VB heads to face DePaul and Butler

Match Notes (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The No. 16 Marquette University women's volleyball team heads to face DePaul on Wednesday evening and a late afternoon Friday match at Butler.

First serve from McGrath-Phillips Arena against the Blue Demons is set for 7 p.m. Central time and the match is broadcast live on FloSports with Jeremy Otto on the call.

Friday's 5 p.m. CT contest against the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse also airs live on FloSports. Live statistics for both matches are available on GoMarquette.com, courtesy of DePaul and Butler.

No. 16 MARQUETTE (18-2, 9-1 BIG EAST):

The Golden Eagles moved up three spots on Monday in the AVCA Coaches Poll to 16th and are in the top-10 of the NCAA RPI ranking at No. 10 nationally.
Outside of MU's five-set loss at then-No. 21 Creighton on Oct. 14, Marquette has only dropped one set in its nine other BIG EAST contests. That dropped set was a 25-22 second-set loss to Butler on Sept. 24 at the Al McGuire Center.
Eight of Marquette's nine league victories have come via sweep, including both matches last weekend against Seton Hall and St. John's.
Ryan Theis became just the eighth head coach in Marquette history, in any sport, to reach 200 victories with the school following Friday's win over the Pirates. He enters this weekend 201-65 (114-27 BIG EAST) at MU and 345-119 overall (.744).
Middle blocker Hattie Bray was honored as the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for her play against SHU and SJU, while Carsen Murray was named to the conference's weekly honor roll after posting a career-high nine blocks in Saturday's sweep of the Red Storm.
Aubrey Hamilton leads the Golden Eagles with 225 kills (3.26 per set) on the year, while setter Yadhira Anchante has helped MU hit a BIG EAST-best .287.
Marquette is also first in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.172), second in kills (14.21) and assists (13.06) and fourth in service aces (1.54).
Murray currently leads the league among qualified players in hitting percentage (.412), Anchante is third in assists per frame (10.51) and Murray also ranks first in blocks per set (1.19). Libero Carly Skrabak is fourth in digs per set (4.45).

DEPAUL: (7-15, 3-7 BIG EAST):

DePaul swept Seton Hall in its most recent match on Saturday afternoon in Chicago to snap a five-match losing streak.
The Blue Demons were picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll but currently sit eighth, one match ahead of Providence.
Junior Jill Pressly leads DPU and ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 3.62 kills per set (315 total kills), while the Blue Demons also rank fourth in the league in kills per frame (12.98). Pressly picked up her 12th double-double of the season with 18 kills against SHU.
Junior libero Rachel Krasowski is No. 2 in the BIG EAST in digs and the team leader with 4.94 per set (425 total).

SERIES WITH DEPAUL:

Marquette is 40-29 all-time against DePaul and has faced the Blue Demons more times than any opponent outside of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
MU has won 23-straight matches against DePaul dating back to a 3-2 loss in Chicago on Nov. 1, 2008. Prior to that, MU had won seven in a row and has captured 30 of the last 31 meetings overall.
Since joining the BIG EAST for the 2005 season, MU is 26-1 against DePaul.
Marquette swept DePaul on Sept. 21 at the Al McGuire Center in this season's previous matchup as the Golden Eagles hit a BIG EAST-season-best .402, led by 14 kills from Aubrey Hamilton.

BUTLER: (11-11, 5-5 BIG EAST):

Butler went 1-1 last weekend with a 3-1 win over Providence in its most recent match on Saturday.
The Bulldogs are currently tied for fifth in the BIG EAST with UConn at 5-5 in conference play.
Sophomore Mariah Grunze leads the Bulldogs with 3.19 kills per set (252 total kills), while libero Jaymeson Kinley leads the BIG EAST and ranks 11th nationally in digs per set with 5.45 (436 total in 80 sets).
Butler is third in opponent hitting percentage (.192) and second in blocks (2.28/set) in the BIG EAST and junior Marisa Guisti sits third individually in blocks per set with 1.08 per frame.

SERIES WITH BUTLER:

Marquette is 18-9 all-time against Butler and is 17-3 since BU joined the BIG EAST for the 2013 campaign.
The Golden Eagles have swept the last three meetings and have won eight of the last nine contests, save for a five-set loss at Butler on March 5, 2021.
Marquette swept Butler in the previous matchup this season at the Al McGuire Center on Sept. 24 in four sets. MU setter Yadhira Anchante recorded her first triple-double in NCAA play with 46 assists, 10 kills and 13 digs.

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).