VB Heads to Omaha for Showdown at Creighton Sunday

The Marquette University volleyball team (7-6, 2-1 BIG EAST) will wrap up the opening four-game road trip of conference play this Sunday, Oct. 4 at Creighton (7-7, 2-0 BIG EAST). First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT in Omaha, with streaming available on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT

Marquette fell to DePaul in five sets Wednesday at McGrath-Phillips Arena. The Golden Eagles responded to dropping the opening set with decisive wins in the second and third to take a 2-1 match lead, but DePaul held off a late MU rally in the fourth before taking the deciding fifth. Carson Tyler led Marquette with a career-high 30 kills on .357 hitting, tying for the third-most kills in a match in program history, while Tani Juric matched her career high with 11 kills and hit .435. Keira Schmidt posted a career-high eight blocks, Luanna Markus totaled 47 assists, eight digs and five blocks, and Emi Juric led MU with 15 digs. Marquette finished with season highs of 63 kills and 16 blocks while hitting .311.

HISTORY VS. CREIGHTON

Marquette is 7-33 all-time against Creighton, including marks of 3-10 at home, 4-20 on the road and 0-3 at neutral sites. Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, the two programs have regularly met in high-stakes matches, including eight BIG EAST Championship meetings. Marquette has won three of its last 20 meetings with Creighton, most recently sweeping the Bluejays at home on Oct. 6, 2023. Creighton won all three matchups in 2025, including a 3-0 victory in the BIG EAST semifinals in Milwaukee on Nov. 22.

SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS

Creighton enters Sunday at 7-7 overall and 2-0 in BIG EAST play after road wins over Seton Hall and St. John's last weekend. The Bluejays average 11.95 kills per set on .177 hitting but have been strong at the net with 2.52 blocks per set. Trinity Shadd-Ceres leads the attack with 171 kills (3.05/set), while Ayden Ames has 132 kills on .289 hitting. Katie Dalton directs the offense with 341 assists (7.41/set), Saige Damrow leads the defense with 243 digs (4.34/set) and Eloise Brandewie has a team-high 72 blocks (1.29/set).

TYLER TAKES CHARGE

Junior outside hitter Carson Tyler has reached double figures in kills in all 13 matches and leads Marquette with 218 kills (4.36/set) and 254 points (5.08/set). Tyler has also contributed a team-high 22 service aces, 118 digs and 26 blocks. In the most recent NCAA rankings through Sept. 27, Tyler ranked 18th nationally and first in the BIG EAST in points per set and 25th nationally and second in the league in kills per set.

Tyler enters the Creighton matchup on the heels of a career-high 30 kills at DePaul, surpassing her previous collegiate best of 29. The 30 kills are tied for third-most in a match in Marquette history and made Tyler the first Golden Eagle to reach 30 since Allie Barber at Seton Hall on Oct. 28, 2017. Tyler hit .357 against the Blue Demons and finished with 33.5 points, also a season high.

MARKUS THE MAESTRO OF THE MU OFFENSE

Freshman setter Luanna Markus has dished out 471 assists over 50 sets for an average of 9.42 per set. She recorded 47 assists at DePaul, her second-highest total behind 54 against St. Thomas, and has reached 30 assists in 11 of 13 matches. In the rankings through Sept. 27, Markus was the BIG EAST leader in both assists per set and total assists, while ranking 78th and 82nd nationally, respectively.

TANI TURNS UP THE EFFICIENCY

Freshman Tani Juric ranks second on Marquette with 107 kills and is hitting .258 through 50 sets. Juric matched her career high with 11 kills while committing just one error on 23 swings for a .435 hitting percentage at DePaul. She has hit at least .400 in three of her last four matches, including .533 against Milwaukee and .471 at UConn, and is hitting .423 (36-6-71) during that four-match stretch.

