.”

Boland, along with a few club volleyball teammates, wrote the name of their next opponent on the plate. Boland mentioned some more benefits of the plate smashing.

“For me, it’s more nerves, because I haven’t taken finals yet as a college student. It was a very stressful week for me so I think that was much needed, now I feel more relaxed,” Bo land said.

Chris Briggs, assistant di rector for training and devel opment in the Office of Resi dence Life, said he believes this event and its activities allow for a positive outlet for students during a busy time in the school year.

“There’s so much going

on and so much to get done and here’s a moment to take a break, do something you wouldn’t normally do … take a pause … It’s not often that you just get to put all your might into throwing something and breaking it,” Briggs said.

Briggs mentioned taking a pause from everyday life to do things you normally wouldn’t do: “taking that little breather.”

“I fell a couple of times, but I got the hang of it and it was pretty fun,” Mandila Budha thoki, a first-year in the Col lege of Health Sciences and first-time skater, said. “Events like these are not only a stress reliever from school, but it’s also a good way to meet people because I definitely bumped into a couple of people, and I made some new friends.”

James Friel, associate di rector of Recreational Sports, spoke to the uniqueness of this event, mentioning an unex pectedly big turnout and hope for the future.

“We wanted to bring every body on campus in and give them a chance to do some cra zy stuff in the Rec Center that we wouldn’t have normally done,” Friel said. “If anything,

we’ve learned tonight that stu dents wanna be here, students wanna get together, students want to do things like this, so this is a good sign and this is great moving forward.”

While there are no further plans for events like this, or to bring these types of activities to the new Recreation Center, the affairs team believes this event to be a good opportuni ty for the inspiration of future events.

“I think there’s an eagerness and a thirst across campus, whether it’s students or staff, to find more ways to bring every one together and to continue to work together. I think that this is maybe the end of the Rec Center, but I think it’s the start of a lot of great collabora tion and great opportunities to come together,” Briggs said.

With a focus on enjoying the rest of what’s left of the Rec Center, Sweeney believes this event was an opportunity for students to try out some activi ties they may not normally get to do.

“I think it’s nice to go out, blow off some steam, do some fun stuff you don’t normally do. Take a big breath before

you’re ready to hit the books again,” Sweeney said. “You’re always trying to find some thing to engage students, get ’em out of the residence hall, have some fun on campus, connect with friends and have some fun. Rock the Rec, last hoorah, let’s go nuts!”

In anticipation of the interim fitness spaces, Gabrielle Prehn, senior in the College of Health Sciences and building supervi sor at Rec Sports, believes the

event is a great way to say fare well to the Rec Center.

“It’s been such a staple of Marquette for such a long time, and so it’s just nice to have some closure to say bye to it before we enter into the new era of everything mixed together into one,” Prehn said. “The next two years are gonna be a weird transition time, and it’s especially weird working there … I love this place, I think it’s awesome.”

After the Helfaer recreation center closes at the end of the semester, temporary fitness spaces will be available around campus. The Rec Plex will remain fully operational during this time.

Students closed out the Rec last weekend with activities like bumper cars.

Photo by Isabel Bonebrake isabel.bonebrake@marquette.edu

Fashionable fight against human trafficking

Dressember looks to raise awareness, funds for those affected

By Hannah Hernandez hannah.hernandez@marquette.edu

For some, December is a time to put on a coat, but others wear a dress in an ef fort to raise awareness for human trafficking.

Dressember began in 2009 when Blythe Hill, founder of Dressember, challenged herself to wear a dress every day in December after hear ing about human trafficking.

Years later, Dressember be came a movement to spread awareness and create change.

The Dressember challenge consists of wearing a dress or tie every day of December, campaigning to raise aware ness and fundraising to sup port trafficking victims and survivors. Since 2013, $16 million has been raised.

Gracie Clifton, a sopho more in the College of Arts & Sciences, began partici pating in Dressember in high school. This will be her fourth year participating.

“I continue to participate be cause I have learned so much about the issue and want to educate myself and others on how we can help. It’s such a unique organization and peo ple are always interested to hear more about why I wear a dress every day,” Clifton said.

Richard Friman, a professor of political science, teaches a class that explores anti-traf ficking campaigns ranging from efforts against the trans atlantic slave trade and the white slave trade to those against present-day sex and

labor trafficking.

“[Milwaukee] and Wiscon sin have a long history of hu man trafficking that first at tracted national attention in the late-1880s investigations of sex trafficking in Wiscon sin lumber camps. Present-day MKE faces a number of traf ficking challenges that stem in large part from broader is sues of poverty and discrimination in the city,” Friman said.

College of Health Sciences, said she participates in Dres sember because she wants to use her voice for those that don’t have a voice.

“I want to live in a world where people are treated equally and sold for their bod ies or their labor. Everyone deserves to live a free life and millions of

tice your pin on your dress that says, ‘Ask me about my dress,’ it spreads awareness for an un derrepresented cause. People asking about your dress can change the way people think about their ethical choices and can help change the world one person at a time,” Layer said.

In the U.S., 14,500 to 17,500 individuals are trafficked yearly into the United States. Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 individuals are traf ficked annually across international borders worldwide and about half of these vic tims are younger than 18.

The MarqueTTe Tribune

Executive Director of Marquette Wire Andrew Amouzou

Managing Editor of Marquette Tribune Megan Woolard Content Coach Randi Haseman

NEWS

News Editor Julia Abuzzahab

Assistant Editor Hannah Hernandez

Reporters Clara Lebrón, Erin Howard, Trinity Zapotocky, Fiona Flowers, Kevin Fitzpatrick

INVESTIGATIVE

Exectuive Editor Skyler Chun Assistant Editor Connor Baldwin Reporter Jolan Kruse

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Arts & Entertainment Editor Izzy Fonfara Drewel

Assistant Editors Will Eikenbary, Phoebe Goebel Reporters Angelina Galullo, Lauren Puthoff, Isabella Flores, Aiyona Calvin

OPINIONS

Executive Opinions Editor Grace Cady Assistant Opinions Editor Laura Niezgoda Columnists Krisha Patel, Trin Burgess, Kirsten Lyons

SPORTS

Last

Sex traf ficking offenses are positively asso ciated with proximity to the interstate highway and the number of cheaper motels. Marquette is at the intersec tion of I-94 and I-43.

Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry and there are currently 40 million victims of modern-day slavery, including 20.2 million in forced labor, 15 million in forced marriage and 4.8 million in forced sex ual exploitation.

Ella Layer, a first-year in the

people all over the world to day are suffering and in modern-day slavery,” Layer said.

Layer said she hopes peo ple learn about the cause and choose to use her voice to fight against human trafficking.

“It is hard to wear a dress for 31 days in the middle of winter, but when you walk around campus and people no

“A common misconception is that issues like this have been solved or won’t af fect us in the United States. But, the real ity is that traf ficking happens everywhere, and Dressember gives the issue the vis ibility it deserves,” Clifton said.

If you suspect someone is being trafficked, please call the Milwaukee Police at (414) 933-4444. If it’s an emergen cy, dial 911.

National Human Traffick ing Resource Center’s 24hour hotline number is 1 (888) 373-7888.

Donations can be made di rectly at dressember.org or through MU Dressember Rah Rah’s fundraising link. More information about MU Dres sember Rah Rah can be found on their Instagram page.

FAST FACTS

Executive Sports Editor John Leuzzi Assistant Editors Ben Schultz, Ava Mares Reporters Catherine Fink, Trevor Hilson, Jack Albright, Jackson Gross, Kaylynn Wright, Benjamin Hanson, John Gunville

COPY

Copy Chief Emily Reinhardt Copy Editors Jack Connelly, Cait Flynn, Maeve Nolan, Briana Nelson

VISUAL CONTENT Design Chief RJ Siano Chief Photographer Isabel Bonebrake Executive Design Assistant Lily Werner Opinions Designer Erin Schneider Photographers Keifer Russell, Alex DeBuhr, Katie Craig, Forster Goodrich

ADVERTISING

margaret.kemp@marquette.edu Sales Manager Maggie Kemp Assistant Sales Manager Henry Bridgeman

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This year Hannukah will begin on the evening of Dec. 18 and end on the evening of Dec. 26.

