MATCH STATS
- (RV) Marquette def #13 Creighton, 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-21)
- Marquette improves to 12-5, 6-0; Creighton falls to 11-5, 4-1
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Attendance: 938
- Box score
MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – For the first time in program history, the Golden Eagles of Marquette defeated their second ranked opponent in the same season, sweeping #13 Creighton in front of almost 1000 fans. Their first ranked win was their first match of 2017 against then-#20 Hawai’i. With the win, MU takes sole possession of first place in the Big East, breaking their tie in the loss column with Creighton in the process.
The Golden Eagles dominated in every statistical category, including kills (47-27), hitting percentage (.321-.093), blocks (8-3), digs (59-41) and aces (4-3). Allie Barber led all attackers with an astounding 21 kills (21-1-37, .541) in the straight set win. Barber started the match with 9 kills in the first set alone. Setter Lauren Speckman ran the efficient offense with 39 assists. Four Golden Eagles finished with double-digit digs, including Anna Haak with a career-high 19 digs to lead all defenders. Others with double-digit digs on MU were Hope Werch with 13, Martha Konovodoff with 11 and Manon Geoffroy with 10.
The Blue Jays did not have any double digit kills numbers from any attacker. They were led offensively by Jaali Winters with 8 kills. Purdue transfer Lydia Dimke ran the offense with 19 assists and chipped in 5 kills and 8 digs. This was Creighton’s first Big East loss since 2015, snapping a 28-match conference win streak.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of Marquette Athletics
MILWAUKEE — The Marquette University women’s volleyball team extended its win streak to seven on Thursday night as the squad swept No. 12 Creighton, 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-21), which is the first win over the Bluejays since 2013.
The Golden Eagles (12-5, 6-0) were led by Allie Barber who ended the match with 21 kills and a .541 clip, while Lauren Speckmandished out 39 assists. Defensively, Marquette collected 59 digs combined with four players in double digits as junior Anna Haakcollected a career-best 19, freshman Hope Werch notched 13 and Martha Konovodoff and Manon Geoffroy recorded 11 and 10 digs, respectively. MU held Creighton to just 41 digs in the match.
Marquette hit .359 in the first set, while holding Creighton (11-5, 4-1) to just .100 as Barber paced the offense with a stellar nine kills helping the Golden Eagles take the frame, 25-16. In the second set MU got out to a 14-4 lead, but the Bluejays rattled off a 7-0 run to threaten. After a timeout, Marquette closed the set with a 10-3 run, winning 25-15. Barber connected on five kills in the second frame, while Elizabeth Orf tallied four blocks.
The third set began with a large Marquette lead, 7-2 forcing a Creighton timeout, but though it was tightly contested, Creighton never led and Barber smashed down a kill to end the contest, 25-21 in the third.
Creighton notched just 27 kills as a team and were held at a .093 hitting percentage with no one hitting double digit kills. Lydia Dimke led the Bluejays with 19 assists and Jaali Winters led with eight kills.
This is the first time in Marquette program history that the squad has defeated two ranked opponents in a season. The Golden Eagles opened the 2017 campaign with a victory over then-No. 20 Hawaii.
Courtesy of Creighton Athletics
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Marquette knocked off No. 12 Creighton in a battle of BIG EAST volleyball unbeatens on Thursday night at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee.
The Golden Eagles won the match 25-16, 25-15, 25-21 to snap a 28-match Creighton win streak in BIG EAST play that ranked third-longest in league history.
Marquette improved to 12-5 on the year and is atop the BIG EAST Conference with a 6-0 league mark. Creighton fell to 11-5 (4-1 BIG EAST), losing to MU for the first time since the title match of the 2013 BIG EAST Championship.
Marquette only trailed one time while taking a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-16 victory in set one. CU trailed 15-14 before MU uncorked a 9-1 run to take control of the set. Allie Barber had nine kills to lead a Golden Eagles squad that hit .359 in the initial frame. MU had a 17-9 lead in kills, a 25-16 lead in digs and the only two blocks to take the opener.
Marquette bolted to a 7-2 lead to start the second set and force an early timeout from Kirsten Bernthal Booth. The break to little to stop MU’s momentum, as the lead quickly reached 12-3 after three straight CU attack errors forced another timeout. Down 15-5, Samantha Bohnet had a pair of aces during a 7-0 serving run that got CU within three, but just as quickly Marquette turned the tables and finished the set on a 10-3 run. MU hit .273 in the second set with 16 kills, while Creighton had just four kills and hit -.062 in the second frame.
CU never led in the third set, falling into a 7-2 hole. CU got within two points on five occasions, but couldn’t get over the hump. CU saved a pair of match points before Barber’s 21st kill of the night closed out the first league sweep of CU since the final day of the 2014 conference season. Jaali Winters had six kills in the final frame for CU, which hit .222, but it wasn’t enough to offset seven kills on .500 hitting by Barber. Marquette hit .324 in the final set and .321 for the match.
Marquette newcomer Anna Haak led all players with 19 digs, while Elizabeth Orf added five blocks. MU finished with 47 kills, four aces, 59 digs and eight blocks overall.
Winters had eight kills to lead CU, while Brittany Witt had 10 digs to pace the defense. Creighton finished with 27 kills, three aces, 41 digs and 3.0 blocks while hitting a season-low .093.
Creighton returns to action on Friday at 6 pm when it visits DePaul.
NOTES: Marquette has now beaten a pair of nationally-ranked teams this year, as the Golden Eagles also topped No. 20 Hawaii to open the fall … Creighton had won 10 straight matches in October … Creighton and Marquette have won all four BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles since the league’s reconfiguration in 2013 … Creighton’s last previous loss to a BIG EAST team had been a five-set contest at Villanova on Oct. 30, 2015 … Marysa Wilkinsonmoved up to eighth on Creighton’s all-time total blocks list. She had three blocks to give her 368 overall, two more than Melissa Walsh.
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