(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University volleyball team (10-6, 5-1 BIG EAST) defeated Villanova (9-8, 2-4 BIG EAST) in four sets Saturday evening at the Al McGuire Center.
Tani Juric led all players with a career-high 17 kills while hitting .438 and added four blocks, while Caydence Doolan provided a spark off the bench with 16 kills on a .353 hitting percentage and two blocks. Luanna Markus paced the offense with 40 assists and contributed five kills, 13 digs and four blocks. Molly Welge added eight kills on a team-best .538 hitting percentage and matched Juric with four blocks, while Carson Tyler recorded nine kills, five service aces and three blocks. Defensively, Emi Juric led the Golden Eagles with 23 digs, and Avery Helms chipped in eight as Marquette held Villanova to a .190 hitting percentage and finished with a 13-3 advantage in team blocks.
Marquette opened the match in dominant fashion, racing out to a 9-1 lead behind a six-point service run from Tyler and four early kills from Tani Juric. After Villanova trimmed the deficit to 9-5, the Golden Eagles responded with a pair of Caydence Doolan kills and a block from Markus and Welge to re-establish control at 12-5. Villanova fought to bring the score within six points on multiple occasions, but Marquette never allowed the Wildcats to make a serious push. Juric and Tyler combined for 10 kills in the frame, while the Golden Eagles hit efficiently throughout and used three team blocks to keep Villanova out of rhythm. Marquette closed the set with kills from Welge and Tyler for a 25-18 victory.
After Villanova scored the first two points of the set, Marquette quickly seized control with a 5-0 run fueled by a Tyler service ace, a Stanev kill and a pair of blocks. The Golden Eagles maintained their advantage throughout the frame, never allowing the Wildcats to draw closer than two points. Tyler’s serving helped spark multiple runs, including a late 3-0 stretch that extended Marquette’s lead from 18-14 to 21-14. Tani Juric led the offense with six kills in the set, while Tyler added two aces and key kills from the right side. Marquette’s defense also continued to frustrate Villanova, posting five blocks and forcing numerous attack errors. A Doolan kill and back-to-back Villanova errors brought up set point, and the Wildcats misfired on the final attack as Marquette secured a 25-15 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Wildcats used a pair of early runs to build a 12-7 advantage in the third, forcing two Marquette timeouts before the midpoint of the set. Marquette responded with a 4-0 burst fueled by back-to-back kills from Caydence Doolan and a Carson Tyler service ace to cut the deficit to 12-11, but Villanova answered and extended its lead back to five at 17-12. Doolan continued to provide a spark for the Golden Eagles offensively, while Tani Juric and Tyler added key kills to keep Marquette within reach. The Wildcats maintained their cushion down the stretch, however, as Marquette fought off two set points with a Juric kill and a Tyler ace, but Villanova closed out the frame, 25-19, to force a fourth set.
The two teams battled through nine ties early in the fourth set before the Golden Eagles used a 6-0 run to turn a 12-12 deadlock into an 18-12 advantage. Emi Juric directed the surge from the service line as Molly Welge recorded back-to-back kills and Tani Juric added another to force Villanova onto its heels. The Wildcats chipped away with a 6-1 run to pull within 18-17, but Marquette answered behind kills from Caydence Doolan and Welge, along with consecutive blocks that pushed the lead back to four. Villanova again threatened late, trimming the deficit to 24-22, but the Golden Eagles sealed the match when a Wildcats attack sailed long on match point. Doolan, Welge and Juric all delivered key points in the closing stretch as Marquette secured the four-set win.
NOTES
- MU improved to 28-5 all-time against the Wildcats.
- The Golden Eagles remained unbeaten at home this season, improving to 5-0 at the Al McGuire Center.
- Marquette has won three straight matches and six of its last seven contests overall.
- MU hit .326 as a team with 58 kills and just 14 attack errors on 135 swings.
- Freshman Tani Juric led all players with a career-high 17 kills while hitting .438 and adding four blocks.
- Freshman Emi Juric recorded a career-high 23 digs, the second 20-plus dig performance of her collegiate career.
- Juric’s 23 digs were a match high and the most by a Golden Eagle in BIG EAST play this season.
- Caydence Doolan provided a spark off the bench with 16 kills while hitting .353, finishing one kill shy of her career high.
- Luanna Markus guided the offense with 40 assists and recorded a double-double with 13 digs, while adding five kills and four blocks.
- Markus notched her fifth double-double of the season.
- Markus and Emi Juric combined for 36 of Marquette’s 64 digs.
- Molly Welge hit a team-best .538 with eight kills and four blocks.
- Julia Stanev led all players with six blocks and added three kills while hitting .429.
- Carson Tyler finished with nine kills, five service aces and three blocks.
- Tyler’s five aces were tied for the second-highest total of her career and matched her second-best mark this season.
- Tyler finished with below 10 kills for the first time in her career at Marquette, and for the first time since Oct. 25, 2025.
- Tani Juric and Caydence Doolan combined for 33 of Marquette’s 58 kills (56.9 percent).
- Juric (.438), Doolan (.353), Welge (.538), Markus (.444) and Stanev (.429) all hit above .350.
- Marquette had five players hit .429 or better with at least five attack attempts.
UP NEXT
Marquette hits the road again for a pair of matches at St. John’s and Seton Hall next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17
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