Xavier Celebrates Senior Day This Weekend

Saturday, November 13

Cincinnati, Ohio

4 p.m.

Xavier University

Marquette

11.11.21 | Volleyball

Musketeers to host Marquette and DePaul

By: Mark Leopold, Xavier Athletics Communications

CINCINNATI, OH - Xavier will play their final home matches in 2021 as they host Marquette on Saturday before celebrating Senior Day on Sunday against DePaul. Both matches will be played at Cintas Center, with first serve at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday and 2:00 pm ET on Sunday.

Xavier currently sits at 6-8 in conference, while Marquette is 12-2 and DePaul is 8-6.

XAVIER SCHEDULE

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (11-14) vs RV MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES (21-4)
Match Info - Saturday, November 13 - 4:00 p.m. ET - Cintas Center
Live Stats - http://bit.ly/2BQZu3r
Watch Live ($) - https://bit.ly/3C19EbG

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (11-14) vs DePAUL BLUE DEMONS (15-11)
Match Info - Sunday, November 14 - 2:00 p.m. ET - Cintas Center
Live Stats - http://bit.ly/2BQZu3r
Watch Live ($) - https://bit.ly/3n6EzPK

ABOUT MARQUETTE

2021 (Fall) Record: 21-4 (12-2 BIG EAST)
2021 (Spring) Record: 10-4 (4-2 BIG EAST)
Series History: Marquette leads 15-9
Last Meeting: Xavier 0, Marquette 3 (November 1, 2019 - Milwaukee, WI)

NOTABLES
• Xavier and Marquette will play for the 25th time on Saturday, with Marquette leading the all-time series 15-9 after winning the last six meetings.
• The Golden Eagles are 21-4 this season, with the only losses coming against ranked teams: Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Creighton twice. They swept all three of their nonconference tournaments, and are 12-0 in the BIG EAST excluding Creighton.
• Marquette was chosen to finish second in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, having received three first place votes, and currently sit there. Graduate students Savannah Rennie and Taylor Wolf were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team.
• Ryan Theis is in his 8th season as Marquette head coach. He is the top 15 among active NCAA Division I head coaches with a .731 winning percentage (301-111 career record) and a 157-57 record at Marquette. In his 13 years as a head coach he has never had fewer than 21 wins in a full season with a career-best 28 victories with the Golden Eagles in both 2018 and 2019.

ABOUT DePAUL

2021 (Fall) Record: 15-11 (8-6 BIG EAST)
2021 (Spring) Record: 6-5 (3-5 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier leads 20-6
Last Meeting: Xavier 2, DePaul 3 (February 20, 2021 - Chicago, Ill.)

NOTABLES
• Xavier will meet DePaul for the 27th time on Sunday, and they lead the all-time series 20-6. DePaul won the last match in five sets, but Xavier has won four of the last five, nine of the last 11, and 15 of the last 18.
• DePaul has been up and down this fall, as they were below .500 before sweeping the Chicago Cup. In BIG EAST play, they have won and lost in two and three game streaks. However, they just beat St. John's and Seton Hall on the road.
• The Blue Demons were chosen to finish 6th in the conference by BIG EAST coaches. They are currently tied for fourth with Butler.
• Marie Zidek heads the DePaul volleyball program. She is coming into her fourth season as head coach, coming off DePaul's first winning season in 2015 in the COVID-shortened spring season.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST HONORS

• Junior Carrigan O'Reilly was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team on Aug. 8.

• O'Reilly ranked second in the BIG EAST in assists per set (10.69) last season, while ranking 30th in the NCAA. The All-BIG EAST performer recorded 631 total assists to rank 73rd in the NCAA. She added 69 kills, seven aces, 146 digs and 29 blocks.

