BIG EAST Action Continues at Providence, No. 17 Creighton

CINCINNATI – Xavier volleyball continues BIG EAST action at Providence and No. 17 Creighton on Oct. 13-15. The Musketeers take on Providence on Friday night at 7 p.m. before taking on the Bluejays on Sunday at 2 p.m.

THE MATCHUP VS PROVIDENCE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (7-14, 2-5) at PROVIDENCE FRIARS (14-7, 3-3)
Match Info - Friday, Oct. 13 - 7 p.m. - Alumni Hall
Live Stats - bit.ly/2yTobpz
Live Video ($) - bit.ly/2yU7WsB

ABOUT PROVIDENCE

2017 Record: 14-7 (3-3 BIG EAST)
2016 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier leads, 7-0

NOTABLES
• Providence leads the BIG EAST in aces (1.63 a/s), while ranking fourth in kills (13.19 k/s) and third in assists (12.33 a/s). The Friars rank 23rd in the NCAA in aces per set.
• Providence is 7-0 at home this season with a 2-0 mark in BIG EAST matches. The Friars are 1-3 in their last four matches, most recently coming off a three-set win at DePaul.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier leads the all-time series with the Friars, 7-0. The Musketeers only dropped one set against Providence in the two meetings last season.

• Alexis Newsome led Xavier in blocks (8) against Providence last year, while adding 12 kills and a .435 hitting percentage. Meredith Klare added 5.43 digs per set and two aces versus the Friars.

THE MATCHUP VS CREIGHTON

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (7-14, 2-5) at No. 17 CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (12-5, 5-1)
Match Info - Sunday, Oct. 15 - 2 p.m. (ET) - D.J. Sokol Arena
Live Stats - bit.ly/2yTUjtk
Live Video - bit.ly/2ybWgnR

ABOUT CREIGHTON

2017 Record: 12-5 (5-1 BIG EAST)
2016 Postseason: NCAA Elite Eight
Series History: Xavier trails, 12-0

NOTABLES
• The Bluejays have won five of their last six matches and are coming off a 3-0 win at DePaul. Creighton is 4-1 at home this season with a 2-0 mark in BIG EAST play.
• Creighton is 2-3 against AVCA Top-25 programs this season, including a 3-1 win at No. 3 Washington on Aug. 26.
• Creighton ranks second in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.271), opponent hitting percentage (.197), assists (12.83 a/s) and kills (13.93 k/s).

SERIES HISTORY

• Creighton is 12-0 all-time against the Musketeers. The Bluejays won all three meetings last year, including a three-set win in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship.

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier closed out non-conference play with a three-set loss (17-25, 15-25, 19-25) to rival Dayton on Tuesday night.

• Freshman Maya Krause led the Musketeers with 10 kills, her third straight match with double-figure kills. The outside hitter now has five matches with 10 or more kills this season. She posted a .308 hitting percentage to go along with two digs.

• Senior Mackenzi Humm led the team in assists (13), while Meredith Klare led the squad in digs (15). McKena Estes added 11 assists and five digs.

RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE

• Alexis Newsome posted a Xavier single-match school record of 12 blocks against St. John's on Oct. 7. The previous record of 11 total blocks was set by Alex Blair on Sept. 19, 2014 against Lipscomb. The 12 blocks also rank sixth in the NCAA this season for single-match performances (five sets).

• The Musketeers posted 23 total team blocks, tied for the most in the NCAA this season.

NOTABLES

• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in digs (16.48 d/s), while ranking 48th nationally. The Musketeers also rank third in blocks (2.47 b/s) in the conference, ranking 52nd nationally in the statistical category.

• Meredith Klare leads the conference in digs per set (4.56), while ranking 26th nationally in total digs (360).

• Alexis Newsome and Lauren Frilling both rank in the top-10 of the BIG EAST stats in blocks. Newsome ranks fourth (1.17 b/s), while Frilling ranks eighth (1.00 b/s). Newsome also ranks 11th in hitting percentage (.316).

• Senior Mackenzi Humm ranks 10th in school history in assists with 1,834. The setter has averaged 5.33 a/s this season.

• The Xavier volleyball program is three wins away from its 800th program victory. The Musketeers have posted a 797-609 record in 44 years of competition.

KLARE - XU RECORD BOOK

• Meredith Klare ranks seventh in school history in digs with 1,321. The junior libero is 17 digs shy of moving into sixth place.

MASSA - CAREER MILESTONE

• Senior Kristen Massa eclipsed the 1,000-career kill mark in the Musketeers' 3-1 win over Albany on Saturday, Sept. 16. She now has 1,017 kills over her career as the outside hitter has averaged 2.59 k/s during her career.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST

• Senior Kristen Massa was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Massa, a 2015 All-BIG EAST First Team selection, ranked third on the team in kills (292) last season, while adding 47 blocks and 63 digs. The Cincinnati native had 10 or more kills in 16 matches.

PRESEASON POLL

• The Musketeers were picked to finish fourth in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll as selected by conference head coaches. The Musketeers finished tied for second in the BIG EAST standings a year ago and advanced to the conference tournament championship match before being defeated by No. 21 Creighton.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier faces seven teams that participated in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Seventeen of the Musketeers 23 opponents posted a winning record last year.

• The Musketeers' 23 opponents combined to post a 433-289 record last season with a .600 winning percentage. Xavier's opponents averaged 18.8 wins a year ago.

BIG EAST NOTES

• Xavier has posted a 53-23 record in BIG EAST play since joining the conference in 2013. The Musketeers have advanced to the conference tournament in all four seasons.

• The BIG EAST Tournament will be hosted by Marquette after being held at Butler in 2016.

ABOUT THE TEAM

• Xavier posted a 20-13 (13-5) record last season under head coach Christy Pfeffenberger. The 20-win campaign was the 21st in program history.

• The Musketeers overall record of 20-13 last year was the programs 19th consecutive season with a .500 or above record.

• Head coach Christy Pfeffenberger has posted a 45-39 overall record in two seasons with the Musketeers, including a 29-14 mark in BIG EAST play.

• Xavier players have earned AVCA All-American honors nine times in the last 12 years. Abbey Bessler earned AVCA All-American honorable mention team honors last year.

Schedule

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