#17 Marquette Inches Closer to Big East Lead With Win Over Butler

BIG EAST RUNDOWN

• October 10, 2018

 RESULTS

• DePaul def. Xavier 3-1
• #17 Marquette def. Butler 3-0

Marquette moved to within a half game of Big East leading Creighton Wednesday night. The Golden Eagles took care of business at home with a sweep of Butler. In Chicago, DePaul jumped out to an early two set lead and then held on to beat Xavier in four sets.

*MATCH OF THE NIGHT*

 DEPAUL DEF. XAVIER 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 17-25, 25-20)

• DePaul improves to 5-13, 3-4; Xavier drops to 5-14, 3-5 in the Big East
• McGrath Phillips Arena; Chicago, Illinois
• Attendance:285
• Box score
• DePaul Recap/Xavier Recap
• The Blue Demons were led by right side hitter Emma Price, who tallied a match-high 19 kills. She was aided by middle hitters Avarie Evans-Allen (14) and Donna Brown (10), who also posted double-digit kills.
• The Musketeer effort was headed up by outside hitter Laura Grossman, who notched 13 kills and six blocks. Right side hitter Morgan Finn added 10 kills.
• Xavier had the advantage in aces (10-4) and in blocks (11-4). DePaul was slightly better on the attack, hitting .193 for the match and holding Xavier to .169.
• DePaul finished 3-2 in the home stand and won’t play another home match until Oct. 26.

HOW IT HAPPENED

DePaul picked up its third Big East win of the season Wednesday night. The Blue Demons took down Xavier in four sets behind a match-high 19 kills from Emma Price.

DePaul got off to a great start in the first set, as it raced out to an early 10-4 lead. The Blue Demons continued to play well, extending their lead to 24-18. Xavier didn’t go down without a fight, as it reeled off five straight to cut the deficit to 24-23 before a kill by Avarie Evans-Allen gave the Blue Demons the set, 25-23.

With the score tied at 8 apiece in the second, DePaul used a 5-0 run to take a 13-8 lead and take control of the set. Once again, Xavier managed to cut into the lead, drawing within one at 19-18. DePaul then used a mini 4-0 run to get some breathing room before finishing the Musketeers off, 25-21.

The third belong Xavier as it jumped out to a big 11-2 lead early on. DePaul managed to cut the deficit to five at 20-15 before the Musketeers took the set, 25-17.

DePaul bounced right back and took a commanding 10-3 lead to open the fourth set. The Blue Demons cruised to the finish line, 25-20 to capture the win.

# MARQUETTE DEF. BUTLER 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-22)

• Marquette moves to 15-4, 6-1; Butler falls to 6-14, 3-5 in the Big East
• Al McGuire Center; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Attendance: 438
• Box score
• Marquette Recap/Butler Recap
• Marquette was led offensively by outside hitter Allie Barber‘s 17 kills. Fellow outside hitter Anna Haak chipped in 10 kills.
• Libero Martha Konovodoff led the effort defensively by tallying a match-high 15 digs.
• The visiting Bulldogs were led by outside hitter Brooke Gregory and middle blocker Bri Lilly, who each notched eight kills.
• Marquette posted a .398 hitting percentage and limited Butler to just .157.
• The Golden Eagles held a distinct advantage in kills, outdoing the Bulldogs (53-26).

UP NEXT

• #17 Marquette hits the road to take on St. John’s at 5 p.m. ET Friday.
• Butler hosts Xavier at 2 p.m. ET Saturday.
• DePaul travels east to take on Seton Hall at 7 p.m. ET Friday.
• Keep up to date on when your program is on TV by checking out VolleyMob’s TV Schedule.

STANDINGS