The Wisconsin native is making the move to MU after two years at Middle Tennessee.
Y’know, I thought that the announcement of three signed freshmen from Marquette volleyball on Tuesday was going to do it for 2025 roster news. Six freshmen announced as coming in, just about a month since MU lost to Penn State to end the 2024 season, spring semester classes start on Monday….. felt like there wasn’t going to be any transfer news.
And then, on Wednesday afternoon, this happened:
That’s Allyson Eckel, who has been playing defensive specialist and libero for Middle Tennessee for the past two seasons. She’s a Kenosha native and graduated from Bradford High School, so transferring to Marquette is a move closer to home for Eckel on top of a volleyball decision.
As a freshman, the 5’7” Eckel played in 26 of Middle Tennessee’s 30 matches, appearing in 82 of 109 sets. She averaged 1.10 digs per set which was fourth best on the team and best amongst everyone who wasn’t a rotation regular for the Blue Raiders. In 2024, Eckel played in 20 of 31 matches, getting on the floor in 73 of the 119 sets. She boosted her digs average up to 2.15 per set, third best on the team and still best amongst non-rotation regulars.
Middle Tennessee was a 20-10 ballclub in Eckel’s first season in Murfreesboro, and ended up with an appearance in the NIVC postseason tournament. The Blue Raiders went 13-18 this season, but 9-9 in Conference USA action before watching their season end with a 3-2 loss to Kennesaw State in the conference tournament.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that going from Middle Tennessee to Marquette will be a jump up in competition level for Eckel. However, the fact of the matter is that Eckel will be the most productive defensive specialist on the 2025 Marquette roster. Adriana Studer is the only devoted DS on the roster for spring games, and she has 61 career digs in three seasons. Eckel had 79 this season in conference games alone. MU lists Calli Kenny as a setter/defensive specialist/right side hitter combination, so it’s up in the air as to exactly how she fits into the rotation best as head coach Ryan Theis resets after losing most of his 2024 starting lineup to the end of their eligibility. Brand new signee Avery Helms might have a chance to crack the lineup right out of the gate as a freshman, but it remains to be seen if she’s ready to go at the level needed to compete in the Big East.
All of this raises the question of whether Ryan Theis was looking for a transfer before Molly Berezowitz made it clear that she was leaving for Kentucky. Based on the roster composition, you can easily argue it either way as MU needed depth at the position. If Marquette was already thinking about bringing in Eckel before Berezowitz’s departure, then adding Eckel to the roster had to have been a priority afterwards.
Follow Anonymous Eagle on social media
Facebook: AnonymousEagle
Instagram: AnonymousEagleSBN
Bluesky: AnonymousEagle