Waukesha held their annual Christmas parade this past Sunday. At last year’s parade a deadly SUV attack left six dead and dozens wounded.

On Friday the Milwaukee Brewers promoted Marti Wronski to Chief Operating Officer. She is the only woman to hold the role across all 30 MLB teams.

Georgia voters will cast votes today in a U.S. Senate runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican nominee Herschel Walker. The race is expected to be close after a four-week runoff campaign.

Christmas card making with the Polish Student Alliance in the AMU from 7-8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 8

Latin American Student Organization will be selling holiday grams on the 2nd floor of the AMU from 12-3:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 9

Marquette Naturals will be having an a capella Christmas concert in the Weasler Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

Illustration by Lily Werner elizabeth.werner@marquette.edu

Saturday Former President Donald Trump called for the termination of the United States Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 election results and return him to power.

Sibling connections lead students to attend Marquette

Wisconsin, Illinois among top home states for undergrads

By Grace Cady grace.cady@marquette.edu

When it comes to the decision to attend Marquette, a sibling bond can be a driving force.

Cosmo Hersch, a sophomore in the College of Communication, came to Milwaukee all the way from the West Coast.

“My sister went here, so I visited a couple of times, and I loved the campus,” Hersch said.

Hersch noted that his exposure to the campus from his sister’s attendance was how he heard about Marquette in the first place, and was a factor in his decision to come here.

For some, Marquette’s city environment could be intimidating, but with the comfort of family and familiarity, it can be exciting.

“It’s a college town environment, but across the freeway, you are in a city that has everything you could want,” Hersch said.

Hersch stated that without his sister coming to Marquette, it may have been a different scenario.

Considering over ¾ of Marquette is made up of students from Illinois and Wisconsin, students from anywhere else are in the minority. Although, there is a portion of students that are “legacy” students, meaning that they had a sibling or parent attend Marquette. Some of whom may have extended beyond Wisconsin and Illinois residencies and been

exposed to Marquette by family.

Liam Pyne, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences who is originally from Massachusetts, said that his brother also attended Marquette.

“I went to a Jesuit high school, so I had heard about Marquette from a guidance counselor. But, my brother also attended here and graduated in the class of 2021, so

that was really something that allowed me to see the campus,” Pyne said.

Pyne mentioned that his brother’s experience led him to be interested in Marquette and that the culture is different from his hometown.

“I don’t think it’s in any kind of problematic way, but it’s definitely a Midwest school,”

Pyne said.

He also noted that it was more important for him to find the “right fit” and Marquette was that for him. Between the city atmosphere, friendly students and educational opportunities, Pyne said it was the right school for him.

“I was looking for a school in the city and it kind of checked off that box,” Pyne said.

Hersch being from California and Pyne from Massachusetts may have been a roadblock in them finding Marquette and choosing to attend, but their family connections led them here.

It can be noted that the total undergraduate population at Marquette is composed of 38.7% of students hailing from Illinois and 36.7% from Wisconsin.

“We recruit heavily in these two states, but each year we develop and update a recruitment plan that creates meaningful engagement opportunities with any student interested in pursuing their undergraduate education at Marquette University,” Brian Troyer, associate vice provost for enrollment and management and dean of undergraduate admissions, said.

Marquette is predominantly attended by Wisconsin and Illinois residents, despite this, Troyer notes that the university makes a conscious effort to reach broadly in the recruitment process.

“Aligning our efforts within our mission is a first step, but utilizing a wealth of data and expertise that we have in admissions as another key component of our recruitment process. We recruit broadly (nationally and internationally), and aim to be as data-driven as possible,” Troyer said.

In recruitment, Troyer said that Marquette aims to uphold diversity and inclusion.

“There is a lot that can be said about how we prioritize diversity and inclusion at the forefront of our recruitment process. There are a number of strategic and mission-centered efforts that we have developed, sustained, and updated over the years to live out Marquette’s mission,” Troyer said.

of MU undergraduate population is from Illinois

of MU undergraduate population is from Wisconsin

Graphic by Lily Werner elizabeth.werner@marquette.edu

Milwaukee students unite for Palestine culture night

MSOE, Marquette, UWM among MKE schools represented

By Trinity Zapotocky trinity.zapotocky@marquette.edu

If you walked into the Islamic Society of Milwaukee’s community center this past Saturday, you would be greeted with an atmosphere filled with Palestinian culture thanks to Marquette University and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Students for Justice in Palestine’s Palestinian Culture Night.

The Palestinian night consisted of several events, including: a comedy show by comedian Zaid Fouzi, a dabke — traditional line and circle dancing — performance by FAA entertainment, henna, games, live music and a traditional Palestinian dinner.

Some of the traditional foods included qidreh, which consists of a meat — usually lamb, sometimes chicken — with chickpeas and rice with added spices. Alongside qidreh, desserts such as baklava were served. Baklava is sweet with phyllo dough, finely crushed pistachios and a simple syrup.

The event was open to everyone

in the Milwaukee community and over 100 people attended.

“Celebrating our culture is a way to stay united and ensure that our identities are never lost,” Gianna Rupnick, a senior at UW-Milwaukee and co-president of SJP-UWM, said.

The night was dedicated to celebrating Palestinian culture and elevating Palestinian voices. SJP is a political organization that vouches for Palestine’s freedom from Israel’s military occupation and the general freedom of Palestinians.

“The meaning behind culture night tonight is to highlight the talent in the community, but also show solidarity to the Palestinian people who have been displaced from their homes and country,” Ayisha El-Refaie, a firstyear at Marquette in the College of Business Administration, said.

One reason it is important to showcase Palestinian culture and all of its diversity is because culture is resistance, Rupnick said.

“When it comes to Palestine, everyone always talks about the conflict of it … but I think it is also important to take a step back and realize what exactly you’re fighting for. And culture obviously is a big part of it, a nice positive to a negative, ” Janna Zaibak, a senior at UW-Milwaukee and co-president of

SJP-UWM, said.

Some students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering also gathered to enjoy the night of culture and the different types of fun and entertainment.

Leena Afifi, a first-year at MSOE, came with the intention of learning more about her culture and having the opportunity to reunite with some foods and traditions.

“I am really glad Marquette and UW-Milwaukee give students from different schools to the? opportunity to attend their events. College can get very busy, and being in a clubspecific towards learning about my heritage and more about my culture and traditions truly means so much to me,” Afifi said.

Jamilah Arabiyat, a sophomore at UW-Milwaukee, said one of her favorite parts was the clothing aspect and that dressing up in cultural clothing adds to the fun.

“The cultural foods, songs, and the men‘s dabke performance was so beautiful in reminding all these people that came of the tradition of occupied Palestine,” Afifi said.

Zaiback also enjoyed the various activities involved and said that they embody Palestinian culture.

“I just love the culmination of everything, like all of the different

ways Palestinian culture is expressed through food, through music, through dance, I think it’s a fun culmination of everything,” Zaibak added.

These events provide a welcoming environment and people from all over the community come together to celebrate the beautiful traditions and countries, El-Refaie said.

“My favorite part was being able to connect with others who share the same culture and beliefs, even

though we live thousands of miles away from our home countries,” ElRefaie said.

Thanks to SJP Milwaukee and SJP Marquette, those that attended were able to celebrate and learn about Palestinian culture and traditions and connect as a community Afifi said.

“Through some music and a gathering with friends, a remarkable night in which more people could learn more about this amazing culture was possible,” Afifi said.

Inked in the dorms: From bedroom to tattoo studio

Marquette student offers affordable skin art on campus

By Hannah Hernandez hannah.hernandez@marquette.edu

It started off as a hobby. Now, Izzy Ward, a sophomore in the College of Communi cation, leaves a legacy that is inked on indefinitely. Ward gives tattoos to about two cli ents a week in her dorm room.

“I got into it because I re ally hate paying for tattoos. They’re so expensive and I’ve kind of always been into art so I figured ‘Why not buy a tattoo gun and save all that money,’” Ward said.

Ward first practiced tat tooing on fake skin and then tried it on herself and her friends. She also watched YouTube videos and spoke to a tattoo artist for tips. She officially began tattooing this past summer.

