VB Sweeps FGCU in NCAA First Round

NCAA Bracket (PDF) | Interactive Bracket | Box Score (PDF)
YouTube: Highlights (ESPN+) | Postgame Presser

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Marquette University women's volleyball team hit .394 in a 25-20, 25-22, 25-22 sweep of Florida Gulf Coast in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship on Thursday afternoon at the Jon. M. Huntsman Center.

MU will face fifth-seeded No. 17 Utah in the NCAA Second Round on Friday at 8 p.m. Central time on ESPN+.

Outside hitters Aubrey Hamilton and Natalie Ring led the Golden Eagles (24-8) with 14 and 11 kills, respectively, while setter Yadhira Anchante notched her team-best 21st double double of the season with 39 assists and 16 digs. The win is MU's 10th all-time in NCAA tournament action and the team's fourth in the last three years, marking a program-best over such a stretch.

Marquette broke free from a tight opening set to pull away for a 25-22 win behind four kills apiece from Hamilton and Ring. The Golden Eagles hit .500 (15-1-28) in the frame and recovered from three early service errors and a 17-16 deficit.

MU forced the Eagles into early second set timeouts at 9-5 and 15-10 before calling two of their own at 23-19 and 24-22 as FGCU pulled closer. MU hit .344 in the second and Hamilton once again had four terminations, while Hattie Bray had three kills, a pair of blocks and a service ace.

Florida Gulf Coast (27-5) was led by 14 kills from ASUN tournament MVP Skylar English, who also added a pair of service aces.

Marquette takes on the winner of Thursday night's matchup between fourth-seeded No. 17 Utah and the College of Charleston.

NOTABLE:

MU is now 10-12 all-time in NCAA tournament play with eight trips to the second round and a pair of trips to the regional semifinals in 2018 and 2022.
MU has 100 wins over the last four seasons (2021-24). If the Golden Eagles win on Friday night, it will push MU's four-year win total to 101, tying it with 2011-14 and 2016-19 for the best four-year stretch in program history.
Ella Foti and Carsen Murray, each of whom were with the program since the spring of 2021, have witnessed 110 victories on the MU sideline (10, 26, 29, 21, 24 wins).
FGCU won Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and tournament championships and its previous loss was a sweep at the hands of Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 12. The Eagles entered Thursday's contest on a 14-match winning streak.
FGCU outside hitter Shelby Kent entered the match averaging an ASUN-best 4.38 kills this season to rank 27th in NCAA Division I. MU held her to a hitting mark of .000 on the night with eight hitting errors against eight kills.
As a team, Florida Gulf Coast entered the match fourth in the country from the service line in aces per set (2.14) and had three total on Thursday. Marquette had seven in the sweep, led by three from Ella Foti.
MU is 11-3 all-time against current members of the ASUN and 2-0 against FGCU.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles advance to face No. 17 Utah in the NCAA Second Round on Friday at 8 p.m. Central time on ESPN+.

Keep up with the Marquette University women's volleyball program through social media by following on X (@MarquetteVB) and Instagram (@MarquetteVB) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteVolleyball).