(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) – The Marquette University volleyball team (10-6, 5-1 BIG EAST) is set to finish the first half of BIG EAST play this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17 at St. John’s (15-4, 5-1 BIG EAST) and Seton Hall (8-10, 0-6 BIG EAST). First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT on Friday inside historic Carnesecca Arena against the Red Storm, and 4 p.m. CT at Welsh Gymnasium against the Pirates on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
Marquette improved to 10-6 overall and 5-1 in BIG EAST play with a four-set victory over Villanova (25-18, 25-15, 19-25, 25-22) on Oct. 10 at the Al McGuire Center. The Golden Eagles hit .326 and recorded 13 blocks while holding the Wildcats to a .190 hitting percentage. Tani Juric led MU with a career-high 17 kills on .438 hitting, while Caydence Doolan added 16 kills and Carson Tyler contributed nine kills and five service aces. Luanna Markus recorded 40 assists and Emi Juric led the defense with 17 digs as Marquette won its fifth BIG EAST match in six tries.
HISTORY VS. ST. JOHN’S
Marquette owns a 29-9 all-time record against St. John’s and has held the advantage both at home (13-4) and on the road in Queens (12-3). The Golden Eagles have been especially successful in shorter matches, going 18-3 in three-set contests and 10-4 in four-set matches, while the Red Storm hold a 5-1 edge in five-set meetings. Marquette enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak in the series and has won 15 of the last 19 meetings overall. The Golden Eagles’ longest streak against St. John’s was 15 consecutive victories from 2010-23, while their longest skid was three matches from 2005-07. MU swept the most recent meeting, 3-0, in Milwaukee on Nov. 7, 2025, and owns a 4-1 record in the last five matchups, with the lone setback coming in the 2023 BIG EAST semifinal.
RPI CHECK-IN
Marquette enters the week at No. 55 in the NCAA Adjusted RPI with a 10-6 overall record and a 5-1 mark in BIG EAST play. The Golden Eagles have built their résumé with wins over RPI No. 36 Creighton, No. 40 Illinois and No. 67 Wright State, while posting a 3-1 record against teams currently ranked between 51-100. The Golden Eagles are a perfect 5-0 against teams ranked outside the top 100 and own four road or neutral-site victories, highlighted by a five-set win at Creighton on Oct. 4.
The BIG EAST features six teams inside the top 100 of the RPI (Creighton No. 36, Marquette No. 55, DePaul No. 59, Xavier No. 65, Villanova No. 81 and Georgetown No. 99), and Marquette has already faced four of those top-100 conference opponents through its first six league matches.
FIRST PLACE ON THE LINE
Marquette and St. John’s enter Friday’s matchup tied atop the BIG EAST standings with identical 5-1 conference records, making it one of the league’s most important matches of the season to date. The Golden Eagles have won seven of their last eight matches and enter the weekend riding a four-match winning streak, while the Red Storm sit alone atop several conference statistical categories and own a 15-4 overall record. Friday’s winner will gain an early advantage in the race for the BIG EAST regular-season championship as conference play reaches its midpoint following play this weekend.
TYLER TAKES CHARGE
Junior outside hitter Carson Tyler leads Marquette with 261 kills (4.21/set), 314.5 points and 37 service aces. Tyler ranks 25th nationally and first in the BIG EAST in kills per set, 15th nationally and first in the league in points per set, and 14th nationally and third in the conference in aces per set (0.60). She also ranks second in the BIG EAST in total kills and points. Tyler owns three 20-kill performances this season, highlighted by a career-high 30 kills at DePaul, and most recently recorded 13 kills against Georgetown before adding nine kills and five aces against Villanova.
MARKUS THE MAESTRO
Freshman setter Luanna Markus continues to pace the Golden Eagles with 587 assists (9.47/set), totals that rank first in the BIG EAST and 61st nationally in total assists while ranking 81st nationally in assists per set. Markus has reached 30 assists in 14 of 16 matches, including a career-high 54 against St. Thomas, 47 at DePaul and 43 at Creighton. She has also added 130 digs, 43 kills and 36 blocks this season.
HOME SWEET HOME
Marquette improved to 5-0 at the Al McGuire Center following victories over Georgetown and Villanova last weekend. The Golden Eagles have won all five home matches this season and are 3-0 in BIG EAST home contests, and will finish the second half of BIG EAST play with six of eight matches at the Al McGuire Center.
ROAD TESTED
Marquette played 11 of its first 14 matches away from the Al McGuire Center, including nine true road contests and two neutral-site matches. That stretch featured trips to Stanford, Wisconsin, Illinois, UConn, Providence, DePaul and Creighton before the Golden Eagles return home to face Georgetown.
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