I said it along the way as we learned that Isabela Haggard, Mari King, and Natalie Ring would be transfering out of Marquette following the 2025 season: Head volleyball coach Tom Mendoza is going to get a chance to go to work in the transfer portal.
On Saturday, we got the first evidence of his work, as Carson Tyler announced her commitment to the Golden Eagles for the 2026 season.
Her caption, for posterity:
what’s up @marquettevb
So beyond excited for the next chapter!!
Carson Tyler is a 5’10” outside
hitter according to her Ball State bio page. The native of Pavilion, New York, just finished up her sophomore season by averaging 4.18 kills per set for the Cardinals. That’s an improvement from the 3.34 per set she had in 2024, and either way, both numbers were good enough to lead Ball State in kills in each season. Even better: What she did in 2025 was good enough to get Tyler named the MAC Player of the Year. She was also pretty good at the service line, putting up 24 aces as a freshman and 43 this year, which had her averaging roughly one per match at 0.36 per set. Tyler added 2.65 digs as well, however she wasn’t much at the net for blocks, averaging just 0.42 per set. That might be more about her 5’10” height, and the same might be said for the fact that hit just .234 this season. If Tyler can get back to hitting .253 like she did as a freshman, that might be able to work.
To answer the question in your head: Yes, Tom Mendoza did get an in-person look at Carson Tyler this season. She had a team high 17 kills in Ball State’s 3-2 win over the Golden Eagles back on September 12th. She did only hit .174 in that match, but helped her team out with 19 digs for a double-double.
Adding Tyler helps solve for the departure of both Natalie Ring and Mari King via the transfer portal but also Elena Radeff to the end of her eligibility. I would have to imagine that Mendoza isn’t close to done adding players, either as later additions out of high school or in the transfer portal. With a roster limit of 18, Marquette currently stands with seven projected available spots for 2026.
(h/t @jayz34 on Bluesky)
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