Golden Eagles Return Home for Third BIG EAST Homestand

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Marquette University volleyball team will return to the Al McGuire Center for their second BIG EAST homestand this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18.

The Golden Eagles will face Xavier (16-2, 5-1 BIG EAST) on Friday at 7:00 p.m. CT, and Butler (8-11, 1-5 BIG EAST) on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. CT. Both matches will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT

The Golden Eagles swept a weekend trip on the East Coast last Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11. Marquette defeated Seton Hall on Friday, and took down St. John's on Saturday, with each match ending in four sets.

HISTORY x OPPONENTS

Marquette and Xavier will square off for the 32nd time on Friday, with MU owning a 22-9 lead in the all-time series. Last season, Marquette swept the Musketeers in each of their meetings. The Golden Eagles and Butler will also meet on the court for the 32nd time on Saturday, with MU holding the 22-9 series lead. Both contests with the two squads were sweeps in favor of Marquette last season.

BRAY, RING COLLECT HONORS

MB Hattie Bray (Defensive) and OH Natalie Ring (Offensive) collected BIG EAST accolades for their play last week.

Ring averaged 4.38 kills per set to lead all BIG EAST players last week, and hit .316 while adding 2.75 digs, 0.75 blocks, and 4.94 points per set. She notched a double-double against Seton Hall with a match-high 19 kills and 14 digs. Bray paced the league with 1.63 blocks per set while adding 3.50 kills per set on an impressive .512 hitting percentage.

IN THE RANKINGS

The Golden Eagles are once again receiving votes in this week's AVCA/TARAFLEX poll, appearing on 10 ballots this week. The latest NPI rankings list Marquette at No. 34 nationally.

RING LEADER

Outside hitter Natalie Ring has put on a dominant performance this season leading MU in kills with 265, which leads all hitters in the BIG EAST and ranks 33rd in the NCAA. Her 4.57 kills/set also leads the conference and ranks 14th nationally. Ring has earned BIG EAST weekly accolades four times this season, being named Offensive Player of the Week twice (9/2, 10/13) and to the Weekly Honor Roll twice (9/15, 9/22).

MARQUETTE MISC.

The Golden Eagles have recorded at least 10 team blocks in four of six conference matches.
Marquette has hit .282 in BIG EAST play, the second-best mark in the conference, while holding opponents to a .184 hitting percentage in conference play, second-best in the BIG EAST.
The Golden Eagles rank third in the league in kills per set (13.48) and fourth in hitting percentage (.254).
Hattie Bray ranks third in hitting (.379) and fourth in blocks (1.12), one of three BIG EAST players to be in the top five of both categories.
Isabela Haggard ranks second in the league with 9.76 assists per set, the top mark among BIG EAST freshmen.
Marquette's 17.0 team blocks at St. John's are the highest single-match total in the conference this season.