Volleyball heads to St. John's and Seton Hall

Match Notes (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The No. 18 Marquette University women's volleyball team hits the road for the first time in over a month this weekend, beginning with a Friday night match at St. John's.

The Golden Eagles will also face Seton Hall on Saturday afternoon before returning to Milwaukee.

Friday's match against the Red Storm is set for 6 p.m. Central time at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York. The contest airs live on ESPN3 through the ESPN app with Ralph Bednarczyk on the call.

The live broadcast for Saturday's matchup with the Pirates at Walsh Gymnasium will be available on Pirate Sports Network through FloSports.

Links to live statistics for both matches are available on GoMarquette.com, courtesy of St. John's and Seton Hall.

No. 18 MARQUETTE (13-1, 4-0 BIG EAST): The Golden Eagles are off to their best 14-match start to a season since the program began in 1975 and have won 11-straight contests, including 10 in a row at home. MU's lone loss of the campaign came on Sept. 2 at then-No. 6 Wisconsin in four sets.

Marquette began the season with wins over then-No. 11 Kentucky and Ohio in Lexington, Kentucky and is making its first appearance in another venue since a Sept. 4 four-set win over High Point at UW.

Outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton leads the Golden Eagles with 162 kills (3.24 per set) on the year, while setter Yadhira Anchante has helped MU hit a BIG EAST-best .290. Marquette is also first in the league in kills (14.20), second in assists (12.96) and third in service aces (1.67).

Middle blocker Carsen Murray currently leads the league among qualified players in hitting percentage (.394), Anchante is third in assists per frame (10.25) and Murray also ranks first in blocks per set (1.14). Libero Carly Skrabak is fourth in digs per set (4.41).

Middle blocker Hattie Bray was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday for her play in sweeps of UConn and Providence. She hit .647 with a career-best 11 kills and three blocks in Sunday's win over the Friars and is hitting .524 with 2.92 kills and 0.77 blocks per set through her first four matches of league action.

ST. JOHN'S (12-5, 3-1 BIG EAST): The Red Storm is 9-1 in their last 10 matches, most recently claiming a five-set win at Georgetown on Saturday. They fell in four sets at Villanova on Friday evening and are looking to build on their perfect 8-0 record at Carnesecca Arena this fall.

The St. Johns attack is led by Rachele Rastelli and Giorgia Walther. The duo ranks first and second, respectively, in the BIG EAST in kills. Rastelli, the BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year in 2021 alongside MU's Taylor Wolf, has tallied 257 kills this season and Walther is not far behind with 251. SJU also has the BIG EAST leader in assists, sophomore Wiktoria Kowalczyk, who is averaging 10.92 assists per set. SJU is fourth in the BIG EAST hitting at .242, while holding its opponents to a .212 mark.

SERIES WITH ST. JOHNS: The Golden Eagles hold a 22-7 all-time record against SJU and have won 10 of the last 11 meetings, save for a four-set loss to the Red Storm in the BIG EAST Championship match at the Al McGuire Center in 2019. Marquette defeated St. John's in their most previous match in five sets last November in Queens.

SETON HALL (12-4, 3-1 BIG EAST): The Pirates have won six or their last seven matches and had won five straight prior to a five-set loss at Georgetown on Friday evening. SHU downed Villanova in four sets on Saturday and takes on DePaul Friday night before its matinee at Marquette.

Sophomore Jenna Walsh leads the Pirates with 213 kills and 3.44 per set. Walsh ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in kills per set and is seventh in the BIG EAST, averaging 3.71 points per set. Sophomore Anna Holland was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week twice in 2021, and has continued her strong play in 2022, ranking fourth in the BIG EAST with 269 total digs and fifth in the BIG EAST with 4.34 digs per fame. The Pirates rank third in the BIG EAST by hitting .246 and lead the BIG EAST in opponent hitting percentage, holding their opponents to a .171 mark.

SERIES WITH SETON HALL: Marquette holds a 20-5 advantage over Seton Hall and has won 11 in a row dating back to 2015. SHU's last win in the series came in five sets in the 2014 BIG EAST Championship semifinals at the Al McGuire Center.

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).