Volleyball hosts No. 5 Stanford in Gold Out for Lovell match

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MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University women's volleyball team hosts No. 5 Stanford on Wednesday evening at the Al McGuire Center in the program's Gold Out for Lovell match.

The Golden Eagles encourage all fans to wear gold to celebrate the life and memory of the University's late President Dr. Michael R. Lovell, who passed away in June after a battle with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that develops in bones and soft tissues.

Those wishing to donate to sarcoma research or the University's Lovell Fund can do so through Give Campus.

Dr. Lovell was a tremendous champion of the University and greater Milwaukee community. He served at Marquette for 10 years and was a strong supporter of its student-athletes.

The first 100 MU students to the match against the Cardinal will receive free gold MU Volleyball t-shirts in addition to Qdoba burritos.

Wednesday's match airs live at 7 p.m. Central time on the BIG EAST Digital Network through FloSports with Bob Brainerd on the call. Live statistics will be available through GoMarquette.com.

In addition to a match against Stanford on Wednesday, MU hosts No. 13 Kansas and Western Michigan this weekend. The match against the Jayhawks is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday, while Sunday's matinee against the Broncos begins at 1 p.m.

No. 24 MARQUETTE (1-0)

MU began the 2024 campaign with a 25-16, 25-13, 25-21 sweep of Eastern Illinois on Friday, Aug. 30. Middle blocker Hattie Bray hit .562 (11-2-16) and led Marquette with 11 kills and three blocks, while outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton landed 10 kills and an ace alongside nine digs and a pair of blocks. MU hit a combined .322 in the match, including a mark of .464 in the first set and .417 in the second.
Sophomore Molly Berezowitz and junior Adriana Studer served as MU's two liberos in the season opener at EIU following the NCAA's change to allow for multiple liberos each stanza. Both players made their first career appearances as libero and Berezowitz posted eight digs and a pair of service aces.
MU senior Samantha Naber posted a career-high four service aces in the win over the Panthers and used three consecutively to put MU ahead 5-1 in the second frame.
The Golden Eagles are picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference preseason coaches' poll and four MU student-athletes were named to the league's preseason team, led by Hamilton, a unanimous selection. Setter Yadhira Anchante and middle blockers Bray and Carsen Murray also received preseason recognition.
Marquette is a three-time reigning BIG EAST regular season champion and made its 12th NCAA tournament appearance in the last 13 seasons last fall (MU's lone NCAA miss during 2020-21 was due to the tightened tournament field).
Hamilton led MU last season with 434 kills (3.77 per set) on .274 hitting. She ranked second in BIG EAST play with 3.82 kills and 4.83 points per set while hitting .312.
Murray hit a BIG EAST-best .420 in conference play last season and .374 overall. She also averaged a team-best 1.00 blocks per set in league action.

No. 5 Stanford (3-0)

The Cardinal won all three matches since arriving in Milwaukee last week to begin the season.
Stanford opened the season with a sweep at the Klotsche Center against Milwaukee and claimed a pair of wins over No. 18 Minnesota, 3-2, and No. 6 Wisconsin, 3-1, in the State Farm Women's College Volleyball Showcase at Fiserv Forum.
Stanford hit a combined .290 last week and averages 14.00 kills and 2.42 service aces per set. Ella Rubin is hitting .327 and leads the Cardinal with 4.42 kills per set (53 total), while three other players are over two kills per frame in Ipar Kurt (2.67), Sami Francis (2.50) and Jordyn Harvey (2.08).
Stanford was selected second with three first place votes in the Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, behind Pitt, a squad MU will face on the road on Sept. 22.
Francis, a middle blocker, setter Kami Miner, libero Elana Oglivie and outside hitter Ella Rubin were named to the 18-player Preseason All-ACC Team prior to Stanford's first season in the league. Miner, Oglivie and Rubin were each AVCA All-Americans in 2023, while Miner and Oglivie were Pac-12 Players of the Year in 2023 at their respective positions.
The Cardinal is led by eighth-year head coach Kevin Hambly, who won NCAA titles in both 2018 and 2019 on The Farm. MU faced Hambly twice in the NCAA tournament during his time at Illinois. The Golden Eagles fell to a Hambly-led Illini team in the second round during their first trip to the NCAAs in 2011 and lost 3-1 at U of I in 2013. That 2011 Illini squad advanced to the national title match.

SERIES HISTORY WITH STANFORD:

MU and Stanford have met on just two occasions and the Cardinal won both, a sweep in 2005 in Boulder, Colorado and a 3-1 win in the last meeting on Sept. 4, 2010 at Maples Pavilion.
The Cardinal won the 2010 matchup by hitting .316 with seven blocks. The Golden Eagles pulled out the second set, 25-17, to tie the match at the break in Stanford. Senior middle Rabbecka Gonyo paced the Golden Eagles in that contest with 12 kills and three blocks while hitting .476. Classmate Nikki Klingsporn had 33 assists, 12 digs and three blocks.
Stanford went 27-4 in that 2010 season and advanced to the NCAA regional finals. MU was one of the first few teams out of the tournament that year and made its first NCAA appearance the following season.

2024 MARKS MU'S 50TH SEASON

The 2024 campaign marks MU's 50th season of competition and 20th season in the BIG EAST Conference.
The first season of women's volleyball at Marquette was played during the 1975-76 academic year and MU has grown into a perennial NCAA tournament participant and four-time BIG EAST champion.
The Golden Eagles have qualified for each of the last 12 NCAA tournaments with full 64-team fields and have advanced to the NCAA Second Round seven times and own a pair of NCAA Regional Semifinal appearances.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE FOR $40

Season tickets for Marquette's full 14-match regular season schedule are available to purchase for just $40. They can be bought online or by calling the Marquette Ticket Office at 414-288-GOMU (4668).
New this fall is a Coaches' Corner pre-match talk for season ticket members with head coach Ryan Theis and other members of the MU staff. These sessions will be held on Sept. 6 (Kansas), Sept. 27 (UConn) and Nov. 10 (Creighton). The events begin at a quarter-after the hour prior to each match and cost $20, which includes refreshments and light snacks. More information and a registration link will be communicated with season ticket members prior to each contest.

MU ON MILESTONE WATCH

Outside hitters Aubrey Hamilton and Jenna Reitsma each reached career statistical milestones last fall with 1,000 kills and 100 service aces, respectively, and other Golden Eagles are approaching elite marks themselves.
Milestone Watch:
- Kills (1,000): Hamilton at 834 in MU career, Reitsma at 738
- Digs (1,000): Reitsma at 658, Anchante at 616
- Assists (2,500): Anchante at 2,215
- Blocks (400): Murray at 328
- Aces (100): Foti at 61

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).