Golden Eagles Soar over Bulldogs

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Marquette University volleyball team (12-6, 6-2 BIG EAST) soared past Butler (9-12, 2-6 BIG EAST), sweeping the Bulldogs Saturday evening at the Al McGuire Center.

Marquette was led offensively by Natalie Ring, who posted a match-high 12 kills on .346 hitting while adding four service aces, eight digs, and 16 total points. Hattie Bray followed with an efficient performance in the middle, recording seven kills on .545 hitting to go along with eight block assists and a service ace. Keira Schmidt was also strong at the net with five kills, four total blocks, and a .500 attack percentage. Elena Radeff chipped in four kills and three blocks, while Adriana Studer anchored the back row with a team-high 12 digs as the Golden Eagles hit .286 as a team and totaled 12 team blocks in the sweep.

Marquette dominated the opening set, jumping out to a 6-0 lead behind Ring's strong serving and early kills from multiple attackers. The Golden Eagles controlled play throughout as Haggard spread the offense, and the front line of Bray, Radeff, and Emma Parks contributed key blocks. Ring led the way with six kills, including the set-winner, as Marquette cruised to a 25-15 win and a 1-0 match lead.

After trading early points, the Golden Eagles pulled ahead with a 5-0 run behind strong serving from Mari King and kills from Bray and Ring. Haggard added a service ace and several key assists as Marquette built a 14-8 advantage. Butler made a late push, but kills from Ring, Bray, and Schmidt held off the rally. Parks delivered the final point to close out the set, 25-20, and give Marquette a 2-0 lead in the match.

MU dominated the third set from the first serve, racing out to a 10-0 lead behind another commanding service run from Ring that included two aces and multiple kills. The Golden Eagles' front line overwhelmed Butler at the net, with Schmidt, Bray, and Parks combining for several early blocks. Butler struggled to find rhythm against Marquette's block and backcourt defense, managing just brief spurts of scoring. Radeff sealed the sweep with a kill off a Haggard assist, closing out a dominant 25-9 set and a 3-0 match victory for the Golden Eagles.

NOTABLES

Tonight's match took just 72 minutes to complete, the shortest match this season.
MU held Butler to just nine points in set three, the least in a match this season.
The Golden Eagles held Butler to a -.032 hitting percentage in the match, the lowest this season for an MU opponent.
Marquette totaled 10+ blocks for the ninth time this season with 12.0 in tonight's match against Butler