No. 24 Volleyball tops High Point, 3-1

MADISON, Wisconsin – The No. 24 Marquette University women's volleyball team claimed a 25-23, 25-10, 19-25, 25-18 four-set victory over High Point on Sunday evening at UW Field House.

"It was a gritty effort," said MU head coach Ryan Theis. "We went high error in the third when High Point picked up the defensive effort. I was glad to see us fight through the fourth, even when a few calls went against us. I think we really earned that fourth set."

Madison native Ella Foti paced the Golden Eagles (3-1) with a career-high 14 kills on .433 hitting and three blocks in her first career start. Juniors Carsen Murray (11) and Aubrey Hamilton (10) each reached double-digit kills in MU's second match of the weekend in Madison.

The Golden Eagles claimed second set with ease, 25-10, after a tight opening set, but faltered down the stretch of a 25-19 third set defeat. High Point, which was playing its second match of the day after a sweep at the hands of No. 6 Wisconsin in the afternoon, scored six of the final eight points in its lone set win.

After HPU had rallied to pull the fourth within a pair, 20-18, Marquette reeled off the final five points out of a timeout for the 25-18 win and match victory.

NOTABLES:

The only previous meeting with High Point was an MU 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.
MU broke free from a 19-19 tie in the opening set with three-straight points from Jenna Reitsma on a pair of kills and a service ace. MU closed the frame 25-23, while hitting .314. Foti led MU with five kills in the stanza.
Setter Yadhira Anchante served MU out to a 14-0 lead to start the second set. She had three aces in that run, including on the first and 14th points.
HPU hit -.121 (7-11-33) in the second set with 11 hitting errors offsetting seven kills. MU had five blocks against the Panthers that set.
High Point played its second match of the day and fourth match in a three-day span. The Panthers went 1-1 against Furman and Kennesaw State on Friday before traveling to Madison to take on No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 24 MU on Sunday.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles return to Milwaukee for their first match of a 10-game homestand against Loyola Chicago on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Central time.

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).