#BIGEASTvb Championship Field Set
NEW YORK – The tournament field for the 2016 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship presented by Jeep was set on Sunday afternoon after the final three matches of the season were completed. No. 1 seed Creighton will take on No. 4 seed Seton Hall in the first semifinal on Friday, Nov. 25 at 12:30 p.m. ET; No. 2 seed Marquette will play No. 3 seed Xavier in the second semifinal at 3 p.m. The championship will be played at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University in Indianapolis. It will be the first BIG EAST Championship that will be played at Hinkle.
The semifinals will be on the BIG EAST Digital Network. The championship final will be at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 26 on FS2.
No. 1 seed Creighton became the first BIG EAST team in history to finish with an 18-0 league record. The Bluejays are first undefeated team since Notre Dame went 14-0 in 2009. St. John’s also went 14-0 in 2006. In total, a team has gone undefeated in BIG EAST play 12 times in history. The Bluejays battled Villanova in the final match of the season until the very end, winning a grueling five-set match at home in Omaha. The win not only guaranteed the Bluejays an undefeated slate, but also determined who they would face in the first round of the league championship. Should Villanova have won, the Bluejays and Wildcats would have had a rematch on Friday; however, with the loss the Wildcats fell to 9-9 and Seton Hall became the fourth and final team in at 10-8. Creighton and Seton hall last played each other on Oct. 28 in South Orange, N.J.
No. 2 seed Marquette and No. 3 seed Xavier split their series with the Musketeers winning a four-set match at home on Saturday. The Golden Eagles and Musketeers tied for second in the conference standings at 13-5. The Golden Eagles won the tie breaker for the No. 2 seed with a three-set advantage over Musketeers. Marquette won the first meeting 3-0.
The final Sunday of league play also concluded with Butler defeating DePaul 3-0 in Indianapolis and Georgetown earning a straight set victory over Providence in Rhode Island.
Finishing just outside the tournament picture was Butler and Villanova, tied at 9-9. St. John’s and DePaul tied for seventh at 7-11. Georgetown finished ninth at 3-15 and Providence finished with a 1-17 record.
2016 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship presented by Jeep
Friday, Nov. 25
Semifinals
No. 1 seed Creighton vs. No. 4 seed Seton Hall at 12:30 p.m. (BEDN)
No. 2 seed Marquette vs. No. 3 seed Xavier at 3 p.m. (BEDN)
Saturday, Nov. 26
Championship
Winners of the Semifinals at 2:30 p.m. (FS2)