Xavier Opens Second Half of BIG EAST Schedule at Marquette, DePaul

Friday, October 20

Milwaukee, Wis.

8 p.m.

Xavier University

Marquette

Xavier Opens Second Half of BIG EAST Schedule at Marquette, DePaul

10.19.17 | Volleyball

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier volleyball opens the second half of BIG EAST action with road matches at Marquette (Oct. 20) and DePaul (Oct. 21) this weekend.

THE MATCHUP VS MARQUETTE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (7-16, 2-7) at MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES (14-6, 8-1)
Match Info - Friday, Oct. 20 - 8 p.m. (ET) - Al McGuire Center
Live Stats - bit.ly/2hJid3L
Live Video (BEDN) - bit.ly/1sjW14c

ABOUT MARQUETTE

2017 Record: 14-6 (8-1 BIG EAST)
2016 Postseason: NCAA Tournament (First Round)
Series History: Xavier trails, 11-9

LAST MEETING - MARQUETTE 3, XAVIER 1
• Xavier dropped the first meeting between the two school in four sets (25-20, 22-25, 19-25, 13-25) on Sept. 27.
• Maya Krause posted 14 kills to go along with a .565 hitting percentage. Morgan Finn was the only other player with 10 or more kills as the junior right-side hitter added a season-high 11 kills. Audrey Adams and Moriah Hopkins both chipped in seven kills.
• McKena Estes recorded her first double-double of the year, posting a team-high 20 assists to go along with 10 digs. Mackenzi Humm added 13 assists.
• Meredith Klare posted a team-high 16 digs, while Olivia Hartchipped in a career-high 10 digs.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier trails the all-time series with Marquette, 11-9. The Musketeers have won two of the last three meetings between the two schools.

THE MATCHUP VS DEPAUL

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (7-16, 2-7) at DEPAUL BLUE DEMONS (8-13, 2-7)
Match Info - Saturday, Oct. 21 - 7 p.m. (ET) - McGrath-Phillips Arena
Live Stats - bit.ly/2yN3O1t
Live Video - bit.ly/2zsui5k

ABOUT DEPAUL

2017 Record: 8-13 (2-7 BIG EAST)
2016 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier trails, 16-5

LAST MEETING - XAVIER 3, DEPAUL 2
• Xavier won the first meeting between the two schools in five sets (16-25, 25-19, 25-21, 20-25, 15-12) on Sept. 20.
• Meredith Klare posted a match-high 28 digs to go along with seven assists and one ace.
• Kristen Massa recorded a team-high 12 kills to go along with 16 digs and five blocks.
• Xavier had five more blocks (14-9) than DePaul. Alexis Newsome led the team with seven blocks, while adding seven kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Lauren Frilling added eight kills and four blocks.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier is 16-5 all-time against the Blue Demons and have won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two schools. Xavier is 9-1 against DePaul since joining the BIG EAST in 2013.

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 (16.17 d/s), while ranking 65th nationally. The Musketeers also rank third in blocks (2.40 b/s) in the conference, ranking 57th nationally in the statistical category.

• Meredith Klare leads the conference in digs per set (4.49), while ranking 46th nationally in total digs (386).

• Alexis Newsome and Lauren Frilling both rank in the top-10 of the BIG EAST stats in blocks. Newsome ranks fourth (1.10 b/s), while Frilling ranks eighth (0.99 b/s). Newsome also ranks 12th in hitting percentage (.301).

• Senior Mackenzi Humm ranks 10th in school history in assists with 1,851. The setter has averaged 5.27 a/s this season.

• The Xavier volleyball program is three wins away from its 800th program victory. The Musketeers have posted a 797-611 record in 44 years of competition.

KLARE - XU RECORD BOOK

• Meredith Klare ranks sixth in school history in digs with 1,347. The junior libero is 45 digs shy of moving into fifth 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 53-25 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.