Nate Fisher, Izzy’s boy friend, has received multiple tattoos from her. One of his fa vorites is an abstract skull that is on his arm.

“This one is probably one of my favorites because of how

amazing the linework is she did on it and because of how visible it is because it is very like tedious work in there,” Fisher said.

Over time, Fisher said he has seen Ward’s passion for art.

“She used to draw on her doors and make cool galaxies and stuff, and she fell in love with tattoos, watching tattoo shows and all sorts of stuff. Seeing her watching and cri tique on there to like critique your own stuff was really, real ly cool, especially to see how far she’s come to her first and now,” Fisher said.

Fisher bought Ward’s first tattoo gun for her birthday, and

he said it has been cool to see her improve.

“Once she got better at do ing them, like this one [a tattoo of a skull on his arm], it kind of got dangerous after that be cause she’s gotten so good to the point where I’m getting comfortable with her doing better and better stuff. I have this free opportunity to get as many as I want,” Fisher said.

Jaiden Loreti, a sophomore in the College of Communica tion, said it has been amazing to see Ward and their room mate, Geena Brumm, a sopho more in the College of Com munication, who does nails, be able to promote themselves

and work.

“I feel like their little prin cess. It’s pretty cool having them in here, and it’s really cool that’s how I met Izzy through Gina, doing nails. So it’s also, a really cool way to meet people while working hard in promoting yourself,” Loreti said.

Ward has done multiple tat toos on Loreti. She got a pair of dice filled with hearts, cher ries, a peace sign and others all done over a span of about four hours. Ward has also done tattoos on Loreti’s leg and the back of her neck.

“Even when I was little, I used to look at people with

tattoos and be like, ‘Oh they’re really cool.’ My mom has two tattoos, and my dad isn’t really the biggest fan of tattoos, but I always like, ‘Oh my gosh, like that’s so awesome,’” Loreti said.

Loreti said she always planned to get tattoos and now she has 21 of them.

“It’s a really cool way to express yourself. If you like them, I think it like adds to your style. It’s not just clothing or makeup hair,” Loreti said.

When a client comes in for a tattoo, Ward prints off the picture of the tattoo on sten cil paper and then traces it on them. The client then sits down where they are most comfort able, which is sometimes a bean bag. Once Ward finishes the tattoo, she instructs them with proper aftercare.

“It feels the exact same as when I got it profession ally done, so I trust her,” Fisher said.

If you are interested in get ting a tattoo done by Ward, she can be contacted on her Ins tagram page. Her pricing de pends on the tattoo, but it typi cally ranges from $20 to $60.

TJ Dysart contributed to this report.

Potential clients can schedule a tattoo appointment through Izzy Ward’s Instagram. Prices start at $20.

Photo by TJ Dysart theodore.dysart@marquette.edu

Food, comedy, traditional dance and music were present at the event

Photo courtesy of SJP Marquette

Marquette alum behind viral news TikTok account

both these interests and as a release to do something that felt somewhat productive.”

By Erin Howard erin.howard@marquette.edu

As of November 2022, a Marquette University alum named Gina DiVittorio has grown a following of over 325,000 on TikTok and has reached a like count of over 6 million. The achievements of her Twitter and Instagram accounts follow close behind.

The Pocket Report was started in 2020. With the slogan, “Bringing you a sub-par look at news in a timely fashion,” The Pocket Report social media accounts recap and comment on the latest updates in politics through the lens of DiVittorio, a 27-year-old writer and comedian.

DiVittorio graduated from Marquette in 2017. She said that her inspiration to create this account drew from the downtime she experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“My two main interests were public policy and comedy,” DiVittorio said. “During that first COVID-19 winter, I decided to start The Pocket Report to entertain

Allison Dikanovic, a 2017 Marquette graduate and former classmate of DiVittorio, said that she is not surprised by the following that DiVittorio gained.

“Gina has always been brilliant, strategic, hilarious and compassionate,” Dikanovic said. “She is such a talented writer and she works harder than anyone I’ve ever known.”

Despite its current status, DiVittorio said that The Pocket Report did not start off as an immediate success. Instead, DiVittorio had to post numerous times before the content resonated well with her viewers.

“Honestly, my first few episodes were not good at all,” DiVittorio said. “Not only did they barely receive any views, but the writing and the lighting also just needed a lot of improvement until I was really satisfied with it.”

Since then, DiVittorio said that she has become more confident and proud of the content that she puts out to her viewers.

DiVittorio also said she hopes that The Pocket Report is able to connect people of all ages with each other.

“I want The Pocket Report to bridge the gap between the younger generation and late-night TV, which has kind of lost a large amount of its younger audience,” DiVittorio said. “I also know there are many people who are exhausted with today’s political media, so I want the Pocket Report to be something that everyone is actually excited and willing to engage in.”

For Nicole Rizzo, a 2017 Marquette graduate and former roommate of DiVittorio’s, The Pocket Report delivers information to people in a way that is relevant to today’s society.

“The Pocket Report dips into both camps of information and humor, and it perfectly reaches folks in a digital age where news is accessed most broadly from quick, easy and digestible clips,” Rizzo said in an email.

As someone who spent her college years becoming accustomed to the Jesuit principles that Marquette promotes, DiVittorio said one of those principles has especially stuck with her since creating The Pocket Report.

Cura personalis is Latin for “care for the entire person,” and it is a hallmark of Ignatian spirituality.

DiVittorio said that the concepts surrounding the idea of cura

personalis are what she often turns to in order to guide herself when creating content.

“Similar to how Marquette talks about caring for the entire person, when I present political issues online, I try to do it in a way that considers the entire problem,” DiVittorio said. “I try to always look at underlying policies, how something is being funded and the historical significance behind it.”

For those interested in potentially

pursuing a career in social media similar to her own, DiVittorio said that it is most important to stay committed to being one’s self, even though it may become difficult.

“I would really encourage someone to not attempt to build their following by imitating what they see,” DiVittorio said. “Instead, I always say that I think it will be way more sustainable and meaningful for the creator to be their genuine, authentic self at all times.”

“thepocketreport” has gained over 300k followers since 2020

Divittorio started the account during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Photo by Isabel Bonebrake isabel.bonebrake@marquette.edu

Comic submitted by Marquette professor Dave Hanneken

aRTs & eNTeRTaINmeNT

Krampusnacht: Frightening spin on holiday season

REVIEW:

By Lauren Puthoff lauren.puthoff@marquette.edu

While many kids prepare for Christmas by placing their shoes by the door for St. Nicholas or writing letters to Santa Claus, some forget the punishment for those who are not on the nice list. While Santa punishes kids with coal, there is another figure who teams up with St. Nicholas to decide who’s naughty and who’s nice.

This past weekend Krampus decided to make an appearance Sunday night, the eve before his

very own holiday. Krampusnacht is typically celebrated Dec. 5.

Originating in Germany, Krampus has become a frightening addition to Christmas celebrations with his horns, spiky teeth and goat-like figure. It is said that this son of Hel joins St. Nicholas on his journey of giving kids treats for being good. While Krampus beats those who have misbehaved with sticks or rods and at times drags them with him to the underworld to eat them.

In celebration of Krampus, numerous organizations come together to dress up in their unique version of what they believe he looks like. With over a thousand people in attendance, Milwaukee’s Historic Brewery District was filled with guests

enjoying drinks, live music, festivities and one another’s handmade outfits the night before Krampus was expected to make an appearance to children around the area.

Professor of German, Jenny Watson, has been teaching German language and culture for over 10 years and spent much of her own college experience in Germany.

“This tradition was celebrated in the neighborhoods around us with people dressing up as Krampus and St. Nick while going from house to house, placing small treats or sticks in children’s shoes,” Watson said.

Within the past few years, Krampus has taken the world by storm with countless holiday

horror films such as “Krampus: Unleashed” and “Krampus: The Christmas Devil.” Instead of only being celebrated in a few parts of the world, he is now a figure for families and cities across the world.

Tamarind Belly Dance director Super Beth has been a guest at this event for years and is now a member of Milwaukee’s Kramspusnacht as she takes on her own Krampus look.

