(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University volleyball team (14-6, 9-1 BIG EAST) secured a hard fought five-set thriller over Xavier (12-9, 5-5 BIG EAST) Sunday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center.
Carson Tyler paced the Marquette attack with a team-high 23 kills while adding 12 digs for a double-double, her seventh of the season. Emma Parks provided a major boost with 11 kills, while Tani Juric added 10 kills and the match-clinching block. Luanna Markus directed the offense with 44 assists and eight digs, while libero Emi Juric anchored the back row with a career-high 28 digs and added three assists and an ace. Molly Welge contributed six kills and a team-best five blocks, while Julia Stanev chipped in five kills on a .333 hitting percentage.
The Musketeers scored six of the first seven points to force an early Marquette timeout, but the Golden Eagles quickly answered. Allie Beers sparked the turnaround from the service line, serving an 8-0 run that flipped a 7-2 deficit into a 10-7 lead. Beers recorded two aces during the stretch while Xavier committed three attacking errors. Marquette never relinquished the lead, using balanced offense from Emma Parks, Molly Welge and Tani Juric to gradually extend its advantage. Parks recorded three kills during a 5-0 stretch later in the set, while Welge added key kills down the stretch. Marquette closed the frame by scoring 10 of the final 13 points and secured the set when a Xavier ball-handling error ended the opener at 25-17.
After Marquette took a 2-1 lead, the Musketeers scored nine of the next 10 points behind a strong service rotation from Kelsey Niesen to build a commanding 10-2 advantage. Xavier’s lead grew to as many as 11 points at 21-10 as the Golden Eagles struggled to find offensive rhythm against the Musketeer block. Carson Tyler and Caydence Doolan provided kills during a brief Marquette response, while Tyler later added a service ace and two more kills to help the Golden Eagles cut into the deficit. However, Xavier maintained its cushion throughout the frame and closed out the set, 25-14, to send the match into the intermission tied at one set apiece.
The Musketeers used an 8-1 run to turn a 3-2 lead into a 10-3 advantage, highlighted by an ace from Jenna Barhorst and multiple Marquette attacking errors. Xavier continued to build its lead, using a 7-0 stretch to extend the margin from 10-6 to 17-6 while holding the Golden Eagles to just four kills during the run. Marquette showed signs of life late as Carson Tyler recorded a kill and service ace during a 4-0 run that cut the deficit to 17-10, and the Golden Eagles later scored five of six points to pull within 20-15. However, Xavier answered with four of the next five points, including a pair of service aces, to regain control. Tyler added a kill to save one set point, but XU delivered the kill as the Musketeers secured the 25-17 set three win.
After the teams traded points early, the Golden Eagles used an 8-2 run to turn a 5-4 lead into a 13-7 advantage. Emi Juric helped fuel the surge from the service line, recording an ace while Xavier committed three attacking errors during the stretch. Marquette maintained control throughout the set and pushed its lead to 21-14 behind kills from Tani Juric, Carson Tyler and Emma Parks. The Musketeers never drew closer than five points the rest of the way as the Golden Eagles closed strong. A block by Molly Welge and Tyler set up set point at 24-15 before Tyler delivered the set-ending kill on an assist from Luanna Markus to secure the 25-15 win and send the match to a fifth set.
In the fifth, Xavier scored the first two points, but the Golden Eagles repeatedly responded behind the play of Carson Tyler and Emma Parks. Parks recorded two early kills during a 3-0 Marquette run, while Tyler took over offensively in the middle stages of the set with four kills as the Golden Eagles built an 8-6 advantage at the changeover. Neither team led by more than two points the rest of the way. After Xavier erased an 11-9 Marquette lead to tie the set at 11-11, a block by Parks and Molly Welge gave the Golden Eagles a 12-11 edge. Tyler then delivered kills for both Marquette match points, first at 14-13 and again at 15-14, before Tani Juric sealed the victory with a solo block to give Marquette the 16-14 win and complete the five-set triumph.
NOTES
- The Golden Eagles improve to 24-10 overall against Xavier.
- MU won their seventh-straight match, a season long and the longest since winning seven in a row from 10/10-10/30/2018.
- MU also won their seventh-straight BIG EAST match, the longest since winning seven in a row from 10/11-11/01/2019.
- Marquette improved to 3-3 in five-set matches this season, and have won two-straight (at Creighton 10/4, vs. Xavier 10/25) after losing their first three of their first four five-setters of the season (vs. #2 Texas, at Illinois 9/13, at DePaul 9/30).
- Carson Tyler recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 23 kills and 12 digs.
- Tyler eclipsed 20 kills for the fourth time this season.
- Luanna Markus finished with 44 assists, her fifth time eclipsing that mark in the past seven matches.
- Emi Juric recorded a career-high 28 digs, her fourth time eclipsing 20 digs in a maatch this season and for the third time in the past four matches.
- Allie Beers finished with 10 digs, the fourth time this season in double-digit digs.
- Emma Parks contributed 11 kills, her second double-digit kill effort in the past three matches.
- Tani Juric finished with 10 kills, her sixth time eclipsing double-digit kills in the past seven matches.
UP NEXT
Marquette heads into another weekend at the Al McGuire Center next week, beginning with hosting the Creighton Bluejays on Thursday, Oct. 29. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT, and will be broadcast on FS1.
