Volleyball sweeps UConn to open BIG EAST action

Box Score (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University women's volleyball team opened its 20th season of BIG EAST Conference play with a 25-19, 25-10, 27-25 sweep of previously undefeated UConn on Friday evening at the Al McGuire Center.

Outside hitters Jenna Reitsma and Aubrey Hamilton each led the Golden Eagles (5-5) with 11 kills apiece and MU hit a combined .305 (47-11-118), including a match-high .536 in the second frame.

UConn (12-1) was led by outside hitter Emma Werkmeister's 13 digs and the Huskies hit .115 in the loss.

Hamilton posted three consecutive kills midway through the first set before a service ace from Reitsma capped a five-point run to give MU a 19-13 advantage. Hamilton led the way for the Golden Eagles in the frame with seven kills and Reitsma added six in the second to put MU up at the break after a 15-point win.

The Golden Eagles broke free from a tight third set to take a 20-12 lead and force a UConn timeout. The Huskies later clawed back to pull within one, 22-21, before Reitsma's final kill gave MU match point, 24-21. UConn then fought off three match points before taking a 25-24 set advantage on Werkmeister's final kill.

Yadhira Anchante and Hattie Bray responded with a big block off a Werkmeister attack on the ensuing point, before a kill from Hamilton and another Werkmeister attack error gave MU its first home victory of the season.

NOTABLE

The 2024 campaign is MU's 20th in the BIG EAST Conference and 50th overall. The Golden Eagles are 15-5 all-time in BIG EAST lid-lifters since their inaugural league season in 2005 and are 9-1 when those matches are played at the Al McGuire Center.
Senior Samantha Naber served as MU's top libero on Friday and recorded a match-best 15 digs.
MU middle blockers Carsen Murray (6-0-13) and Bray (7-1-13) each hit an identical .462.
Anchante recorded her team-best seventh double double of the season with 30 assists and 10 digs.
MU was 8-of-10 in sideout situations in the second set and did not have a hitting error (15-0-28) in the stanza.
The Huskies entered conference play as just one of six undefeated teams in NCAA Division I.
UConn entered the week holding opponents to a hitting mark of just .149, the lowest in the conference. MU hit .305 on Friday evening.
The Golden Eagles began conference play with the seventh-toughest strength of schedule in the country according to the NCAA Division I Massey Ratings.
MU setter Yadhira Anchante was honored prior to the match for posting her 2,500th NCAA Division I career assist on Sunday at No. 1 Pitt.
Marquette is 15-3 all-time against UConn and the Golden Eagles have won the last 12 matches in the series, including a sweep of the Huskies in last season's meeting in Milwaukee on Oct. 28. 2023.
MU has beaten UConn nine times since the Huskies rejoined the BIG EAST for the 2021 campaign. Two of those meetings have come in the BIG EAST tournament semifinals.
Marquette has won at a 75.4 percent clip (224-73) since joining the league and is 139-29 (.827) in BIG EAST matches under head coach Ryan Theis.
MU is 100-14 (.877) in BIG EAST play over the last seven seasons (2017-23) under Theis, including consecutive regular season league titles in 2021 (16-2), 2022 (17-1) and 2023 (16-2).
UConn is led by sixth-year head coach Ellen Herman-Kimball, who played under MU head coach Ryan Theis at Ohio.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles welcome Providence to the Al McGuire Center at 1 p.m. on Sunday before traveling to No. 6 Creighton for a Tuesday, Oct. 1 match on FS1.

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).