Volleyball Hosts Villanova and Rutgers in Critical Conference Matches
10/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women?s volleyball team (11-10, 4-5 BIG EAST) will look to move up in the conference standings and qualify for the BIG EAST conference tournament when they host Villanova (19-5, 6-2 BIG EAST) and Rutgers (9-12, 4-4 BIG EAST) this weekend at the Al McGuire Center. The Golden Eagles will match up against the Wildcats on Friday, October 28, at 7 p.m., and battle the Scarlet Knights on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m.
This will be the first-ever contest between the Wildcats and the Golden Eagles as Villanova comes to ?The Al? Friday winning seven of its last eight matches. Villanova is currently in third place in the conference with a 6-2 record. Freshman outside hitter Alona Cherkez leads Villanova?s attack with 4.11 kills per game and contributed just under three digs per game, while the team ranks third in the BIG EAST in kills (16.03) and fifth in hitting percentage (24.8). The Wildcats? defense has limited its opponents to hit an average 16.5 percent per game, ranking them fourth in the conference. Villanova is currently ranked 10th in the northeast region in Rich Kern?s weekly RKPI poll with a total RKPI of 81.
After a topsy-turvy two weeks, including a 3-0 loss to Seton Hall, and a sweep of Villanova, 3-0, the previous week the Scarlet Knights enter the weekend tied for seventh place with an even 4-4 in the BIG EAST record with St. John?s. Rutgers play at Syracuse on Friday before matching up with the Golden Eagles on Sunday. Junior outside hitter Lora Yankauskas leads the Scarlet Knights with 4.13 kills per game, while senior middle hitter Ashleigh Young contributes an average of 2.03 kills per game and 1.19 blocks per game.
Marquette and Rutgers have met three times before Sunday?s match. The Scarlet Knights hold a 2-1 advantage including a 3-1 decision over Marquette last season on Sept. 11 at the Raddison Invitational hosted by Western Michigan.
Marquette enters the weekend riding a win over conference foe Connecticut, 3-1, on Sunday after losing to St. John?s on Saturday, 3-1, with five of eight games going into overtime. With the weekend split, the Golden Eagles are still on the outside looking in, in ninth place, needing to qualify for the conference tournament. Junior outside hitter Jamie Mueller is coming off a banner weekend in which she led the Golden Eagles with back-to-back double double performances notching a career-high 26 kills and 16 digs against St. John?s and followed that with 16 kills and 15 digs in the win over UConn.
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