“As dancers we utilize music from various countries, so we decided to pull outfit inspiration from different folkloric pieces from around the world. Since we listen to music from European countries, we were all very familiar with the mythology of Krampus and were thrilled to

add horns onto our costumes,” Beth said.

Although many young kids fear this mythical creature, there were countless families in amazement at all the different takes on Krampus. Not only were adults dressed up, but kids were joining in on the fun by lightly hitting people’s feet with glittery sticks and chasing others around attempting to frighten those in attendance.

With Milwaukee residents coming together either as vendors, members or guests, it has created an honorary night to celebrate Krampus. Now as St. Nicholas day creeps upon the community, children of all ages are hopeful to hear the jingling of bells from St. Nicholas, rather than the clanking chains of Krampus.

Photo by of Isabel Bonebrake isabel.bonebrake@marquette.edu Krampusnacht brought together hundreds of people in Milwaukee’s Historic Brewery District. People dressed up to honor Krampus, a demonic fi gure from Germanic folklore.

German figure has been popularized in American culture

REVIEW: ‘The Wolves’ makes its mark on audience

produces

By Will Eikenbary will.eikenbary@marquette.edu

Every so often, there comes along a piece of art that sticks with you. You may not always know why: Maybe it makes you ask questions you never expected to, maybe it reveals things about yourself you aren’t sure of yet or maybe it just interests you because you don’t fully understand it. But, whatever the case may be, you never forget it.

Six years ago, I had this experience watching my high school’s production of Sarah DeLappe’s “The Wolves.” I hated it. Not because the performances in the show were bad, but quite the opposite. I hated the play because, at that point in my life, it was a piece of art that asked questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

Questions of gender, sexuality, racism, politics and grief that left me uncomfortable.

So, instead of confronting them, I did what any reasonable middle

schooler does. I ate a S’more Poptart, played some Minecraft and made myself forget all about it. At least until this year.

Marquette Theater’s production of “The Wolves” opened its doors Nov. 18 and played its last show this past Sunday. The play, featuring five segmented pre-game soccer practices, stars a tightknit group of soccer players as they grapple with different events happening around the world and in their lives.

Notably, the all-female cast of “The Wolves” and the candid, crude language you’d expect from a competitive athletic team give the play a level of authenticity and edge that – especially in my second viewing – made the team dynamic feel incredibly believable.

The production also featured a number of real soccer warm-ups and equipment, combined with seats for the audience on stage, making the whole show a very immersive experience.

Having competed on athletic teams in high school myself, the “tough love” that the players have for each other and the outof-pocket insults that get thrown around were as funny as they hit

close to home.

In particular, the dynamic with the “new girl” on the team, played by Kelsie Kasky, a junior in the College of Communication, felt like just the kind of event that would cause pointless drama and gossip. Kasky’s timid but intentional role was a great touch in an otherwise “loud” cast of characters and I loved the personality she put into her performance.

More comedic roles, like #13, played by Natalie Murray, a junior in the College of Communication,

were great at breaking up the more dramatic scenes with crude humor, which consistently cracked up the audience. Murray’s excellent timing and delivery helped nail the play’s jokes. As someone who didn’t love the script’s sense of humor when they first saw it, she did a great job of elevating the material.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a scene featuring a mental breakdown toward the end of the show showed the team’s goalie, played by Miranda Hunt,

a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, as she struggles with her own mental illness and anxiety. Hunt’s raw, powerful performance left the audience shocked and it was very impressive to see so much emotion put into a role with so few lines of dialogue.

Without spoiling anything, the ending of the show was incredibly powerful, largely due to the impressive performances by the cast and how it leaves the viewer guessing which direction it’s going to go. Despite the 90-minute runtime and experimental set-up, I was never bored while watching and was impressed by just how fast-paced the cast was able to keep the show.

Despite any reservations, I had as a closed-minded 8th grader, “The Wolves” is a very impressive production that feels just as pertinent now as it was back in 2016. Although the idea of a 90-minute play about soccer may seem a bit boring or strange on the surface, this production is one that I was thrilled to be able to see again. I genuinely can’t wait to see it again and see how my perspective changes a month, a year or six more years down the line.

Marquette musical groups combine to spread cheer

Varsity Theatre hosts chorus, orchestra, band concert Dec. 4

By Angelina Galullo angelina.galullo@marquette.edu

Sitting beside a Christmas tree with loved ones, gifts under the tree and snow falling outside are all factors that make the holiday season such an awaited time each year, but the scene would not be complete without holiday music.

There is no Christmas without the music which not only keeps tradition going, but brings to mind joyful memories.

At Marquette, holiday music is a unifying factor between students of all different backgrounds.

Marquette director of music, Erik Janners, led the Marquette Orchestra and the Marquette Band in their annual holiday concert last Sunday in Varsity Theatre.

The event was titled Music Area Holiday Concert and was free and open to the public. All

were welcome.

Each Marquette group performed about 10 to 20 minutes of music while rotating from group to group.

“We aim to convey a message of joy and peace this holiday season, values that are essential at this time of the year,” Janners said.

Janners believes holiday music reminds its listeners to enjoy the small times of the season but also the large moments that the holidays entail.

“I really hoped the entire campus

community, including those who may be musically inclined, could join us and hear some wonderful music, and get in the spirit together. There is something important about togetherness around the holidays,” Janners said.

Alyssa Spies, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and president of the Marquette Band, performed Sunday. Spies plays the trumpet in both the jazz band and concert band.

“As a musician, I think music is important because it provides an avenue for people to express themselves and what they feel. Music has ways of describing how we feel or presenting new ideas in ways we might not normally encounter them, as does holiday music,” Spies said.

Spies believes that music connects an audience through selfexpression and does her best to encourage this as band president.

“My role entails a lot more than just the performance the audience sees,” Spies said. “And a lot of behind the scenes planning.”

For the concert, Spies was charge of coordinating the event with band members and professors, as well as assembling a setlist. Spies had high hopes for the concert. In the years past, each group played two separate songs, but this year’s format was different.

“This show we are doing something unusual. We are

combining both our concert band and jazz band,” Spies said. “So now we will be playing two pieces together, two for concert and two for jazz.”

Since the concert is a joint music department event, the turnout is large in comparison to other events, with around 250-300 guests.

Both Janners and Spies share a mutual appreciation of the same piece of holiday music: Leroy Anderson’s famous medley, “A Christmas Festival,” which was performed at the concert.

“It is a mashup of a bunch of famous and different Christmas songs. It has a lot of cool harmonies and melodies that make it so much fun to play. The audience can sing along,” Spies said.

In terms of her favorite piece of holiday music to perform in general, Spies is a fan of “Sleigh Ride,” also by Leroy Anderson.

“If we are talking personally, though, I love ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside.’ You can never go wrong with a good duet. It always sounds wonderful,” Spies said.

Spies enjoys playing holiday music more than any other genre of music.

“Holiday music is the best to play as it reminds us why we’re celebrating,” Spies said. “It provides a space to bring everyone together in and come down to Earth for a bit.”

“The Wolves” ran Nov. 18-19 and Dec. 1-4 at the Helfaer Theatre.

Marquette

play that tells story of tight-knit soccer team

Photo courtesy of Madelyn Noh

The choir performed a variety of holiday carols at the Music Area Holiday Concert this past weekend.

Photo by Katie Craig katie.craig@marquette.edu

ediToriaL board

STAFF EDITORIAL

Focusing on humanity in times of violence

As the nation sees an increase in violence on college campuses, it is important that we keep humanity at the forefront of our minds, hearts and conversations.

Last month, four college students were murdered at the University of Idaho.

In addition, three studentathletes were murdered at the University of Virginia. On the surface, we call these events tragic and heartbreaking – and it is. But, in order to really understand the gravity of this violence, these deaths and the many others that have occurred recently, we need to allow ourselves to feel the weight of it.

One of the biggest epidemics plaguing our nation is something more subtle, seemingly less pervasive, but still threatening and deadly — desensitization.

Though it has become considered “normal” to hear day in and day out about death, gun violence and terror, we must all remember that just because it is ordinary to us, does not mean that it is meaningless. Much of these feelings occur because we have been raised this way.

