Volleyball heads to Omaha as the BIG EAST’s No. 1 seed

Match Notes (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The No. 14 Marquette University women's volleyball team has earned the No. 1 seed in the 2022 BIG EAST Conference Women's Volleyball Championship presented by JEEP and will face fifth-seeded UConn in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 25 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Golden Eagles earned the tournament's top seed after sweeping then-No. 11 Creighton on Saturday to stake a share of the league's regular season title for the second time in as many years. MU won the tiebreaker over the Bluejays by virtue of their 5-3 set record against CU this season.

Friday's semifinal matches are set to air live on the BIG EAST Digital Network through FloSports, while Saturday's title match is set for 5 p.m. Central time on FS2. The Golden Eagles will play in Friday's first semifinal at 4 p.m. CT, followed by Creighton and third-seeded Xavier.

Links to live statistics will be available on GoMarquette.com, courtesy of Creighton Athletics.

No. 14 MARQUETTE (26-2 (17-1), No. 1 seed):

The Golden Eagles earned their second BIG EAST regular season title in as many years after Saturday's sweep of then-No. 11 Creighton at the Al McGuire Center.
It is their third title overall, after also winning the crown in 2013, the year after the league's reconfiguration.
Led by BIG EAST Setter of the Year Yadhira Anchante, Marquette boasts the league's top offense and one of the top-10 nationally. The Golden Eagles enter this weekend fifth in NCAA Division I with a .293 hitting percentage, sixth nationally in kills per set (14.50) and eighth in assists per frame (13.38).
MU is also the BIG EAST leader in service aces (1.77 per set is 38th nationally) and ranks second in opponent hitting percentage (.175).
Anchante is joined in the MU lineup by five other All-BIG EAST performers in middle blockers Carsen Murray and Hattie Bray, outside hitters Aubrey Hamilton and Jenna Reitsma, while right-side hitter Ella Foti joined Bray on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.
Hamilton leads the Golden Eagles in kills and points and Murray leads the BIG EAST and ranks sixth nationally in hitting percentage (.427).
Murray is also second in blocks (1.10 per set), while libero Carly Skrabak is third in digs per set with 4.57.
Marquette, which had to replace five starters from last season, began the year with a win at then-No. 11 Kentucky on Aug. 26 and compiled a 3-2 record against ranked foes in 2022.
MU's 26 regular season victories are a program record, as are its 17 conference victories.

MARQUETTE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

The Golden Eagles are 12-13 all-time in the BIG EAST Championship and won the 2013 tournament title in Omaha over Creighton.
Marquette has advanced to the title matchup on seven occasions but is just 1-6 in those matchups.
MU is 4-3 in the four years when the tournament was played at D.J. Sokol Arena (2013. 2015, 2018, 2020-21).

UCONN (17-13 (10-8), No. 5 seed):

UConn beat four-seed St. John's in five sets with a 17-15 fifth set victory in Wednesday's quarterfinal. The Huskies hit .303, recorded 12 blocks and were led by 14 kills apiece from Caylee Parker, Jasmine Davis and Allie Garland.
The Huskies tied with St. John's and Butler for fourth in the league at 10-8 and strung together an eight-match win streak from Oct. 8-Nov. 4.
UConn is led by unanimous All-BIG EAST Selection Caylee Parker, who ranked fifth in the BIG EAST with 3.46 kills per set and total points per set (4.05).
Fellow senior Jasmine Davis was ninth in the BIG EAST with 3.56 points per set and Kennadie Jake-Turner hit a team-best .293.
The Huskies ranked fourth in the BIG EAST, hitting .231 as a team, while holding their opponents to a mark of .205.
UConn is led by fourth-year head coach Ellen Herman-Kimball, who played under MU head coach Ryan Theis at Ohio.
Current MU assistant coach Abby Gilleland joined the MU staff this year from UConn, while 2021 MU volunteer assistant coach Peter Netisingha switched benches the opposite direction and is in his first season in Storrs.

SERIES WITH UCONN: Marquette is 10-3 all-time against UConn, including a pair of sweeps this season. The Golden Eagles have won the last eight matchups in the series. In the Sept. 30 match in Milwaukee, Hamilton led the Golden Eagles with 10 kills, while Reitsma had a career-best six service aces. MU also hit .324 to top UConn in Storrs, led by 13 kills from Hamilton and 12 from Murray.

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).