Courtesy: Big East Conference
NEW YORK – The third weekend of play in BIG EAST volleyball is loaded with several matchups against nationally-ranked opponents. BIG EAST squads will face four combined Top 25 schools over the weekend.
The action starts Thursday night with an in-state rivalry between top-ranked four-time BIG EAST tournament champions, No. 14 Creighton, and defending national champions, No. 7 Nebraska, at the CHI Health Center in downtown Omaha. A crowd of over 11,000 is expected.
The Bluejays will also host Iowa State on Friday and Wichita State on Sunday in the Bluejay Invitational. Both the Cyclones and Shockers are receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
No. 25 Marquette will welcome a pair of top 10 teams to Milwaukee. First, No. 10 Southern California will make the trip to the Al McGuire Center on Friday. Then on Saturday, the Golden Eagles will take on No. 3 BYU. MU will conclude the weekend on Sunday with a battle against Syracuse.
Villanova hosts No. 21 Utah in the Villanova Classic on Friday. The Wildcats will play High Point at home on Saturday, followed by a cross-town trip to face inner-city rival Temple on Sunday.
Xavier will head to the Stacey Clark Classic this weekend where they will face host No. 19 Purdue on Friday morning and Louisville, which is receiving votes, in the evening. A matchup between the Musketeers and Lipscomb will take place on Saturday.
This Weekend’s Top 25 Matches:
No. 7 Nebraska at No. 14 CREIGHTON (Sept. 6 at 8 p.m.)
XAVIER at No. 19 Purdue (Sept. 7 at 10 a.m.)
No. 21 Utah at VILLANOVA (Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.)
No. 10 Southern California at No. 25 MARQUETTE (Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET)
No. 3 BYU at No. 25 MARQUETTE (Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. ET)
Around the rest of the league, Butler will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Arkansas Classic. The Bulldogs will play the host Razorbacks on Friday, then Northwestern and Buffalo on Saturday.
In Chicago, the Blue Demons host the DePaul Invitational by welcoming Connecticut on Friday followed by Florida Atlantic and Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday.
Providence will head to Kansas City, Mo., for the Kangaroo Klassic, hosted by Missouri-Kansas City. The Friars will see Southern Illinois-Edwardsville first on Friday, then Arkansas State later that day. Southeast Missouri State will be waiting on Saturday morning, followed by a matchup with the host Kangaroos in the evening.
St. John’s makes the trip to Nacogdoches, Texas, for the SFA Invitational. Stetson is first up for the Red Storm on Friday, then the host Stephen F. Austin awaits later in the day. On Saturday, SJU finishes the tournament against Tennessee State.
Seton Hall goes coast-to-coast with a spot in the Thunderdome Classic, hosted by Santa Barbara. In California the Pirates will face Sacred Heart on Friday and then battle Texas Tech and host Gauchos on Saturday.
Currently, St. John’s, Marquette and Villanova top the volleyball standings with just one loss. Creighton and Providence are tied for fourth at 4-2. Seton Hall is sixth at 3-3.
For live stats and any live video, visit the BIG EAST volleyball schedule page.
Leave a Reply