Volleyball Continues BIG EAST Play at Georgetown and Villanova

CINCINNATI - The Xavier volleyball team is set to face Georgetown and Villanova on the road this weekend to continue the BIG EAST schedule.

The Musketeers look to bounce back after suffering a 3-0 loss to No. 16 Creighton on the road last Friday. XU defeated Butler in straight sets at home last Wednesday to open the conference slate.

Prior to the loss to Creighton, Xavier had won its last six straight matches. The Musketeers also opened the season on a six-match win streak for the program's best start since 2007.

match information

FRIDAY, OCT. 3 | 7:00 PM

Xavier Musketeers (12-2, 1-1 BIG EAST) vs. Georgetown Hoyas (9-6, 2-0 BIG EAST)
Washington, D.C. // McDonough Arena
Watch (ESPN+)
Live Stats

SATURDAY, OCT. 4 | 7:00 PM

Xavier Musketeers (12-2, 1-1 BIG EAST) vs. Villanova Wildcats (11-2, 2-0 BIG EAST)
Villanova, Pa. // Jake Nevin Field House
Watch (ESPN+)
Live Stats

about the musketeers

The Musketeers split their first weekend of BIG EAST play with an opening night sweep of Butler at Cintas Center last Wednesday before falling to No. 16 Creighton on the road on Friday night.
Margo Kemp was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team after a stellar rookie season where she hit .345 and totaled 240 kills along with 77 blocks.
Xavier was picked to finish seventh in the 2025 BIG EAST Preseason Poll after finishing with an 8-10 league record a season ago.
XU swept all three preseason tournaments to end non conference play with an 11-1 record, the best mark in program history.
Xavier's defense ranks second in the league with a .180 opponent hitting percentage while also ranking third with 2.37 blocks and 14.79 digs per set.
McKinley Boehm is fourth in the conference with 1.12 blocks per set, the highest of any rookie, while Margo Kemp ranks sixth with 1.10. Xavier is the only team besides Creighton with both middle blockers in the top-10 of the category.
The Musketeers also rank third in the league for both kills per set (13.38) and hitting percentage (.252).
Kelsey Niesen ranks fourth in digs (4.12) and eighth in aces (0.42) aces per set.
Emma Grace ranks ninth in kills (3.51) and 10th in digs (3.33) per set.
Macy Hatkevich, who was named BIG EAST Setter of the Week on Sept. 8, is fourth in the league with 8.88 assists per set.
Anna Taylor leads the Musketeers with a .331 hitting percentage, the highest of any non-middle blocker in the league.

scouting the hoyas

Georgetown is currently 9-6 and 2-0 in the BIG EAST, opening the conference slate with road wins over Seton Hall and St. John's last weekend.
The Hoyas were picked to finish 10th in the league this season after a 4-14 record last season.
Outside hitter Dionna Mitchell was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in 2024 after leading the Hoyas with 3.36 kills per set.
Mitchell earned a spot on this week's BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 3.86 kills and 2.14 digs per set to open league play.
Middle blockers Berkeley Ploder (.367) and Kamryn Lee-Caracci (.350) both rank in the league's top-10 hitting percentages.
Xavier is 22-2 all-time against GU, winning the last 10 straight including two 3-1 wins last season.

scouting the wildcats

Villanova is 11-2 with a 2-0 BIG EAST record, also opening league play with wins at St. John's and Seton Hall.
The Wildcats were picked to finish fifth in the league this year after a 9-9 record and a trip to the BIG EAST Semifinals in 2024.
Abby Harrell and Campbell McKinnon were both named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
McKinnon leads the league and ranks 10th in the nation with a .455 hitting percentage.
Harrell is fifth in the league with 3.71 kills per set and seventh with 0.43 aces per set.
Middle blocker Reagan McGivern was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after hitting .455 and averaging 1.50 blocks per set through BIG EAST opening week.
Xavier leads the all-time series, 12-10, despite VU winning both match ups last season.

big east weekly honors

Sept. 2 - Margo Kemp - BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 8 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Sept. 8 - Macy Hatkevich - BIG EAST Setter of the Week
Sept. 8 - Emma Grace - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Sept. 22 - Macy Hatkevich - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll

preseason big east honors

BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes)

Creighton (10) 100
Marquette (1) 85
UConn 80
St. John's 79
Villanova 63
DePaul 53
Xavier 47
Seton Hall 31
Butler 29
Georgetown 27
Providence 11

Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
McKenna Brand, So., L/DS, UConn
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn
Jaya Johnson, So., RS/MB, Creighton
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Hattie Bray, Sr., MB, Marquette*
Natalie Ring, Jr., OH, Marquette
Erin Jones, Sr., S/RS, St. John's*
Lucrezia Lodi, Sr., OH, St. John's
Rashanny Solano-Smith, Jr., L/DS, St. John's
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova
Margo Kemp, RS-So., MB, Xavier
^Denotes tie in voting
*Denotes unanimous selection

Schedule

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