Volleyball Heads to Pittsburgh for NCAA First Round Match vs Michigan

Friday, December 5

Pittsburgh, Pa.

4 p.m.

Xavier University

Michigan

Volleyball Heads to Pittsburgh for NCAA First Round Match vs Michigan

12.03.25 | Volleyball

Watch (ESPN+)Live Stats

The Musketeers earned a No. 8 seed in their first NCAA Tournament since 2007.

By: Abbey Curtis, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - The Xavier volleyball team continues its historic season this weekend in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The No. 8 seed Musketeers are set to face Michigan at 4:00 p.m. on Friday in Pittsburgh.

Xavier is currently 26-4, their winningest season in school history, and finished BIG EAST play with a program-record 14-2 mark. The Musketeers made their second ever appearance in the BIG EAST Championship match and first since 2016. Xavier's 26 wins is the most since 1993.

XU is up to 22 in the RPI, the highest rating this season, and has been receiving votes in the past five AVCA/Taraflex Polls.

Xavier is making its third all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2007. The Musketeers made their first appearance in 2001 after winning the Atlantic 10 Championship. The 2007 squad earned an at-large bid after posting a 24-10 regular season record and finishing runners-up in the A-10 Championship.

match information

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5 | 4:00 PM

No. 8 Xavier Musketeers (26-4, 14-2 BIG EAST) vs. Michigan Wolverines (21-10, 11-9 Big Ten)
Pittsburgh // Petersen Events Center
Watch (ESPN+)
Live Stats

about the musketeers

Xavier is tied with Arizona State, Pitt and Miami for third-most wins in the country (26).
The Musketeers have been receiving votes in the last five straight AVCA/Taraflex Polls.
XU peaked at 22 in the latest RPI. The Musketeers have been in the Top-25 of the RPI for five separate weeks.
Xavier ended non conference play with an 11-1 record, their best mark in program history.
The Musketeers also posted a program-best 14-2 record in BIG EAST play.
Xavier earned the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time and reached the finals game for just the second time.
XU went on a 13-game win streak, one game shy of tying their program-record 14 game streak set in 1991.
Xavier went 12-1 at Cintas Center this season, their best home record since posting an undefeated 16-0 record in 2011.
Emma Grace (unanimous), Macy Hatkevich and Anna Taylor were all named to the 2025 All-BIG EAST Team. McKinley Boehm also earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
Head coach Christy Pfeffenberger, assistant coach Lainey Stephenson and graduate assistant Zoe Conway earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year after leading Xavier to a 15-win improvement from a season ago.
Xavier boasts one of the best defenses in the league, leading the BIG EAST with 14.85 digs per set and ranking second with a .181 opponent hitting percentage.

scouting the wolverines

Michigan finished the regular season at 21-10 with an 11-9 Big Ten record, dropping their last two matches to UCLA and No. 14 USC.
The Wolverines have significant wins over then-No. 10 Minnesota and then-No. 19 Penn State.
UM has also beaten common opponents in Cincinnati and Eastern Michigan. XU lost to Cincinnati but beat Eastern Michigan.
Michigan sits at 45 in the latest RPI, the ninth-highest Big Ten team.
The Wolverines have been receiving votes in the last five AVCA/Taraflex Polls.
Outside hitter Allison Jacobs was a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection. Jacobs averages a fifth-best 3.93 kills and sixth-best 4.52 points per set in the Big Ten.
Middle blocker Serena Nyambio earned a spot on the Second Team. She ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a .388 hitting percentage and 1.27 blocks per set.
Michigan leads the all-time series with Xavier, 5-0. The last time the two teams played was on Sept. 4, 2015 where Michigan took a 3-1 win.

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
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

big east postseason awards

BIG EAST Player of the Year: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
BIG EAST Setter of the Year: Annalea Maeder, Sr., S, Creighton
BIG EAST Libero of the Year: Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L, St. John's
BIG EAST Co-Freshmen of the Year: Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul & Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: Xavier (Christy Pfeffenberger)

All-BIG EAST
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn*
Jaya Johnson, So., RS, Creighton
Annalea Maeder, Sr., S, Creighton*
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul
Hattie Bray, Gr., MB, Marquette*
Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
Natalie Ring, Sr., OH, Marquette*
Hadley Pride, RS-Sr., L, Providence
Erin Jones, Sr., S/OPP, St. John's*
Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L, St. John's
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova*
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova*
Emma Grace, RS-Sr., OH, Xavier*
Macy Hatkevich, Jr., S, Xavier
Anna Taylor, RS-Sr., RS, Xavier

All-Freshman
Abbey Hayes, Fr., OH, Creighton
Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul*
Samantha Soderlund, Fr., OH, Georgetown*
Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
Reagan McGivern, Fr., MB, Villanova
McKinley Boehm, RS-Fr., MB, Xavier
*Denotes unanimous selection