No. 21 Volleyball Opens BIG EAST Play at Providence and No. 10 Creighton

MILWAUKEE – The No. 21 Marquette University volleyball opens its 14^th season of BIG EAST Conference play on Friday, Sept. 21 at Providence and will conclude the weekend at No. 10 Creighton on Sunday, Sept. 23.

First serve is slated for 5 p.m. CT at PC and 1 p.m. CT at Creighton.

The Golden Eagles own a 9-3 record heading into league play and have all six starters from last season's team the finished as runners-up to the Bluejays in the conference tournament. Marquette was picked as the preseason favorites, according to BIG EAST coaches for the first time ever in program history.

WHERE TO WATCH/FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH LIVE: Providence- https://friars.com/watch/?Live=34&type=Live (Subscription Fee)
                        Creighton- https://www.foxsportsgo.com/program/450715/college-volleyball-creighton-vs-marquette

LIVE STATS: Providence- https://friars.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
                      Creighton- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=220591

OPPONENTS

PROVIDENCE (6-5): Allison Impellizeri was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on September 11, recording 57 kills in the Kangaroo Classic in Kansas City, Mo. and adding to her 117 kills this season. Her best performance at the Classic came with 23 kills against Southeast Missouri State, leading all players in the match. The Friars have been off since a match with Bryant on September 11. A weekend tournament scheduled in Wilmington, N.C. was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence.

Marquette owns a perfect 9-0 record over the Friars, including a pair of 3-0 sweeps last season.

CREIGHTON (8-4): No. 10 Creighton fell to No. 8 University of Illinois at the Illini Classic in Champaign, Ill. last Saturday, 3-1. Taryn Kloth led CU in the last match with 23 kills, with teammate Brittany Witt tallying 26 digs. Creighton's eight wins to start the season are its most in non-conference play since 2013.

The last time the Bluejays and the Golden Eagles faced off was in the BIG EAST Championship Final in November, which was a hard fought 3-2 loss for Marquette. Jenna Rosenthal and Allie Barber both tallied 18 kills against the top-seeded Creighton. The Golden Eagles are 4-14 all-time against the Bluejays and split the season series last year.

WHAT THE TEAM IS SAYING:
On the BIG EAST this season…
"League play is underway, and I think there will be a ton of parity this season. Villanova and Georgetown are off to 1-0 starts already, one was a five-game screamer and one was Villanova coming back late in the fourth to keep it from being a five-game screamer. Already two of the first games were nail biters, so we expect a lot of close matches. We are obviously scouted 12 matches into the season and nobody knows us better than probably Creighton."

Playing at Creighton…
"It is a tough environment. They draw extremely well and have two senior left sides that are incredibly effective, but at the same time we have to pay attention to Providence too. They return everybosy from a team that finished seventh last year and I know they are trying everything they can to make a conference tournament."

- Ryan Theis (Head Coach)

STORYLINES:

Marquette remains at No. 21 in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll, which is the highest-ever ranking in program history. The Golden Eagles entered the AVCA Coaches Poll at No. 25 in week two after being the unofficial 26^th team to open the 2018 campaign. MU is ranked for the first time since 2013.
Sophomore Sarah Rose was selected to the all-tournament team in the second Marquette Invitational of the season. Rose splits setting duties in the Golden Eagles' 6-2 offense and averaged 4.89 assists per set, 2.56 digs and added three service aces.
MU enters BIG EAST play with a 9-3 record, the three losses all coming against ranked teams. The Golden Eagles have one remaining non-conference match at Northern Iowa on Oct. 21.
The Golden Eagles enter their 14^th season of BIG EAST competition on Friday and own an 8-5 record in league lidlifters, including a 2-2 mark under head coach Ryan Theis.
Theis picked up his 100^th Marquette victory in a 3-0 sweep over Illinois State on Sunday. He is in his fifth season at the helm of the Golden Eagles.
Marquette defeated then-No. 10 USC in its homeopener in a five-set thriller. It was just the third victory over a top-10 opponent in the program's history, but the fourth straight season that MU defeated a ranked opponent.
Marquette leads the BIG EAST and ranks 12th in the NCAA with 13.49 assists per game as junior Lauren Speckman and sophomore Sarah Rose have teamed up for setting duties this season. Speckman is handing out 7.38 assists per set, while Rose tallies 4.97 per contest.
The Golden Eagles also lead the league in kills and rank 14th nationally with 14.29 per contest, paced by 4.39 per frame from Barber, which leads the BIG EAST and ranks 25^th in the NCAA.
Junior Allie Barber and redshirt senior Jenna Rosenthal boast stellar hitting percentages at .336 and .326, respectively through the 12 games of the season, helping propel the Golden Eagles to a .252 average combined, which is tops in the league.
Marquette has had a player record a double-double on eight occasions this season. Speckman has a team-high three, while senior Anna Haak and sophomore Sarah Rose have tallied two. Hope Werch has recorded one double-double.
This is the 43^rd season of Marquette volleyball and the program is 752-693-5 all-time.
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.
Allie Barber was tabbed as BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, while Jenna Rosenthal and Hope Werch were selected to the preseason squad.