The young people in this country have grown up with the reality of hearing about acts of violence every week — if not nearly every day. Many of us were brought into this world during the era of 9/11 and we continue to live a life characterized by “mass shootings” and “20 people dead” in headlines of our news stories, television segments and computer screens.

In a much less passive, more involved sense, we have been trained to handle

inevitable horrors.

Children of the 2000s, growing up in a post-Columbine world, were taught that as much as what they learned sitting in their desks carried value, they had to be prepared to crouch under them and not make a sound. This type of preparation for active shooter incidents in schools became standard and has continued to be. We have all been conditioned to expect violence in school.

College students especially bear a significant amount of weight. We balance managing coursework, most likely working one, if not multiple jobs, maintaining our physical health, finding time for a social life and pursuing the American dream in a way that carries value for each of us. It is almost second nature

to find an escape from the real world when we can, instead of facing the grievances it carries, but, it’s important not to look away too often.

When we choose to ignore or downplay the violence that occurs in this nation and in schools, we do it a disservice. Behind every safety alert, news headline and death, there are real people. There are daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, friends and foes — all human beings with real emotions and intricate life stories.

At Marquette, we are subject to frequent violence as we often open our phones to messages from the police department or hear sirens in the background of our studies. We are not immune to it and we deserve to be cared

Sometimes life redirects us

that soon.

I always thought I would have my life planned out by a certain age — kind of like a blueprint for the rest of my life. Whether that be my career, places I’d live, vacations I’d take and the people I would meet. However, I knew I was different when I realized I didn’t want to live the same textbook life as most people and that idea terrified me.

I thought my twenties would bring me much more clarity than daydreams as a child. They only brought me more confusion about all my choices so far. I’ve learned that it’s okay.

Society has pressured us to make a career choice by the time we’re 22, buy a home a few years later and settle down all before 30.

Sometimes that doesn’t have to be the case. It’s uncommon to see someone ditch the life that they’re used to living to chase after their passions, but I feel like I might be doing

I’m almost halfway through my senior year of college, and recently, I figured out that the career path in nursing I had once chosen isn’t quite meant for me. I discovered that I might have other interests outside of healthcare that I might want to discover.

It took me some time and experience and after talking to others to come to this decision. I have so much respect for everything the College of Nursing has taught me and all the people I met, but throughout my time there, I kept trying to convince myself that I had passion for this field when I didn’t.

I’ll use my knowledge and skills and everything that I have gained to my advantage. While this may seem like a rash decision that I never planned on making, I like to think of it more as an adventure.

I am going to toss that blueprint I had made for what my life would be like because while it would’ve been easy, comfortable and safe, it wouldn’t get me out of my comfort zone. I need to find something

challenging, that comes with struggle but adventure, and ultimately a great reward.

However, it’s the journey that matters and not the destination. Right now that journey is still going on for me, going into unknown terrain compared to the safe charted path I once had planned out.

I’ve decided to stay in the city as opposed to moving back home to the comfort of the suburban house I grew up in. I had never planned on moving out until recently when I realized

that getting out of my comfort zone would be good for me.

I feared the sudden change I would experience of actually being on my own and not having the security of my parents or college. I know it’s going to be different at first. However, I would rather look back on this as a journey and something different than go back to what I’ve always known.

After I graduate, some of my plans include doing solo traveling.

I have always been an avid traveler and I crave adventure. I

for in light of it.

The aftermath of experiencing violence is a delicate time. It is important that students — and people in general — are granted access to mental health resources to validate their experiences and help heal some of the wounds that come with exposure to the worst humanity has to offer.

Instead of looking away, we need to feel the pain of this violence and act on it. We need to stand up for the peers we have lost, advocate for changes to be made in our legal system and empathize with those affected by these losses. We are nothing in this world if we are not compassionate, especially in light of violence, we must extend a helping hand and a hurting heart.

I was constantly you live want is makes it the person bridge over the tunnel beating the sentiment sometimes I thought actually As I psychology hoped for grade on mostly kept high school. I didn’t out. Instead, to me. virtue, but of defense. if I sought risked running that wasn’t Little something on, like coming The boy rows behind eye the fi

realized that I don’t need to find people who have the same thirst as me and explore on my own.

I don’t know what I want to do in terms of my career. But I know that I want to be a leader and not a follower. I still want to see the world.

I am going to meet so many people throughout the course of my life. Some people will stay and some will go. However, I know I’m going to learn something from each and every one of them.

I don’t know where or when I will settle down. Maybe I’ll keep moving or maybe one day I’ll decide that I want to stop. Wherever and whenever I decide that, I know it’s for me and not for society to accept.

I’m creating a story for myself, one I want to look back on and anticipate plot twists, hardships, adventure and most importantly the excitement of the unknown compared to something that is safe, comfortable and predictable. Right now, the story is just beginning.

Krisha Patel is a senior studying nursing and Spanish for the health professions. She can be reached at krisha.patel@marquette.edu

Grace Cady, Executive Opinions Editor Randi Haseman, Content Coach

Andrew Amouzou, Executive Director Megan Woolard, Managing Editor of The Marquette Tribune Hope Moses, Editor of Diversity and Inclusion

Julia Abuzzahab, News Executive John Leuzzi, Sports Executive Izzy Fonfara Drewel, A&E Executive Skyler Chun, Investigative Executive

Emily Reinhardt, Copy Chief RJ Siano, Design Chief Isabel Bonebrake, Chief Photographer Nancy Flaherty, Social Media Executive

Sarah Richardson, General Manager of MUTV Emily Bittman, General Manager of MURadio Kimberly Cook, Managing Editor of The Marquette Journal

Illustrations by Erin Schneider erin.schneider@marquette.edu

Krisha Patel

Seventeen is an inconvenient time to be in love

Grace Cady

I was 17, and my head was constantly spinning. When you live that way, all you ever want is to fi nd someone who makes it stop. You want to fi nd the person who acts as your bridge over running water — the tunnel underneath rain beating down. But, much like the sentiment that “even salt sometimes looks like sugar,” I thought I found a cure, but I actually found poison.

As I sat eagerly in my psychology class, all I really hoped for was to get a good grade on the fi nal exam. I mostly kept my head down in high school. I had friends, but I didn’t usually seek people out. Instead, I let them come to me. This was maybe a virtue, but more likely a line of defense. Usually, I felt that if I sought something out, I risked running into something that wasn’t good for me.

Little did I know that something would hit me headon, like a car crash you see coming but can’t stop.

The boy sitting just a few rows behind me caught my eye the fi rst time I walked into

class, but I knew that I would never do anything about it. I believed that nothing would ever happen. Until it did.

It was simple, really. A request to go and study one snowy night after school. It was innocent and it was youthful.

Study dates turned into Sundays spent laughing over television shows in my basement which turned into summers where we were never much more than an arm’s length apart. More

than that, liking to be around somebody turned into love. And being in love turned into falling head fi rst out of it, not really because I wanted to, but because I wasn’t given any choice in the matter.

What I mistook for love, was really tolerance that slowly became betrayal that then became mayhem.

For three years of my life, though, I believed it to be love. I believed it to be love because all I had ever really known was chaos. I thought

that love was supposed to be tumultuous, and don’t we all kind of have that feeling? That’s what all of the books and movies teach us. The concept is that if it’s not dizzying then it’s not worth it.

I could harp on what characterized the chaos, I could go on and on about the years of emotional abuse, the cheating, the gaslighting, the high highs and the low lows. Because there was all of that. But, I don’t want to tell you about that. I want to tell you about how I got there.

I was 17. I had spent the sixteen previous years just dreaming of somebody loving me at all. I think this was a lot because I had conditioned myself to believe that I was diffi cult to love, and, therefore, I survived on crumbs. I needed affection like I needed air to breathe. And in between the heartache, I had it.

All I survived off of were those moments, those glances, the false promises, the times when I had enough material to work with in order to convince myself that I was loved by this person not just possessed.

I think a common misconception held by many is that people stay in bad

relationships because they’re weak or they don’t respect themselves. There were many reasons I stayed in mine. I was begged to, I was threatened if I didn’t and I never saw a way out. But, more than that, I was just in love. I just wanted to believe that someone could be half as in love with me as I was with them. For three years, I survived off of that blind hope.

