Marquette University
Creighton University
Volleyball hosts No. 24 Creighton and Providence
10/26/2021 2:54:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The top-two teams in the BIG EAST are set to square off Friday at the Al
MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University women's volleyball team hosts No. 24 Creighton on Friday evening in a showdown between the BIG EAST Conference's top two teams.
The Golden Eagles and Bluejays are separated by a single match in the league standings and CU owns a 3-1 win earlier this season in Omaha in the head-to-head matchup. Friday's contest against the Jays is slated for 7 p.m. Central time at the Al McGuire Center in a BIG EAST Digital Network broadcast on FloSports.
Marquette also hosts Providence on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. That match will air live on the YouTube channel of the Marquette Wire, the University's student-run media organization.
The Golden Eagles are getting in the spirit of the Halloween season for his weekend's matches at the Al McGuire Center. Marquette University students will receive a free t-shirt at Friday's match and a chance to win an Apple watch for the best Halloween costume. Saturday is a kid's costume contest with trick or treating.
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MARQUETTE (18-3, 9-1 BIG EAST): The Golden Eagles claimed a pair of victories over DePaul and UConn this past week and currently sit alone in first place in the BIG EAST Conference standings at 9-1. Marquette is 16th in the NCAA's latest RPI ranking and is in search of its first league title since 2013.
Middle blocker Savannah Rennie was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after hitting .390 with 3.33 kills and 4.33 points per set. She leads the Golden Eagles in hitting percentage (.348) and blocks (1.15 per set), and ranks second and fifth, respectively, in the BIG EAST in both. Outside hitter Hope Werch, among the national leaders in aces per set, is four from tying the program record of 177 set by Christine Norgle (1985-88).
Marquette is hitting a league-best .271 in 2021 with over 14 kills per frame, while the Golden Eagles rank 21st nationally in hitting percentage and 16th in kills.
No. 24 CREIGHTON (20-3, 8-2 BIG EAST): The Bluejays enter the Al McGuire Center at second place in the conference standings. Creighton is riding a three-match winning streak, having swept Providence, Georgetown and Villanova after a five-set loss to UConn on October 16.
CU is led by outside hitter Jaela Zimmerman (3.94 kills per set), while freshman Norah Sis paces the Jays in overall kills (282, 3.66 per set). Keeley Davis has totaled 34 service aces, while Naomi Hickman sits near the top of the BIG EAST with 93 blocks.
SERIES WITH CREIGHTON: Marquette is 5-22 all-time against the Bluejays, with the most recent matchup being a 3-1 Creighton victory on October 10. MU's last win in the series came in February of 2021 when Marquette swept the Jays at DJ Sokol Arena.
PROVIDENCE (15-8, 3-7 BIG EAST): Providence enters the Midwest after a successful weekend in BIG EAST play, fresh off sweeps of Villanova and Georgetown. Before those wins, the Friars had lost four conference contests in a row, but now they have won six straight sets.
Shaliyah Rhoden paces the Friars' attack with 286 kills (3.51 per set), while Allison Barber averages over 10.5 assists per frame. Jennifer Leitman leads the BIG EAST in service aces per set (31 in 66 sets), and Maryanne Boyle is one of the most efficient hitters in the conference with a .302 hitting percentage.
SERIES WITH PROVIDENCE: Marquette remains undefeated against the Friars, boasting a 14-0 record against PC. Earlier this month, MU came away with a three-set sweep at Alumni Hall in Providence.
Keep up with the Marquette University women's volleyball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteVB) and Instagram (@MarquetteVB) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteVolleyball).
