No. 10 MU Hosts Butler in BIG EAST Opener

MILWAUKEE – Off to its best start since the 1997 season, the 10^th-ranked Marquette women's volleyball team will open its 15^th season of BIG EAST play on Wednesday, Sept. 25 in an 11:30 a.m. CT matinee as the Golden Eagles celebrate Field Trip Day at the Al McGuire Center. Multiple area schools will be in attendance for the match.

Marquette finished the non-conference slate with a 10-2 record, including a pair of wins over ranked opponents in then-No. 13 BYU and then-No. 4 Wisconsin on the road. The Golden Eagles two losses come to No.2 Baylor and No. 20 Illinois.

Senior Allie Barber leads the team and the BIG EAST with 4.74 kills per set, adding to the league-leading total for Marquette as it combines for 14.98 kills per set. Lauren Speckman and Sarah Rose share setting duties once again in the 6-2 formation as Speckman averages 7.00 assists per set and Rose dishes 5.26. Junior libero Martha Konovodoff collects 4.67 digs per set, which ranks fifth in the league

OPPONENT

BUTLER (3-9): Butler leads the BIG EAST with 2.12 blocks per set, paced by Melody Davidson with 1.10 per frame. The Bulldogs have swept Tennessee State and Belmont and picked up a win over SEMO this season and bring a 3-9 record into league play. Butler is a stout defensive team with 16.37 digs as Elizabeth LaBue ranks fourth in the conference with 4.76 per set.

Marquette owns a 14-7 record in the all-time season series against Butler. The Golden Eagles swept both matches last season and have not lost to the Bulldogs since Oct. 21, 2017 in a 3-2 match in Milwaukee.

WHAT THE TEAM IS SAYING:
"I was pretty pleased with some gutsy performances in non-conference play and I think that was one of the biggest takeaways. Some of the come backs, whether down 0-2, or down big in a fifth set were great. This is a veteran group and they are pretty calm too. They don't get rattled."
-Ryan Theis, head coach

STORYLINES:

HISTORIC START: At 10-2 overall Marquette is off to its best start since the 1997 campaign and enter BIG EAST play with the best overall record in the league.
AVCA POLL: The Golden Eagles remain in the top-10 this week, checking in at No. 10 for the week four of the AVCA Coaches' Poll. Marquette entered the poll ranked No. 16 in the preseason.
BIG EAST WEEKLY AWARDS: Marquette has had a player receive BIG EAST honors every week this season.
Sept. 24: Allie Barber and Martha Konovodoff (Honor Roll); Sept. 16: Allie Barber (Offensive Player of the Week); Sept. 9: Hope Werch (Honor Roll); Sept. 3: Kaitlyn Lines (Offensive Player of the Week).
NATIONAL SCENE: The 6-2 offense has worked for the Golden Eagles as the squad ranks second in the NCAA 14.35 assists per set, just behind national leader Minnesota (14.48). Setters Lauren Speckman and Sarah Rose are handing out 7.00 assists and 5.26 assists per set, respectively with Speckman ranking eighth in the BIG EAST.
Marquette ranks third in the NCAA in kills per set with 14.96, led by Allie Barber at 4.74 per set, which leads the BIG EAST and ranks 14^th in the NCAA. The Golden Eagles are allowing just 11.8 kills set from opponents.
TOP-10 VICTORIES: The Golden Eagles have four top-10 wins in program history and have earned two top-15 road wins this season. MU defeated then- No. 4 Wisconsin on Sept. 5 for the first time in program history, which marked the highest-ranked team that Marquette has defeated. The squad also topped then- No. 13 BYU on Aug. 31. The Golden Eagles' other top-10 wins came in a 3-2 victory over No. 7 Florida in 2014 and a 3-1 win at No. 7 USC in the 2016 opener.
THEIS STATS: Head coach Ryan Theis is in his sixth season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and owns a 273-103 career record with a 128-48 mark at Marquette.
Theis is the 17^th winningest coach in Division I with a .723 percentage through 11 seasons as a head coach. He has never had a season with fewer than 21 wins and the 28 victories for Marquette in 2018 was a career best in victories for Theis as head coach.
Marquette is 24-20 in season openers and 6-0 in the Ryan Theis era.
BIG EAST OPENERS: The Golden Eagles enter their 15^th season of BIG EAST competition on Wednesday and own an 9-5 record in league lidlifters, including a 3-2 mark under Ryan Theis.
OTHER NOTABLES:
The Golden Eagles were picked to win the BIG EAST in the 2019 preseason coaches' poll, earning eight first-place votes, which is the second consecutive season that Marquette was selected first in preseason.
Marquette played a tough non-conference schedule and faced four ranked opponents and two that are receiving votes in the AVCA preseason coaches' poll beginning at No. 9 BYU. MU also travels to No. 4 Wisconsin (Sept. 5), hosts No. 17 Baylor (Sept. 8) and takes on No. 6 Illinois (Sept. 15 at Illinois State). UCF (Sept. 13) and Northern Iowa (Sept. 21) are receiving votes in the poll. Currently, BIG EAST foe Creighton is ranked No. 23 in the poll. The Golden Eagles will have their first chance to knock off the reigning league champions on Saturday, Oct. 12 in Milwaukee.
Senior Allie Barber was chosen as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight season, while juniors Hope Werch and Martha Konovodoff were selected to the preseason squad.
Marquette added two transfers and two freshmen to the squad for the 2019 season. Gwyn Jones joins the Golden Eagles as a senior from Auburn, while Kaitlyn (KJ) Lines is a junior transferring from Pacific. Claire Nuessmeier (St. Peter, Minn.) and Hannah Vanden Berg (Little Chute, Wis.) round out the squad as freshmen.

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