(RV) Marquette Sweeps DePaul to Secure #2 Seed in Big East Tourney

MATCH NOTES

• (RV) Marquette def. DePaul 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-19)
• Marquette moves to 21-8 overall, 15-3 Big East
• DePaul drops to 8-22 overall, 2-16 Big East
• Chicago, Illinois
• Attendance: 356
• Box Score
• VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings (Week 13)

The (RV) Marquette Golden Eagles defeated the DePaul Blue Demons in consecutive sets on Saturday afternoon to secure the #2 seed in next weekend’s Big East Tournament, which they will host.

The Golden Eagles received key contributions from sophomore outside Allie Barber (10 kills), junior middle Jenna Rosenthal (10 kills), sophomore setter Lauren Speckman (18 assists) and junior Anna Haak (8 kills, 16 digs).

“I thought this was a total team win,” Marquette head coach Ryan Theis said. “Everyone chipped in and we had some strong contributions off of the bench. We are excited for the post season and hosting the BIG EAST Tournament. We consider postseason to be the third phase in our season and we are excited to move forward.”

For the Blue Demons, junior outside Brittany Maxwell notched a match-high 16 kills, including the 1,000th of her career. Senior outside Myah Reed added 15 kills, and senior setter Kelsey Horvath dished out 10 assists.

In the first, the Golden Eagles trailed 19-12 before going on a 13-4 run to take the set 25-23. The second frame started with DePaul ahead 5-1, but Marquette was able to catch the home team again and won by a 25-23 margin. Marquette seized control of the third frame early and sealed the victory 25-19.

Next up, Marquette hosts the Big East Tournament as the #2 seed and will play #3 Butler on Friday. DePaul did not qualify for the tournament, ending their season with an 8-22 record.

#muvb wraps the regular season with a sweep over DePaul on Sunday! https://t.co/tDG6uFjt38 pic.twitter.com/XGVcaDzFD8

— Marquette Volleyball (@MarquetteVB) November 18, 2017

PRESS RELEASES

Courtesy: Marquette Athletics

MARQUETTE BLANKS DEPAUL IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

Golden Eagles are the No. 2 seed in upcoming BIG EAST Tournament

CHICAGO — The Marquette University volleyball team wrapped up the 2017 regular season with a swift 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-19) victory at DePaul on Saturday afternoon at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

The Golden Eagles (21-8, 15-3) were led by redshirt junior Jenna Rosenthal and sophomore Allie Barber with 10 kills each. Junior Anna Haak added eight kills with a team-best 16 digs.

Sophomore Lauren Speckman and freshman Sarah Rose shared setting duties, dishing out 18 and 13 assists, respectively.

“I thought this was a total team win,” head coach Ryan Theis said. “Everyone chipped in and we had some strong contributions off of the bench. We are excited for the post season and hosting the BIG EAST Tournament. We consider postseason to be third phase in our season and we are excited to move forward.”

Marquette trailed by 19-12 in the first set and was able to close out the frame with a 13-4 run, including five straight points for a 25-23 victory. The Golden Eagles had a slow start in the second frame, down 5-1, but regrouped, putting pressure on the Blue Demons (8-22, 2-16) to take a 25-23 win and go up 2-0 in the match.

An ace from junior Madeline Mosher wrapped up the third set, 25-19 to complete the sweep.

DePaul was led by Brittany Maxwell with a match-high 16 kills and .294 hitting percentage. The Golden Eagles did not have their most efficient hitting of the season, combining for just .188 in the match, though the Blue Demons totaled just .172.

MU’s 15 wins in BIG EAST action is the best mark for the squad since the 2013 campaign when the Golden Eagles also tallied 15 victories.

Marquette has clinched the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, hosted by the Golden Eagles. MU will face No. 3 Butler on Friday, Nov. 24 at 2:30 p.m. CT, live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi.

Courtesy: DePaul Athletics

DePaul Welcomes Family and Friends to Senior and Alumni Day

The Blue Demons fell to Marquette, 3-0 (23-25, 23-25, 19-25) on Saturday afternoon

CHICAGO – Family and friends of the Blue Demons joined the crowd at McGrath-Phillips Arena Saturday afternoon for Senior and Alumni Day. DePaul volleyball fell to Marquette 3-0 (23-25, 23-25, 19-25). With the loss the Blue Demons’ finish with an overall record of (8-22, 2-16 BIG EAST) in 2017.

Following the game DePaul’s six seniors, Rachel Breault, Haley Bueser, Caitlyn Coffey, Kelsey Horvath, Jameson MacPhie, and Myah Reed, were recognized for their contributions to the program over the past four years with a ceremony.

DePaul came out of the gates humming, securing a 15-11 lead midway through the first set. Three big blocks from Coffey and eight opening set kills from Brittany Maxwell pushed the Blue Demon advantage to 19-12. Marquette would complete the comeback, fighting back to win the opening set 25-23.

The Blue Demons began the second set the same way as they began the first, this time to a 9-7 advantage. A well struck kill from Maxwell put DePaul up 17-15. However, tied at 23 the Golden Eagles pulled away again, scoring the final two points of the set to go into the third set leading 2-0.

Marquette finished the game in the third set with a 25-19 set victory.

Maxwell led all players with 16 kills on the afternoon while Myah Reed added 15 kills. Kelsey Horvath registered a team high 10 assists in addition to a team high five digs.

With Maxwell’s 16 kills on the afternoon the junior passed 1,000 career kills, giving her 1,014 going into her senior season.

With Saturday afternoon’s loss, the 2017 season comes to a close for DePaul volleyball. The Marquette Golden Eagles will go on to compete in the BIG EAST tournament as the number two overall seed on Friday in Milwaukee.