RV Marquette Opens 2018 Season in Texas

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University volleyball team opens the 2018 campaign at the 2018 Hampton Inn and Suites Waco North Baylor Invitational this weekend beginning Friday, Aug. 24 against Texas State at 4 p.m. Central time.

The Golden Eagles will then face RV LSU at 12:30 CT on Saturday before concluding the tournament at No. 16 Baylor at 7 p.m. CT at the Ferrell Center.

Marquette returns all starters from a 2017 squad that earned its seventh-straight NCAA Tournament berth, including reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year junior Allie Barber, who was also selected as the league's Preseason Player of the Year. Redshirt senior Jenna Rosenthal and sophomore Hope Werch also earned Preseason All-BIG EAST honors.

WHERE TO WATCH/FOLLOW THE ACTION
STREAM: at Baylor (https://baylorbears.com/watch/?Live=14) Paid Subscription
LIVE STATS: vs. Texas St. (http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=226478)
vs. LSU (http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=226479)
at Baylor (https://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=224911)

OPPONENTS

TEXAS STATE (0-0): Texas State was picked first in the Sun Belt league preseason coaches poll, while junior Micah Dinwiddie was tabbed as 2018 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Madison Daigle, Megan Porter, Amy Pflughaupt were named to the All-Sun Belt team. The Bobcats finished with a 25-10 record in 2017 and won the Sun Belt West Division, finishing 14-2.

MU owns a 1-0 all-time record over Texas State.

RV LSU (0-0): LSU will take on host Baylor prior to playing the Golden Eagles on Saturday. The Tigers are receiving votes in the AVCA preseason poll and will have a veteran presence on the court, returning four of the five top kill producers from a season ago. LSU also returns senior and junior setters, Lindsay Flory and Anna Zwiebel and welcomes five newcomers to a squad that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2017.

LSU owns a 1-0 record in the all-time series against MU.

No. 16 BAYLOR (0-0): The Bears are ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Preseason Poll, which marks its best preseason ranking in program history. Baylor went 13-4 on its home court last season and has three players selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, while the team was picked second in the poll, chosen by the league's coaches.

The Bears reached the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament before falling to Colorado.

This is the first meeting between Marquette and Baylor.

WHAT THE TEAM IS SAYING:

"Our team has been working really hard. Skills are coming along and we are moving well as a team. Our three freshmen are really incorporating well into our scheme and it's looking good for us."
-Allie Barber (Jr. OH)

"I thought they (the team) brought a lot of good energy to pretty much every practice in preseason. Some players have been stepping up and making the changes we have asked them to make, so it has been fun.
"We hope we put a fast and physical product out on the floor. Offensively we are trying to be faster as a team this year than we were last season."
- Ryan Theis (Head Coach)

STORYLINES:

Friday marks the start of the 43^rd season of Marquette volleyball and the program is 741-689-5 all-time.
Head coach Ryan Theis begins his fifth season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and is 93-41 at Marquette, needing just seven wins to reach 100 victories leading the Blue and Gold.
Marquette is 22-20 in season openers and 4-0 in the Ryan Theis era. The Golden Eagles have defeated a ranked opponent in each of the previous three season openers, picking up a 3-2 victory at No. 20 Hawai'I last season.
The Golden Eagles were picked to win the BIG EAST, earning six first-place votes. This is the first time MU has been selected to win the league.
MU is receiving 163 votes in the AVCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll, sitting at an unofficial 26^th in the country.
Marquette plays a tough non-conference schedule and will face four ranked opponents; No. 8 BYU, No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 10 USC, No. 16 Baylor and two receiving votes; Western Kentucky and LSU. BIG EAST foe Creighton is currently ranked No. 13 and the Golden Eagles will face the Bluejays in the BIG EAST weekend opener on Sept. 23.