Xavier University Athletics
Saturday, November 22
Milwaukee, Wis.
3:30 p.m. ET
Xavier University
vs
Villanova
No. 2 Seed Xavier Set to Face No. 3 Seed Villanova in BIG EAST Semifinals
11.20.25 | Volleyball
The 25-3 Musketeers look to advance to the BIG EAST Championship for the second time in program history.
CINCINNATI - The 25-3 Xavier volleyball team returns to the BIG EAST Tournament for the seventh time in program history looking to continue a historic season.
The Musketeers wrapped up conference play last weekend with a program-best 14-2 record in the BIG EAST. XU also posted a record 11-1 mark in non conference play.
Xavier won 13 straight matches through BIG EAST play, good for the second-longest winning streak in program history.
The last time XU won at least 25 games was in 2001, the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the program.
Xavier checked in at No. 28 in the latest RPI and are continuing to receive votes in the AVCA/Taraflex Poll for the third week in a row.
The Musketeers earned the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time in program history. Xavier has finished tied for second place in the BIG EAST standings three times before but has never been higher than a No. 3 seed.
Xavier has advanced to the BIG EAST finals match once before in 2016 but fell to Creighton, 3-0.
The Musketeers have made the BIG EAST Tournament in seven of the 13 seasons since joining the BIG EAST.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22Â | 3:30 PM EST
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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 EASTÂ 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
Oct. 13 - Margo Kemp - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Oct. 20 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Oct. 20 - Kelsey Niesen - BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Oct. 27 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 3 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Nov. 3 - Macy Hatkevich - BIG EAST Setter of the Week
Nov. 10 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Nov. 10 - Emma Grace - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 10 - Anna Taylor - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 17 - Emma Grace - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
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BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches' PollÂ
(first-place votes)
Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year:Â 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 Â
The Musketeers wrapped up conference play last weekend with a program-best 14-2 record in the BIG EAST. XU also posted a record 11-1 mark in non conference play.
Xavier won 13 straight matches through BIG EAST play, good for the second-longest winning streak in program history.
The last time XU won at least 25 games was in 2001, the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the program.
Xavier checked in at No. 28 in the latest RPI and are continuing to receive votes in the AVCA/Taraflex Poll for the third week in a row.
The Musketeers earned the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time in program history. Xavier has finished tied for second place in the BIG EAST standings three times before but has never been higher than a No. 3 seed.
Xavier has advanced to the BIG EAST finals match once before in 2016 but fell to Creighton, 3-0.
The Musketeers have made the BIG EAST Tournament in seven of the 13 seasons since joining the BIG EAST.
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match information
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22Â | 3:30 PM EST
- No. 2 Xavier Musketeers (25-3, 14-2 BIG EAST) vs. No. 3 Villanova Wildcats (20-7, 11-5 BIG EAST)
- Milwaukee // Al McGuire Center
- Watch (ESPN+)
- Live Stats
about the musketeers
- The Xavier volleyball team is tied with UTEP for second-most wins in the country (25) behind No. 1 Nebraska (26).
- Xavier earned the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time in program history.
- XU ended non conference play with an 11-1 record, their best mark in program history.
- Xavier went 12-1 at Cintas Center this season, their best home record since going undefeated in 2011 with a 16-0 record.
- The Musketeers were receiving votes in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Poll for the third week in a row.
- Emma Grace earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second straight week after leading the league with 5.13 points per set and tabbing a double-double in both matches last weekend.
- Xavier boasts one of the best defenses in the league, leading the BIG EAST with 14.79 digs per set while ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.179).
- McKinley Boehm ranks third in conference play with 1.20 blocks per set and seventh with a .338 hitting percentage.
- Anna Taylor is hitting .314Â on the season and is one of two non-middle blockers to rank in the league's top-10 hitting percentages.
- Emma Grace ranks sixth in both kills (3.31) and points (3.86) per set while ranking tenth in digs per set (3.02) through conference play.
scouting the wildcats
- Villanova ended the regular season at 20-7 with an 11-5 BIG EAST record.
- The Wildcats beat UConn and Providence in the final weekend of the regular season to secure the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.
- Taylor Lewis was named to the final BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll of the season after averaging 3.50 kills per set on .436 hitting in VU's 2-0 weekend.
- Middle blocker Campbell McKinnon is second in the BIG EAST with a .385 hitting percentage while her counterpart Reagan McGivern hits a sixth-best .361.
- Villanova leads the league with 12.88 assists per set and ranks second in hitting percentage (.259) and kills per set (13.63).
- Xavier is 2-0 against Villanova this season, taking a 3-2 win on the road and a 3-0 win in Cintas Center.Â
- XU hit a combined .267 between both matches against the Wildcats this season. Emma Grace averages 4.13 kills per set against VU this season and posted a career-high 23 kills in the 3-2 win on Oct. 4.
- The Musketeers lead the all-time series, 14-10.Â
big east standings
| TEAM | CONF. | PCT. | OVERALL | PCT. | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creighton | 16-0 | 1.000 | 23-5 | .821 | W18 |
| Xavier | 14-2 | .875 | 25-3 | .893 | L1 |
| Villanova | 11-5 | .688 | 20-7 | .741 | W2 |
| Marquette | 11-5 | .688 | 17-9 | .654 | W4 |
| UConn | 8-8 | .500 | 19-9 | .679 | W1 |
| DePaul | 7-9 | .438 | 14-13 | .519 | W1 |
| Georgetown | 7-9 | .438 | 14-15 | .483 | L1 |
| St. John's | 6-10 | .375 | 10-19 | .345 | W1 |
| Butler | 5-11 | .312 | 12-17 | .414 | L5 |
| Providence | 3-13 | .188 | 12-17 | .414 | L2 |
| Seton Hall | 0-16 | .000 | 6-21 | .222 | L16 |
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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 EASTÂ 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
Oct. 13 - Margo Kemp - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Oct. 20 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Oct. 20 - Kelsey Niesen - BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Oct. 27 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 3 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Nov. 3 - Macy Hatkevich - BIG EAST Setter of the Week
Nov. 10 - McKinley Boehm - BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Nov. 10 - Emma Grace - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 10 - Anna Taylor - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Nov. 17 - Emma Grace - BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
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preseason big east honors
BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches' PollÂ
(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:Â 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 Â
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballPRESS CONFERENCE | Coach Pfeffenberger, Margo Kemp & Anna Taylor after Michigan (NCAA First Round)
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2025 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show
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