WELGE'S WALL AT THE NET

Freshman middle blocker Molly Welge leads Marquette with 65 total blocks and averages 1.33 per set. Welge added six blocks at DePaul and has recorded multiple blocks in all 13 matches this season, including six or more on six occasions. In the rankings through Sept. 27, she ranked 46th nationally and second in the BIG EAST in blocks per set.

BLOCK PARTY IN CHICAGO

Marquette established a season high with 16 blocks at DePaul, surpassing its previous best of 14.5 against Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles recorded six solo blocks and 20 block assists against the Blue Demons, led by Keira Schmidt's career-high eight blocks, Welge's six and Markus' five. MU has now totaled 112.5 blocks and is outblocking opponents 112.5-108 through 13 matches.

SCHMIDT STEPS UP

Sophomore middle blocker Keira Schmidt turned in the best blocking performance of her career at DePaul with eight total blocks, including three solo blocks and five assists. The eight blocks surpassed her previous career high of seven, which she reached twice in 2025. Schmidt now has 28 total blocks in 40 sets this season, including a team-high four solo blocks.

DOOLAN DELIVERS OFF THE BENCH

Freshman Caydence Doolan has recorded 49 kills over Marquette's last five matches after entering the St. Thomas match with only six on the season. Doolan owns 55 kills in 26 sets overall for 2.12 per set, including a career-high 17 against St. Thomas, 10 at UConn and seven at DePaul. She is hitting .244 (49-15-139) during the five-match stretch.

FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMPACT

Marquette's freshmen continue to occupy prominent roles throughout the lineup. Markus leads the team with 471 assists, Emi Juric owns a team-best 165 digs and Welge paces MU with 65 blocks, while Tani Juric ranks second with 107 kills. Doolan has added 55 kills in only 26 sets, and Aubrey Hicks and Berrak Sporeli have also seen action during their first collegiate seasons.

OFFENSE CLICKS AT DEPAUL

Marquette produced a season-high 63 kills while hitting .311 in the five-set match at DePaul, marking its fifth match this season hitting above .300. The Golden Eagles committed only 17 attack errors on 148 attempts and finished with 57 assists. MU's .311 hitting percentage was its best in a loss this season and its highest mark since hitting .389 at UConn on Sept. 25.

BATTLE AT THE NET

Marquette averages 2.25 blocks per set and has a slight 112.5-108 advantage over its opponents in total blocks. The Golden Eagles have outblocked six opponents this season, including three of their last five, and their two largest totals have come recently with 14.5 against Milwaukee and 16 at DePaul. MU has also recorded 18 solo blocks and 189 block assists through 50 sets.

SERVE AND DEFEND

Marquette owns advantages over its opponents in both service aces and digs entering the Creighton match. The Golden Eagles have recorded 73 aces to their opponents' 61 and own 631 digs compared with 619 for the opposition. MU has also committed 49 fewer service errors, 88-137, and holds a .919 serving percentage compared with .869 for opponents.

MARQUETTE QUICK HITTERS

Marquette is a perfect 6-0 in three-set matches this season.
Marquette has recorded at least one set victory in every match this season and has not been swept through 13 contests.
The Golden Eagles are 3-0 at the Al McGuire Center and 3-5 in true road matches.
Marquette has outscored opponents 304-271 in first sets, a plus-33 margin.
MU owns an even larger 310-275 advantage in third sets, a plus-35 margin.
Emi Juric leads MU with 165 digs (3.30/set) and recorded 15 at DePaul, her third-highest total of the year.
Avery Helms has 91 digs, including 13 at DePaul for her third double-digit dig performance.
Emi Juric has a team-best .971 serving percentage among Golden Eagles with at least 100 attempts, committing six errors on 210 serves.
Carson Tyler has handled a team-high 221 serve-receive attempts and owns a .955 reception percentage.
Avery Helms owns a.947 reception percentage on 209 attempts.
Allie Beers has recorded 75 digs and nine service aces through 47 sets.