With just one player listed as a setter, NIU volleyball coach Ray Gooden chose to go with Marie Zidek as his setter at the Best Western Inn & Suites Invitational over the weekend.

Zidek, listed as a defensive specialist, was a setter in high school. The 5-foot-6 sophomore recorded just four assists her freshman year as a Huskie.

During the two-day, three-match invite, Zidek brought her collegiate career total to 138 assists.

“Marie came here to be a libero and maybe set if we needed it – and now we needed it,” Gooden said.

Zidek is the third setter in as many years for the Huskies.

“Setting has been great so far,” Zidek said. “I really enjoy contributing to the team as much as I can.”

Senior outside hitter Brooke Dodson, who led the Huskies in kills over the weekend, feels that Zidek’s vocal play as a setter helps the whole team.

“She is very vocal, which makes it very easy to work with the team,” Dodson said. “She’s always communicating with everyone on the court.”

Another aspect of Zidek’s game that fuels the Huskies is her lack of fear of floor-burn. Zidek can usually be found sprinting somewhere or diving for a ball, even if it proves unreachable.

“She is working her hardest,” Gooden said. “The girls play really hard for her because she plays really hard for everyone else.”