Volleyball Makes Quick Trip to Marquette Before Hosting DePaul on Sunday

Friday, November 1

Milwaukee, Wis.

8 p.m.

Xavier University

Marquette

Photo by: Rooted Media House

Volleyball Makes Quick Trip to Marquette Before Hosting DePaul on Sunday

10.31.19 | Volleyball

Xavier preparing for thrilling final month of the season

By: By Mark Leopold, Xavier Athletics Communications

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Volleyball will take on No. 10 Marquette at the site of the 2019 BIG EAST Tournament on Friday before coming back to Cincinnati to face DePaul. Earlier this season, Xavier dispatched of the Blue Demons on the road in a five-set battle, but dropped a four-set match against the nationally-ranked Golden Eagles.

THE MATCHUP VS MARQUETTE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (8-12) vs Marquette Golden Eagles (19-3)
Match Info - Friday, Nov. 1 - 6:00 p.m. ET - Al McGuire Center
Watch - TBD
Live Stats - TBD

ABOUT MARQUETTE

2019 Record: 19-3 (9-1 BIG EAST)
2018 Postseason: NCAA Tournament Third Round
Series History: Xavier trails 9-14
Last Meeting : MU 3, XU 1 - 10/2/2019

MARQUETTE AT A GLANCE
• Marquette began the season ranked 16th nationally, and currently sit 10th after a 19-3 start to the season. The only blemishes thus far are to the only ranked opponents they've faced: No. 17 Baylor, No. 14 Illinois and No. 9 Creighton. The Golden Eagles enter Wednesday's game on a four-match winning streak, having won 12 of the last 13 sets they've played.
• Marquette has a wealth of talent, as conference coaches voted three Golden Eagles to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team. Allie Barber was the unanimous Preseason Player of the Year, while juniors Martha Konovodoff and Hope Werch were also selected to the team.
• Marquette was picked to finish first (out of 10) in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Ryan Theis enters his sixth season as head coach of Marquette. Last season, Theis set a new career-high and program-record by leading the Golden Eagles to a 28-win season. In 2017, Theis and his assistants were awarded the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.

THE MATCHUP VS DEPAUL

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (8-11) vs DePaul Blue Demons (11-11)
Match Info - Sunday, Nov. 3 - 1:00 p.m. ET - Cintas Center
Watch - http://bit.ly/XUHomeStream
Live Stats - http://bit.ly/XUHomeStats

ABOUT DEPAUL

2019 Record: 11-11 (3-7 BIG EAST)
2018 Postseason: None
Series History: Xavier leads 18-5
Last Meeting : XU 3, DPU 2 - 9/25/2019

DEPAUL AT A GLANCE
• DePaul had an incredible start to the season, starting 8-1 with their only blunder coming against Oakland in a neutral-site match. The start included three tournament victories, including a sweep of the DePaul Invitational. However, in hosting the Chicago Cup against other schools in the area, the Blue Demons would lose all three matches as they prepare to face Xavier following the losing streak. In the BIG EAST, they have struggled, going 3-7 with two victories against Seton Hall and one against Providence. However, they have only been swept once in conference play, to No. 9 Creighton.
• The Blue Demons are paced by Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Brittany Maxwell, who averages 3.76 kills per set. Defensively, the Musketeers will look out for Isabelle Banez, who has recorded 230 digs so far this season, good for 4.60 per set.
• DePaul was picked to finish 7th (out of 10) in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Marie Zidek is entering her second season as head coach for DePaul. Prior to leading the Blue Demons, Zidek was an assistant coach ar the University of San Diego, where she led the team to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances during her four year tenure.

FIRST SERVE

• Xavier enters this weekend with a 8-12 record after picking up two four-set victories at the Utah State Tournament, beating the host and Eastern Michigan after falling to Southern Utah in their regular-season opener. At home, they knocked off William & Mary in between losses to Akron and eventual tournament champions Wright State. They started BIG EAST play with a five-set victory at DePaul and a five-set victory at Georgetown. At home, Xavier beat Seton Hall in three sets for their first sweep of 2019, and they beat Providence on the road to continue their road dominance. Last week, Xavier took down Georgetown in an epic reverse sweep to stay at .500 in conference play.

• Two Musketeers won awards on the first weekend of action, as Lauren Hanlon and Ellie Chaffee were name to the All-Tournament team. Additionally, Hanlon was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. In Week two, Moriah Hopkins was named to the All-Tournament team and Jayda Carlton was listed on the BIG EAST Honor Roll. The following week, Lauren Hanlon was named to the All-Tournament Team following her 24-kill performances in two matches at the LUV Invitational. Ellie Chaffee earned a spot on the BIG EAST Honor Roll in part due to her 10-kill, 9-block performance against Georgetown. Jayda Carlton earned two more BIG EAST Honor Roll mentions for her blocking against Seton Hall and Marquette, and the following week after her blocking against Providence and Creighton. Last week, Carlton picked up her third-straight BIG EAST Honor Roll award, while Lauren Hanlon was named to her second BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honor.

2019 OPPONENT BREAKDOWN

• Xavier plays two teams that finished the year ranked in the AVCA Coaches' Poll: No. 13 Creighton and No. 15 Marquette.

• The Musketeers take on five teams that participated in the 2018 NCAA Tournament (Eastern Michigan, Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and Creighton). Twelve of the Musketeers 20 opponents posted a winning record last year.

• The Musketeers' 20 opponents combined to post a 311-294 last season with a .514 winning percentage.

• Xavier will face teams from nine different conferences this year, including a team from the ACC.

• The Musketeers faced three teams for the first time in program history this fall: Utah State, Southern Utah and William & Mary.

2019 TEAM LEADERS

• Freshmen Alyssa Overbeck and MaryAnn O'Toole and Senior Madi Kutruff lead the team in digs so far this season with a combined 652 digs of the team's 946.

• Sophomore Jayda Carlton is the BIG EAST block leader, as she's tallied 77 blocks (1.22 block per set) in 18 matches.

• While kills are evenly dispersed throughout Xavier's balanced attack, Redshirt Freshman Lauren Hanlon leads the way with 159 put-aways (2.56 kills per set). Behind her, Moriah Hopkins and Norah Painter chip in with 136 kills and 117 kills respectively.

BIG EAST NOTES

• Xavier opened BIG EAST play on Sept. 25 at DePaul and won a tight five-set match. The Musketeers close conference action at Butler on Nov. 23.

• Xavier has posted a 71-44 record in BIG EAST play since joining the conference in 2013. The Musketeers have advanced to the conference tournament in three of their five seasons in the BIG EAST.

• Marquette will host the 2019 BIG EAST Tournament after it was held at Creighton a year ago.

ABOUT THE TEAM

• Xavier graduated five seniors in Morgan Finn, Meredith Klare, Laura Grossman, Olivia Hart and McKena Estes.

• The Musketeers return eighth letterwinners from last year, including two upperclassmen. Xavier will have one senior on the team this fall.

• Xavier added five newcomers to the 2019 roster in MaryAnn O'Toole, Carrigan O'Reilly, Alyssa Overbeck, Ailsa Watson and Hayley Heitmeyer.

• Xavier returns freshman outside hitter Norah Painter who ranked fourth on the team in total kills (178) last season. The Musketeers also return its leader in total blocks (107) in Jayda Carlton.

UP NEXT

• After playing DePaul on Sunday, Xavier will take on St. John's and Seton Hall in their home courts, with serious playoff implications on the line.