• The Westerville, Ohio, native also earned AVCA All-East Region Honorable Mention Team honors.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Xavier has played all of their non-conference matches and competed in three tournaments. The Musketeers opened the season at the Charlotte Tournament on Aug. 27-28, taking on South Carolina State, Charlotte and Colorado. Then Xavier traveled to the Loyola Tournament on Sept. 3-4, taking on SIUE, Eastern Kentucky and Loyola. After facing Lipscomb and Louisville, the Musketeers went up against in-state foes Cincinnati, Miami and Dayton.

• The Musketeers hosted the Xavier Tournament on Sept. 10-11. Three of the four teams competing in the tournament participated in the NCAA Tournament last spring: Louisville, Purdue and Lipscomb. Purdue finished the year ranked No. 7 in the AVCA Top-25 Poll, while Louisville ranked 11th.

• Xavier took on crosstown rival Cincinnati on Sept. 16 at Fifth Third Arena. The two teams split the two-match series last year with the road team winning each match.

• The Musketeers played teams from 10 different conferences during non-conference action (ACC, MEAC, C-USA, Pac-12, OVC, A-SUN, MVC, MAC, AAC, A-10). Xavier faced two new opponents for the first time in program history in SIUE and Loyola.

• Xavier opened its 18-match BIG EAST schedule on Friday, Sept. 24 with a win against Providence.

• Xavier closes its BIG EAST schedule with back-to-back road matches at UConn (Nov. 19) and Butler (Nov. 21).

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

• The Musketeers posted a 7-7 (3-3 BIG EAST) record during the COVID-19 shortened spring 2021 season. Xavier had wins over rival Cincinnati, Big 12 member Kansas and AVCA Top-50 team UIC.

• Xavier returns AVCA All-East Region Team member, Carrigan O'Reilly. The junior setter picked up honorable mention team honors, becoming the first Musketeer to earn the honors since Sofia Peterson and Abbey Bessler in 2016.

• O'Reilly also earned All-BIG EAST honors. She averaged 10.71 assists per set, ranking second in the BIG EAST and 28th in the NCAA. She added 69 kills, 29 blocks, 146 digs and seven aces. The Westerville, Ohio, native had seven double-doubles and one triple-double.

• The Musketeers also return All-BIG EAST honoree and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Delaney Hogan. She was the first Musketeer to earn "Freshman of the Year" honors since Aubree Smith picked up the accolades in 2011 (Atlantic-10 Conference). She was also the first Xavier player to earn a major award from the BIG EAST since Abbey Bessler in 2015 (BIG EAST Player of the Year).

• Hogan led the BIG EAST in hitting percentage this season (.356), while ranking 100th in the NCAA. The middle blocker also led the Musketeers in total kills (131) and total blocks (45) this season. She averaged 2.38 k/s and 0.82 b/s and had 10 or more kills in eight matches.

• Xavier only graduated one player in Lauren Hanlon. All told, the Musketeers return 13 letterwinners and welcome four newcomers to the roster.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST HONOREES

Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year
Efrosini Alexakou, St. John's, Sr., OH

Preseason All-BIG EAST
(listed alphabetically by institution, then last name)

Melody Davidson, Butler, R-Sr., MB
Caylee Parker, Connecticut, Sr., OH
Naomi Hickman, Creighton, Sr., MB
Jaela Zimmerman, Creighton, Sr., OH^
Savannah Rennie, Marquette, Gr., MB^
Taylor Wolf, Marquette, Gr., RS/S^
Allison Barber, Providence, Gr., S
Efrosini Alexakou, St. John's, Sr., OH^
Rachele Rastelli, St. John's, Sr., RS
Tsvetelina Ilieva, Seton Hall, So. OH
Averi Salvador, Villanova, Gr., L/DS
Carrigan O'Reilly, Xavier, Jr., S/RS

^ denotes unanimous selection

PRESEASON COACHES' POLL

1.	Creighton	12-2
2.	Marquette	12-2
3.	UConn	1-3
4.	Butler	8-6
5.	DePaul	8-6
6.	Villanova	6-8
7.	Xavier	6-8
8.	St. John's	5-9
9.	Seton Hall	4-10
10.	Providence	3-11
11.	Georgetown	2-12