Volleyball Set to Host UConn and Providence

CINCINNATI - The Xavier volleyball team welcomes UConn and Providence to Cintas Center this weekend as the 2025 BIG EAST slate continues.

Xavier is off to a 3-1 start in league play, coming off a 2-0 weekend on the road where the Musketeers took down both Georgetown and Villanova in five sets.

XU opened the BIG EAST slate with a sweep of Butler at Cintas Center before suffering their lone league loss to then-No.16 Creighton in Omaha, Neb.

McKinley Boehm was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the second time this season after hitting a massive .486 with 22 kills and six blocks in XU's weekend sweep.

match information

FRIDAY, OCT. 10 | 6:00 PM

Xavier Musketeers (14-2, 3-1 BIG EAST) vs. UConn Huskies (13-3, 2-2 BIG EAST)
Cincinnati, Ohio // Cintas Center
Watch (Xavier+)
Live Stats

SATURDAY, OCT. 11 | 3:30 PM

Xavier Musketeers (14-2, 3-1 BIG EAST) vs. Providence Friars (10-7, 1-3 BIG EAST)
Cincinnati, Ohio // Cintas Center
Watch (Xavier+)
Live Stats

about the musketeers

The Musketeers won two five-set matches over the weekend, handing both Georgetown and Villanova their first BIG EAST losses of the season.
McKinley Boehm earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors for the second time this season. The middle blocker hit a combined .486 over the weekend including a career-high 15 kills on .522 hitting against Villanova. She leads the league with a .473 clip in conference play.
Emma Grace has recorded a double-double in 12 matches this season including both road wins last weekend, earning her a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. Against Villanova, she matched her career-high 23 kill tally and currently ranks eighth in the league with 3.56 kills per set. The redshirt senior also ranks ninth with 3.94 points and 10th with 3.15 digs per set.
Margo Kemp also earned a spot on the Weekly Honor Roll for her 24 kill and 13 block performance while hitting .457 across both matches last weekend. She hit .462 on 13 kills and a match-high eight blocks against Villanova. The redshirt sophomore ranks third in the league with 1.13 blocks per set and seventh with a .320 hitting percentage.
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 third in the league with a .194 opponent hitting percentage, 2.31 blocks and 14.69 digs per set.
Offensively, the Musketeers also rank third for their .253 hitting percentage and 13.47 kills per set.
The Musketeers are 5-0 at home this season and look to extend the streak through this weekend.

scouting the huskies

UConn is currently 13-3 with a 2-2 BIG EAST record after taking down Seton Hall and St. John's last weekend.
The Huskies were picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll after finishing with a 12-6 record a season ago that earned them the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament.
UConn ended their 2024 postseason run in the NIVC Great 8, falling to conference foe St. John's.
Doga Kutlu was named the BIG EAST Setter of the Week after leading the league with 12.13 assists per set with a career-high 56 against SJU.
Kutlu was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team along with libero McKenna Brand and outside hitter Emma Werkmeister. Brand shared Co-Freshman of the Year honors last season with XU's Margo Kemp.
UConn leads the league with 2.28 service aces per set behind Werkmeister's 0.65 and Brand's 0.42.
The Huskies lead the all-time series with Xavier, 5-3, after splitting last season's matches as XU won in five sets in Cincinnati and UConn swept the rematch in Storrs, Conn.

scouting the huskies

Providence holds a 10-7 record with a 1-3 mark in the BIG EAST after losing to St. John's last weekend and picking up their first league win over Seton Hall.
The Friars were picked to finish 11th in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll after finishing with a 1-17 record last season.
Tennessee State transfer Hadley Pride leads the league with 5.53 digs per set while junior Lyric Berry leads the league with 1.42 blocks per set.
Sophomore Sophia Adkins leads the team offensively with 3.89 kills per set with Miller McDonald and Audrey Kocon splitting time as the setter.
PC returns 10 players from last year as Margot Royer-Johnson enters her 26th season at the helm of the program.
Xavier leads the all-time series, 19-2, as the Musketeers have won the last five straight match ups.

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
Oct. 6 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Oct. 6 - Emma Grace - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Oct. 6 - Margo Kemp - 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

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Players Mentioned

McKinley Boehm

Emma Grace

Macy Hatkevich

Margo Kemp

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