Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
Illinois
VB Set for Home-and-Home Series with Illinois
9/10/2026 10:05:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Golden Eagles host their home opener Friday, travel to Champaign for series finale Sunday.
The Marquette University volleyball team (2-3) is set to open their home season and complete a weekend home-and-home series with Illinois (4-2) this Friday and Sunday, Sept. 11 and 13. Friday will serve as MU's home opener, with first serve from the Al McGuire Center set for 5 p.m. CT on FS1, while Sunday's match will begin at 3 p.m. CT in Champaign, Ill. on B1G+.
LAST TIME OUT
Marquette closed the Stanford Invitational with a four-set setback to No. 4 Stanford on Sept. 6. Carson Tyler led the Golden Eagles with 12 kills, while Emma Parks and Tani Juric each added 11. Luanna Markus recorded 36 assists, and Emi Juric matched a career high with 13 digs as Marquette claimed the third set before falling to the Cardinal.
HISTORY VS. ILLINOIS
Marquette and Illinois meet for the eighth time in program history this weekend, with the Fighting Illini holding a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Golden Eagles earned their lone victory in the matchup on Sept. 17, 2022, rallying for a five-set win at the Al McGuire Center. The teams have met three times in postseason play, including second-round NCAA Tournament matches in 2011, 2013 and 2018, all won by Illinois. Marquette is 1-1 against the Illini in Milwaukee and will look for its second win in the series when the teams open a home-and-home set this weekend.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING ILLINI
Illinois enters the weekend with a 4-2 record and winners of its last three matches after sweeping McNeese State and Rice at the Rice Invitational and Lindenwood on Sept. 9. The Fighting Illini have already faced a challenging early-season schedule that includes Cincinnati, Syracuse and No. 22 Tennessee.
TYLER LEADING THE WAY
Junior outside hitter Carson Tyler has reached double figures in kills in all five matches as a Golden Eagle, totaling 71 kills (3.74/set) and 82.0 points through Marquette's first 19 sets. Tyler posted 18 kills against No. 2 Texas, 15 at Dayton, 12 against Wright State, 14 against South Florida and 12 against No. 4 Stanford. She currently ranks third in the BIG EAST in kills per set and points per set while leading the team with seven service aces and 45 digs.
MARKUS THE MAESTRO
Freshman setter Luanna Markus has recorded 173 assists through five matches, including four performances of at least 35 assists. Markus posted 35 assists against Texas, 35 against Wright State, a career-high 39 against South Florida and 36 against Stanford. She leads the BIG EAST in total assists and ranks second in assists per set (9.11), while also contributing 17 kills on a .438 hitting percentage, 38 digs and 14 blocks.
PARKS FINDING HER GROOVE
Emma Parks enters the weekend riding the best stretch of her career. After totaling six kills in Marquette's first two matches, Parks has recorded 35 kills over her last three contests, including a career-high 13 against Wright State and 11-kill performances against both South Florida and Stanford. During that three-match stretch, Parks is averaging 3.50 kills per set and has recorded double-digit kills in three consecutive matches for the first time in her career.
TANI TRENDING UPWARD
Freshman opposite hitter Tani Juric has settled into a consistent offensive role, recording at least seven kills in all five matches this season. Juric has totaled 43 kills (2.26/set) and posted a career-high 11 kills against No. 4 Stanford after recording nine kills at Dayton and Wright State. She ranks second on the team in kills and trails only Carson Tyler among Marquette attackers.
OFFENSE ON THE RISE
Marquette's offense has significantly improved since opening weekend. After hitting .104 against Texas and .175 against Dayton, the Golden Eagles have hit .396 against Wright State, .326 against South Florida and recorded 46 kills against Stanford. Over the last three matches, Marquette has averaged 46.3 kills per match and hit .285 as a team.
FRESHMEN MAKING THEIR MARK
Marquette's freshman class has been a major factor early in the season. Luanna Markus leads the team with 173 assists, Emi Juric leads the squad with 53 digs, Tani Juric ranks second with 43 kills and Molly Welge tops the roster with 20 total blocks. Together, the four freshmen have combined for 85 kills, 189 assists, 109 digs, 38 blocks and nine service aces through five matches.
WELGE AT THE NET
Molly Welge has provided a steady presence at the net, leading Marquette with 20 total blocks and ranking eighth in the BIG EAST at 1.11 blocks per set. Welge has recorded at least four blocks against Texas, Dayton and South Florida and matched a career high with five blocks against the Bulls. She also owns 25 kills while hitting .233.
EMI ANCHORS THE BACK ROW
Freshman libero Emi Juric leads Marquette with 53 digs and has recorded eight or more digs in all five matches. Juric opened her collegiate career with 13 digs against Texas, followed with 11 at Dayton and matched her career high with 13 more against Stanford. She has also added six service aces without a service error and owns a .985 reception percentage on 67 serve-receive attempts.
TESTED BY THE BEST
Marquette has already played two top-five opponents this season in No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Stanford. The Golden Eagles pushed Texas to five sets on opening night and took a set on Stanford's home floor at Maples Pavilion. Four of MU's first five matches have come against teams that won at least 21 matches in 2025, and four of the five made the NCAA Tournament in 2025.
MU is one of three teams (MU, Wisconsin, Kansas) to face two or more top-5 opponents in their opening five games of the season. Of the results from all of those contests, Marquette has won the most sets against top-five opponents (MU 3-6, KU 2-6, WIS 1-9)
MARQUETTE QUICK HITTERS
- Carson Tyler has recorded double-digit kills in all five matches and has led Marquette in kills every time out.
- Tyler ranks third in the BIG EAST in kills per set (3.74) and points per set (4.32).
- Luanna Markus leads the BIG EAST with 173 assists and ranks second at 9.11 assists per set.
- Markus has recorded 35+ assists in four of five matches.
- Emma Parks has posted double-digit kills in three straight matches (13, 11, 11).
- Tani Juric has recorded at least seven kills in every match this season.
- Emi Juric has reached eight or more digs in all five matches and owns three double-digit dig performances.
- Molly Welge leads the team with 20 total blocks and ranks eighth in the BIG EAST in blocks per set.
- Marquette is 2-0 when hitting above .300 and 0-3 when hitting below .200.
- Marquette recorded season highs of 48 kills and a .396 hitting percentage in its win over Wright State.
- Friday's match is Marquette's home opener and first meeting with Illinois since the Golden Eagles defeated the Illini in five sets on Sept. 17, 2022.
