Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Hosts Seton Hall and St. John's
9/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Watch Live (St. John's) |
The Marquette University women's volleyball team return home for BIG EAST action this weekend as the squad is set to host Seton Hall on Friday, Sept. 22, followed by St. John's Saturday, Sept. 23.
The Golden Eagles (7-5, 1-0) will take on the Pirates at 7 p.m. Central time at the Al McGuire Center on Friday. The match will air live on BIG EAST Digital Network with Patrick Reed calling the action. Saturday's match against St. John's will be produced by the Marquette Wire and can be streamed for free on College Sports Live or viewed through the College Sports Live app, available for iOS through the App Store or for Android devices on Google Play. It is also available on GoMarquette.com.
Marquette opened league play Wednesday at Butler and earned a 3-0 sweep over the Bulldogs. Junior Anna Haak tallied an MU career-high with 13 kills to pave the way, while classmate Jenna Rosenthal connected on 12 kills and hit .550. Lauren Speckman had a stellar 40 assists through three sets and continues to lead the BIG EAST with 11.95 per frame. Though a down night at Butler, sophomore Allie Barber still paves the way in the league with 4.50 kills per set.
Seton Hall (6-7, 0-0) has lost five straight matches, most recently falling to Bowling Green, Virginia Commonwealth, and Northwestern. The Pirates are led offensively by Abby Thelan who has notched 3.85 kills per set this season, while Sophia Coffey Is the leader in assists, with 296 on the season (5.58/set).
St. John's is currently 8-7 this season and will open BIG EAST play on Friday at DePaul before facing the Golden Eagles. The Red Storm closed out their non-conference slate with a victory against Stony Brook on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Senior Julia Cast leads the squad with 4.15 kills each contest, which ranks second, just behind Barber in the BIG EAST and sophomore Erica Di Maulo has dished out 10.44 assists this season, which is fifth in the BIG EAST.
The Golden Eagles lead the Pirates 12-4 all-time in the series history and own an 11-5 advantage over the Red Storm.
Marquette has another quick turnaround next week as the Golden Eagles will travel to Xavier for a mid-week matchup against the Musketeers on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. CT.
Barber and Konovodoff Honored Sophomore outside hitter Allie Barber was selected as BIG?EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, while freshman libero Martha Konovodoff earned a spot on the weekly honor roll. Barber and Konovodoff helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 2-1 week last week with both victories coming in straight sets over Milwaukee and Southern Miss. For the week, Barber averaged 4.80 kills/set and brought her season average to 4.66 kills/set and .73 blocks/set, while Konovodoff led the league with 4.80 digs per set and had a weekly high of 18 digs against No. 5 Wisconsin.
Double-Doubles
Four different Golden Eagles have recorded at least one double-double this season. Jenna Rosenthal and Anna Haak have each notched one, while Lauren Speckman and Hope Werch have recorded three double-doubles apiece this season.
Newcomers Standing Out
Newcomers, including freshmen and Anna Haak (Jr.) and Sandy Mohr (So.) have scored 41 percent of Marquette's point total for the season, having a strong impact on the shape of the Golden Eagles. Hope Werch paves the way with 119.0 points this season and is averaging 2.35 kills per set.
National Mark
Marquette's stats are gaining notice around the county both individually and as a team. Setter Lauren Speckman is seventh in the NCAA with 11.95 assists per set, leading the Golden Eagles to a 13.30 assists per set average, which is tied for 25th nationally. With 4.50 kills per set, Allie Barber leads the BIG?EAST and is 21st in the NCAA.
League Lidlifter
Wednesday marked the opener of the 13th season of BIG?EAST play for Marquette. The squad snapped a two-match losing streak for league openers and defeated Butler in straight sets.
Toppling Ranked Opponents
Marquette opened 2017 defeating then-No. 20 Hawaii, 3-2 on its home court. This was the third straight season that the Golden Eagles have opened the year beating a ranked opponent in a true road win. In 2015, MU topped No. 21 Iowa State and in 2016 it was a victory at No. 7 USC.