When it all came crashing down, I was forced to face the truth. That clarity, that acknowledgment of the reality that had existed all along, was what saved me. I was in pain, but I was no longer pretending. I was no longer muffl ing cries in my bedroom with my pillow. I wasn’t falling asleep on the bathroom fl oor, too weak and too miserable to peel myself off of it.

I was in pain, but I was in the light of truth. And if I have any happy ending, it is that freeing myself fi nally allowed me to realize I was always lovable. I was sugar trying to live alongside salt, and some things just don’t mix.

Grace Cady is a junior studying journalism and political science. She can be be reached at grace. cady@marquette.edu

The fight against unrealistic beauty standards

need to find same thirst my own. want to career. But I a leader still want so many course of will stay However, I learn someevery one or when Maybe I’ll one day to stop. whenever I defor me and accept. for myback on twists, hardmost imexcitement of the to somecomfortable now, the

I can remember back to as young as five years old being insecure about my body. I felt too tall and too chubby compared to my peers and never good enough. I was taught that even the idea of being outside of the norms of what is acceptable to look like was wrong and a failure on my part.

To illustrate the world that I lived in, the same year that I was five, supermodel Kate Moss famously said “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” This is the type of ideal that was being ruthlessly shoved in women’s and girls’ faces from every direction.

Every store I’d walk into right next to the cash register would be magazines with sideby-side images of a female celebrity on the red carpet looking unattainably gorgeous with the help of skilled makeup artists and hair stylists, next to a photo of the same celeb at

the beach with a barely there pouch of fat at their stomach. The headline always made it out to be that the photo where they just looked like any other woman was the ugly one. As if she were lying and tricking the masses with makeup and shapewear.

Media informs what we should expect of ourselves and others, body image is not immune to this phenomenon.

A study found that after television was introduced to the island of Fiji in 1991 the rate of eating disorders in girls skyrocketed. Before the introduction of television, gaining weight and being bigger was seen as a good thing on the island. Afterward, however, 11.3% of adolescent girls admitted to purging food to lose weight. They said that they wanted to be skinny like the girls they saw on television.

Similarly in the United States, 42% of first through third-grade girls want to lose weight and 81% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat.

This is devastating. It

genuinely makes my stomach turn, how much we have been screwed up by the world around us for this to be a reality.

Women my age, many women before and likely after us, have been and will be conditioned to hate the way we look. It’s almost a knee-jerk reaction to degrade yourself and pick out imperfections anytime you look in the mirror.

In my first year of high school, I developed an eating disorder. Sadly, I was one of many girls in my class who did.

Obviously, there were deeper parts of it than just how my body looked, but the rhetoric I had been served since childhood definitely didn’t help.

I believed that I was not enough if I wasn’t “perfect.” The crazy thing is it worked in getting more people to like me. I was treated differently. Boys started to have crushes on me and other girls would talk about how they wished their bodies looked like mine. But I was dying, slowly but surely

shutting my body down. That was what was desired by my peers: sickness.

It’s taken me a long time to even come close to accepting the way I look, I still struggle with the voice in the back of my head telling me I’m not skinny enough or pretty enough. I try to focus on how my body feels rather than what it looks like, disassociating my self-worth from my looks.

If I had to tell someone going through something similar it would be this: You don’t need to shrink yourself down to be worthy of anything.

I really do believe that someday we may be able to live in a world where children don’t intentionally starve or preoccupy themselves with the way they look. No one should have to feel as though they are not enough simply because of the body they inhabit.

It is imperative that we shun the dogma that being skinny is something to be desired and fatness is something to be feared. A person’s body is not something to cast judgment on as if it’s a heinous act for them

to exist in a body that doesn’t meet “perfection.” We need to have compassion for ourselves and others and look past the ideals ingrained in us by the society we live in.

Statement of Opinion Policy

The opinions expressed on the Opinions page reflect the opinions of the Opinions staff. The editorials do not represent the opinions of Marquette University nor its administrators, but those of the editorial board.

The Marquette Tribune prints guest submissions at its discretion. The Tribune strives to give all sides of an issue an equal voice over the course of a reasonable time period. An author’s contribution will not be published more than once in a four-week period. Submissions with obvious relevance to the Marquette community will be given priority consideration.

Full Opinions submissions should be limited to 500 words. Letters to the editor should be between 150 to 250 words. The Tribune reserves the right to edit submissions for length and content.

Please e-mail submissions to: grace. cady@marquette.edu. If you are a current student, include the college in which you are enrolled and your year in school. If not, please note any affliations to Marquette or your current city of residence.

Kirsten Lyons

Kirsten Lyons is a first-year studying journalism. She can be be reached at kirsten.lyons@marquette.edu

Photo courtesy of Publica Domain Pictures

Continued from page 1

doing so via an ace from sophomore setter Ella Foti.

“It was a bit jarring,” Marquette head coach Ryan Theis said. “I just loved the response.”

The set remained close as junior outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton came off the outside pin for a kill that gave Marquette a 13-12 lead.

Marquette fans responded by yelling, “Go Marquette, WOO,” as they do after every Marquette point. They found themselves in a late defi cit but closed the set on a 3-0 run as a solo block from sophomore outside hitter Jenna Reitsma put the icing on the cake as the Golden Eagles took the set 25-23.

They took that momentum into the second set and took an opening 3-0 lead.

“Just playing really well,”

Theis said. “There’s just a whole lot of players playing with confi dence. Momentum is a good pass or a good swing away.”

The set progressed, but not without any hiccups or delays, as there were three challenges. They made for long waits and dance parties from both benches.

As it came to the end, Marquette outscored the Yellow Jackets 6-3 en route to a second-set win by the score of 25-20.

Marquette dominated the third set and once again got out to an early 7-1 lead. The early defi cit was too much for Georgia Tech to come back from, as they neither tied nor took a lead at any point in the set. Bray ended the match by totaling her eighth kill of the game, many of which were hit as if she has a cannon for an arm.

“We (the team) always make the joke because I grew up on a

farm, that it’s my farm strength,” Bray said.

The Golden Eagles secured the sweep fi nishing the fi nal frame with a score of 25-19.

Of Marquette’s 75 points in the victory, 17 came from Hamilton’s kills. It’s the most kills Hamilton has had in a Marquette sweep this season. Hamilton attributed some of the success in the match to the setting ability of Big East Setter of the Year, sophomore Yadhira Anchante.

“I always remember to set you (Hamilton) high,” Anchante said with a laugh.

Theis thought the way his team played on its way to the Sweet 16 was near the top of their performances of the season.

“That was some of the best volleyball we’ve played,” Theis said. “It was fun to watch these guys play it out.”

Making the Sweet 16 wasn’t the only history accomplished on Friday night inside the Al McGuire Center as senior defensive specialist Carly Skrabak became the 10th player in Marquette history to record over 500 digs in a single season.

“She’s amazing,” Bray said. “She’s such a good player and always has the best heart behind everything. She was the one that was always saying ‘no matter what happens next point, we need to put all our effort in.’ She has the best pep talks coming out of timeouts.”

Marquette hit .246 overall and held Georgia Tech to hitting .172 on their way to a program fi rst undefeated season at home (180) and a date in Austin, Texas, with the No. 1 overall seed, the Texas Longhorns.

The Sweet 16 matchup is set for

Dec. 8 in Gregory Gymnasium, which seats 4,000 people. It will start 30 minutes after Minnesota and Ohio State square off in their Sweet 16 match, starting at 11 a.m. CST.

Texas is 24-1 heading into the game and ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Division I Women’s Coaches Poll for 13 of the 15 weeks of the season.

“They’re pretty good. They’re pretty physical. I’m sure they’ll be comfortable in their home environment,” Theis said. “You just got to out-kill somebody because they’re gonna get theirs. …We just got to make ours happen, and hopefully, we can squeak out a couple of aces and blocks along the way.”

My Prediction Texas wins, 3-1

If you quette women’s has played month of notice the their strength advantage. quette is over a decade.

