Volleyball heads to No. 6 Wisconsin on Friday night

Match Notes (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The No. 24 Marquette University women's volleyball team heads to Madison, Wisconsin for a Friday night showdown with defending NCAA Champion No. 6 Wisconsin at UW Field House.

First serve against the Badgers is set for 8 p.m. Central time and the match will air live on the Big Ten Network.

Following the matchup against UW, the Golden Eagles will face High Point at UW Field House at 6 p.m. on Sunday. That match will air live on BTN+.

Live statistics for both matches will be available on GoMarquette.com, courtesy of UW Athletics and UWBadgers.com.

No. 24 MARQUETTE (2-0): The Golden Eagles entered the AVCA Coaches Poll on Monday after a 2-0 weekend in Lexington, Kentucky against then-No. 11 Kentucky and Ohio. Libero Carly Skrabak earned BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Week for her play against the Wildcats and Bobcats, posting 42 digs in eight sets (5.25/set), including a league-high 26 in the season opener against UK.

Eight players made their Marquette debuts over the weekend, led by transfers Yadhira Anchante and Aubrey Hamilton and redshirts Ella Foti and Hattie Bray. Anchante notched a double-double in the opener with 38 assists and 14 digs against Kentucky and followed that up with 32 assists, six digs and three aces against Ohio. Hamilton led MU with 18 kills on .300 hitting against UK, while Foti hit .346 with 12 kills in her NCAA debut.

The Golden Eagles were picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and return Preseason All-BIG EAST middle blocker Carsen Murray.

No. 6 WISCONSIN (1-1): The Badgers went 31-3 last fall and defeated Nebraska in five sets to win their first national championship. The defending champs are looking to become the first Big Ten program to earn four straight conference titles since Penn State won eight straight from 2003-10.

Head coach Kelly Sheffield is entering his 10th season and has led the Badgers to nine-straight top-12 finishes nationally. UW is led by his three Big Ten preseason honorees, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Sarah Franklin, junior middle blocker/right side Devyn Robinson and sophomore middle blocker/right side Anna Smrek. 

Wisconsin comes into the match 1-1 this season, having swept TCU before falling to Baylor in five sets on Saturday evening. Franklin led the squad with 34 kills in eight sets (4.25/set) last weekend while hitting .395. 

SERIES WITH WISCONSIN: Marquette holds a 2-21 record all-time against the Badgers. Most recently, the Golden Eagles fell, 3-0, on Sept. 12 of last season at the Al McGuire Center. MU's lone win in the series with a five-set triumph over then-No. 4 Wisconsin on Sept. 5, 2019 at UW Field House.

HIGH POINT (3-0): The Panthers went 24-7 last fall, going 15-1 in conference play before eventually falling to Campbell 3-2 in the Big South Championship. High Point is led by four Preseason Big South players, including preseason player of the year Dylan Maberry. Maberry was the 2021 Big South Player of the year and led the Panthers with 379 kills last fall. 

High Point comes into the match 3-0 with wins over VCU, Elon and Liberty at the VCU Invitational on Aug. 26-27 in Richmond, Virginia. HPU is set to face Furman and Kennesaw State on Friday before heading to Madison for matches against UW and MU on Sunday.

SERIES WITH HIGH POINT: Marquette has only one previous meeting with High Point, a sweep of the Panthers on Nov. 30, 2018 at the Al McGuire Center in the NCAA Championship First Round. That match was the first time Marquette had ever hosted a home match in NCAA tournament competition.

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).