“After with our there was theme,” Komara said it all continue season, strength This theme bers came quette’s Saint Francis, on the roster a rebound.

Golden Eagles’ victory came But this depth been present.

“It’s been to see how to go at guard Jordan

Chloe Marotta

assists in two games last week for the Golden Eagles. Marotta flirted with a triple-double against Georgetown Dec.2.

Sophomore guard Kam Jones was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 23.0 points in two games last week for the Golden Eagles. In Marquette’s upset win over then-No. 6 Baylor Nov. 29, Jones scored 20 points.

Marquette poses after its win in the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament against Georgia Tech.

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics

Marquette women’s basketball’s game scheduled for Wednesday against Morgan State has been canceled due to COVID health and safety protocols within the Morgan State program. Next game for the Golden Eagles is Saturday at 2 p.m. CST at home against Loyola Chicago.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Strength in numbers, depth leading to early success

Bench averaging 19.6 points through first nine games of season

By Kaylynn Wright kaylynn.wright@marquette.edu

If you look at how the Marquette women’s basketball team has played and won in the first month of the season, you will notice the Golden Eagles using their strength in numbers to their advantage. It is part of why Marquette is out to its best start in over a decade.

“After spending the summer with our team, we knew that there was going to be an overall theme,” assistant coach Kelly Komara said. “Coach Duffy has said it all year, and it’s going to continue to be our mantra all season, strength in numbers.”

This theme of strength in numbers came to life Nov. 27 in Marquette’s 83-40 victory against Saint Francis, when every player on the roster scored and grabbed a rebound. Overall, 37 of the Golden Eagles’ 83 points in the victory came from the bench.

But in previous seasons, this depth has not always been present.

“It’s been amazing being able to see how deep we’ve been able to go at every position,” senior guard Jordan King said. “There

(are) other people that are also just stepping up and doing their roles night in and night out. That’s been something that we haven’t had in the past, and I’m really excited to keep developing that through the year.”

Eight out of the 12 players on the roster are averaging double figures in minutes per game. The bench alone is currently averaging 19.6 points per game.

King said these contributions had to do with each member’s dedication to the overall goals of the team.

“People (are) buying into to what coaches are asking of them,” King said. “This year, we’ve just got more experience too. All around, you can list one through twelve in which ways they’re contributing to the team.”

Komara said that this depth in the roster was not something that surprised the coaching staff.

“Early on, we knew that this would be a year that we would go very deep in our bench,” Komara said. “We have a lot of really talented players and knew that it would take all of them to help us win.”

One player that has been strong off the bench for Marquette this season is first-year guard Mackenzie Hare, who is averaging 9.1 points per game while shooting 32.2% from beyond the arc.

“Coming into your freshman year, you’re trying to learn a lot

and understand what college basketball is,” King said. “Her being able to come off the bench and add some shots for us and make those threes when she has them has been great. (She’s) adding different looks around the court for us.”

Hare said that it has been a great experience to be able to see action in her first year at Marquette.

“It’s been so fun,” Hare said. “(I’m) definitely learning a lot, and I have great leadership from Jordan, Chloe (and) Liza. It’s just been so fun to learn from them, and to get to play has been super awesome.”

In just her second game of her collegiate career Nov. 11, Hare netted 18 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter, on 5-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc.

Komara said that Hare’s performance has set the tone for the rest of the program.

“Anybody that’s ever seen her play knows that she isn’t afraid to take shots,” Komara said. “The confidence that she has to do that has really helped not only our team but it’s helped our entire program understand that at any point in time, your number could be called. If you’re ready and you step up, you have the green light to do what you do.”

Hare has seen extended action in every contest this season, averaging 18.8 minutes per game,

which ranks 6th on the team overall. She leads the team in threepointers made per game with 2.1.

With guard Karissa McLaughlin graduating in the year prior, Komara said that Hare has been an added bonus to this year’s roster.

“With the loss of Karissa McLaughlin last year, who was our ‘knock down lights out’ shooter, (that) was really big for us,” Komara said. “(Kenzie) is a phenomenal shooter. For us, having her as an option, whether she’s starting or coming off the bench, that extra offensive threat has really been a boost for us.”

King said that Hare is not the only player who has succeeded off the bench this year for Marquette. King also harped on how having a strong bench adds more options for the team.

“It gives us a more dynamic look being able to bring in different people who are going to play within our system, but play in a different way,” King said. “If we need to have a bigger lineup, (we) bring in Claire (Kaifes) or Emily (La Chapell) from the guard position.”

After missing last season due to an ACL injury, senior guard Claire Kaifes has also been an offensive threat off the bench. Kaifes has also appeared in each of Marquette’s nine games averaging 13.6 minutes per game.

King, who has started in each

of her 101 collegiate career games, said that the bench contribution this season has given her more confidence as a starter.

“That’s been a really big thing for our success so far this year,” King said. “I’ve had foul trouble in the Bahamas or (in) games before that. Being able to put someone in off the bench who’s prepared and ready to play and will go out and do their job is really important for the team’s success.”

Komara said that contributions from the bench will be crucial to the team’s success in the Big East.

“Our standard here at Marquette is to play as hard as you possibly can for as long as you can and then we’ll get you a sub,” Komara said. “Having those extra bodies to be able to come in and really contribute, (that is) going to help us as we really get deep into the Big East play. Come in and not just sustain what we’re doing, but raise it to the next level.”

As the season goes on, the theme of strength in numbers will remain a key factor for the Golden Eagles this year.

“Anytime you have options, you don’t feel like you’re stuck,” Komara said. “It’s like, ‘okay, if I’m not performing well tonight, I know my teammate has my back.’ That’s the overall theme this year of strength in numbers.”

Georgia Tech.

Marquette Athletics

MUWBB

the bench.

Continued from page 16

in this equation. This past Friday at Georgetown, senior guard Jordan King continued her longtime streak by starting in her 100th career game.

King, who was the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year in 2019, has always been a vital part in the Golden Eagles’ success. The 5-foot-11 guard built off her breakout season last year for Marquette this season as she is averaging 14.0 points, 4.3 assists and 2.2 per game.

Together, Duffy and King have combined for a 73-28 overall record. With a winning percentage of over .700, the two have become one of the winningest player-coach duos in program history.

Over the last three seasons, Duffy has been building on the program’s mantra of “The Marquette Way.” Now, these years later, we’re starting to see the real tangible results of those five pillars: driven, relentless growth, sacrifice, humble beginnings and unity.

Then there is the outlier in this equation.

It’s not like what the Golden Eagles have developed is a secret or a groundbreaking scientific discovery but instead is a missing piece that has been found and glued back into the puzzle.

But what is that missing piece? It’s using the depth and strength of its numbers to its advantage.

For the first time in the Duffy Era, I haven’t seen each of the 12 players showcased, utilized and performed in their roles as well as this year’s squad. But perhaps the biggest showing of this has come from its bench play.

Whether it is on the men’s or women’s side, bench production is everything in college basketball. The Golden Eagles are no different as 31% of the team’s points this season have come off

In the world of college basketball, earning wins in the month of November is part of the recipe for a strong postseason resume. And if you look at Marquette’s seven wins, the Golden Eagles have several quality wins — Texas and Gonzaga — already on that.

The Golden Eagles are now starting to receive national attention in both the Associated Press and the Coaches Top 25 Polls for the first time under Duffy and the first time since the 2018-2019 season.

It is not like Marquette has earned votes over the last three seasons in the polls because they have, but to get over that hump is a significant move in the right direction for this program.

There is no question that the Big East runs through Storrs, Connecticut and the UConn Huskies once again. That isn’t what I am here to do, nor am I saying Marquette’s early season success means it will win the Big East Tournament.

Instead, I’m here to reiterate that Marquette deserves a seat at the Christmas table as one of the top four teams in the conference.

Aside from Marquette, there are five teams in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll either ranked or receiving votes, UConn (No. 8), Creighton (No. 18), Villanova (No. 25), St. John’s (RV) and Seton Hall (RV). Last week was the first time since the conference’s realignment in 2013 that four teams were ranked at the same time.

So as the road to the Big East Women’s Basketball Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, has begun, it’s time to once again buy into the fact the Golden Eagles have arrived.

John Leuzzi is the Executive Sports Editor. He is a beat reporter for men’s basketball.

@JohnLeuzziMU

ATHLETICS

Marquette Volleyball defeated Georgia Tech in straight sets Dec. 2 in the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history.

With the win, the Golden Eagles secured their first undefeated season at home.

Photo by Isabel Bonebrake isabel.bonebrake@marquette.edu

Photos by Keifer Russel keifer.russel@marquette.edu

MEN’S BASKETBALL

CLOSE: Badgers shoot 70% from field in first half half

sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn worked the baseline looking for a shot before bouncing a pass to junior guard Max Klesmit in the paint for a jumper to give Wisconsin back the lead at 79-77 lead.

“That was a toughness basket,” Gard said. “He willed his way in. And he made a heck of a play there to get that ball loose and get it up on the rim.”

With not much time on the clock, Smart drew up an inbound pass play call with junior guard Tyler Kolek working the baseline. But instead, Kolek’s pass was intercepted by Wahl, who would keep some hope alive for Marquette as he only hit one of two free throws.

Down three, the Golden Eagles once again coughed up the inbound pass as Wahl intercepted the ball and held it as time expired giving the Badgers the victory.

“We got to find the right guy to make that pass and make that catch,” Smart said. “We’ve worked on it some in practice but nowhere near enough and it’s my job to find out who would make sense to have made that pass.

“And they defended it well. But we’re just trying to throw the ball half court so we can have a little bit of time because there’s only 3.5 (seconds) and then to two some seconds left.”

The Badgers came out firing in the first half, hitting eight of their first 11 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, to take a 19-13 lead into the under-12 media timeout.

After the Golden Eagles brought the game within three at 23-20, sophomore guard Kam Jones hit a 3-pointer to tie the game up.

Wisconsin broke the scoring open in the final minute of the half. Hepburn knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the afternoon in the final seconds of the half to give the Badgers a 41-30 halftime lead.

Wisconsin shot nearly 70% from the field in the first half compared to Marquette’s 52.2%.

“There was a tendency that we had, almost a hesitancy, to fly around and be everything we need to be in the defensive,” Smart said. “And I don’t know why exactly.”

Marquette picked up its defensive presence in the second half, chipping away at Wisconsin’s lead. The Badgers were without their star guard for most of the half as Hepburn left the game seconds into the half with an injury. He returned later in the game.

The Golden Eagles rallied and closed a 16-point deficit at the 7:04 mark of the half when sophomore forward David Joplin hit a layup to bring it within two, 63-61.

“With Chucky down, it put us out of rhythm for a little bit and (with) Marquette, we allowed them to get to the rim a little bit too much, they did a good job of spreading us out and attacking the gaps,” Gard said.

Despite its offensive struggles with Hepburn’s absence, Wisconsin didn’t let up its lead.

But Marquette was able to retake the lead at the 1:52 mark

when Kolek forced a steal and found sophomore guard Stevie Mitchell in transition for a fastbreak layup, which forced Wisconsin to call a timeout. It was the Golden Eagles’ first lead since the 18:33 mark of the first half.

Wisconsin quickly retook the lead after Hepburn hit another 3-pointer over sophomore forward Oso Ighodaro.

The 6-foot-9 Ighodaro would tie the game at 70-70 with a poster dunk, to which the Golden Eagles’ defense responded with a defensive stop forcing overtime.

Hepburn led Wisconsin finishing 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Jones led Marquette with 26 points on the night while tacking on six rebounds, an assist and a steal to his performance.

Saturday’s loss marks the third time this season Marquette has lost a close game to an opponent down the stretch. Smart said it comes down to improving on the little things in his team’s late-game execution to pull out a win.

Marquette (6-3) will finish its four-game homestand Tuesday when NC Central travels into Fiserv Forum. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CST on FS2.

Photos by Alex DeBuhr

sPORTs

O-so close

By John Leuzzi john.leuzzi@marquette.edu

That notable second statement win of the non-conference schedule was right there for the Marquette men’s basketball team.

Instead, the Golden Eagles (63) are going home without that win after back-to-back turn-

“

Really dissapointed locker room in there.”

Shaka Smart Marquette Head Coach

overs on inbound passes in the winding seconds of overtime that handed Marquette an 80-77 loss to in-state rival Wisconsin (6-2) Saturday afternoon at Fiserv Forum.

“Really disappointed locker room in there,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “We’ve been in a few close games here where we’re one foot away from winning, but Wisconsin deserves a lot of credit.”

The Badgers, who won their first game in Milwaukee since 2016, snap a 13-game home win streak for the Golden Eagles.

“Heck of a college basketball game and really at the root of why these two institutions continue to do this (rivalry) is that right there,” Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said. “It’s a

great win all around. I was really proud of our guys.”

Wisconsin began the extra period of action with a 5-0 run on junior guard Jordan Davis 3-pointer and a layup from senior guard Tyler Wahl, which forced Smart to call a timeout.

Out of the timeout, junior forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper hit two free throws, and sophomore guard Kam Jones sunk a step-back 3-pointer to tie the game at 77-77 with 32 seconds left.

Then with 3.5 seconds left,

THIS WEEK: LEUZZI ON MUWBB

Let’s get this out of the way: This year’s Marquette women’s basketball team is certainly exceeding preseason expectations. But that should come to no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to these last three seasons.

At 7-2, Marquette is off to its best start since the 200809 season. The Golden Eagles were in just their second season competing in the Big East back then.

Now in year four of the Megan Duffy Era, the Golden Eagles have looked the best they have in that span.

But again, that style of play and team mentality is not something that should be looked at as “new” about the Golden Eagles per say. Instead there are three things that have factored into this, two of which have been consistent factors since Duffy took over the program.

From day one in 2019, a big pillar in the Golden Eagles’ culture and DNA has been the bluecollar mentality Duffy’s teams embody. This is pretty evident through Marquette’s style of play when one sees the Golden Eagles fight for a rebound or dive for a loose ball.

After all, when it comes to Marquette, its defense has always led to its offense under Duffy.

Consistency from the point guard position is another factor

Volleyball rivalry heads to Fiserv in 2023

Theis looking to break NCAA attendence record against Badgers

By Jackson Gross jackson.gross@marquette.edu

During the under-four media timeout in the first half of Saturday’s men’s basketball game, Marquette Athletics announced that the Marquette Volleyball team will take on in-state rival Wisconsin at Fiserv Forum

Sept. 13, 2023.

It will be the first NCAA Division I Volleyball game to be played at Fiserv Forum, the home of Marquette men’s basketball and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

“We like the home-and-home with Wisconsin and they did Kohl Center this year with a Florida match, we’ve been dying to try to pull something like this off,” Marquette head coach Ryan Theis said. “We’ve sold out last time we were at our place

(Al McGuire Center), we’ve been excited trying to make it happen and we found a date that would work.”

Marquette made the announcement one day after the Golden Eagles advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament for the second time in program history.

“What better way to highlight the incredible volleyball being played in this state than by packing Fiserv Forum,” Marquette Vice President and Director of

Athletics Bill Scholl said in a statement. “We are excited for the opportunity to showcase two elite NCAA Division I programs with some of the best volleyball players from the state of Wisconsin. Volleyball has seen a remarkable rise in youth participation and broadcast ratings in recent years and we expect a great turnout and tremendous atmosphere at Fiserv Forum.”

Tickets will go on sale later this summer.

Fiserv Forum’s seating

capacity is 17,385 for basketball, 15,178 for hockey and 18,000 for concerts.

Theis said he hopes to beat the NCAA attendance record of 16,833 fans inside the Kohl Center back on Sept. 16 when Wisconsin hosted Florida.

“I’m from here, I’m Madison born and I went to UWMilwaukee, I never thought I’d coach a volleyball match in front of 17,000 people, so for me, it means a lot,” Theis said.

Photo by Alex DeBuhr alexander.debuhr@marquette.edu

Forward Oso Ighodaro (13) boxes out a Badgers forward Steven Crowl in Marquette men’s basketball’s 80-77 overtime loss to Wisconsin Dec. 3.

Smart’s squad falls short to Wisconsin despite comeback