#BIGEASTvb Field Set for 2017 Championship Presented by Jeep
Championship Central
NEW YORK – The tournament field for the 2017 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship presented by Jeep was set on Saturday evening after the final five matches of the season were completed. No. 1 seed Creighton will take on No. 4 seed Villanova in the first semifinal on Friday, Nov. 24 at 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local; No. 2 Marquette will play No. 3 seed Butler in the second semifinal at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. local. The championship returns to Marquette and will be held at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wis.
The 2014 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship was also at Marquette.
The semifinals will be on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi. The championship final will be at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. local on Saturday, Nov. 25 on FS2. All the action from the Al McGuire Center will be called live by Bob Brainerd and Michelle Griffin-Wenzel. The BEDN Correspondent is Andrew Goldstein.
No. 1 seed Creighton won its fourth-straight BIG EAST regular season title outright on Saturday, finishing with a 16-2 league record, 23-6 overall. Creighton is the first team since Notre Dame to win four straight outright BIG EAST titles, with the Fighting Irish having done so from 1999-2002. One of Creighton’s two losses came to Villanova. The Bluejays will face the Wildcats again in less than a week as Villanova claimed the No. 4 seed in the tournament by going 2-0 this weekend. Villanova closed out the season with back-to-back sweeps, over Creighton and Providence. Villanova finished with an 11-7 BIG EAST record and an 18-11 overall record.
Marquette, the tournament host, locked up the No. 2 seed last week. The Golden Eagles finished with a 15-3 league record and a 21-8 overall record. Marquette’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. The Golden Eagles finished the 2017 campaign on a four-match winning streak, sweeping travel partner DePaul in straight sets on the final day of competition. Marquette will face Butler, the No. 3 seed. Butler returns to the BIG EAST tournament for the first time since 2013. Last time in the tourney, Butler lost in the first round to eventual-champion Marquette, 3-1. Butler had a very successful second half of the season, winning seven straight matches and 11 of the last 13. The Bulldogs finished 13-5 in league play, their best BIG EAST record since joining the league in 2013. The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles split their series during the season with Marquette sweeping the first match at Hinkle and Butler returning the favor with a 3-2 win in Milwaukee.
Tickets for the championship can be purchased in advance by calling the Marquette Athletics box office at 414-288-4668. Reserved all-session tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for youth ages three through 18. All-Session general admission tickets are $14 for adults, $10 for youth. Reserved single-session tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for youth. General admission single-session tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for youth. Students from all BIG EAST Conference institutions are free with an ID.
The final standings for 2017 had Seton Hall finish just outside the tournament field with a 10-8 record. Xavier won the last three matches of the season to finish sixth at 8-10. St. John’s came in seventh at 7-11. Providence finished at 6-12 and DePaul and Georgetown tied at 2-16.
2017 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship
Presented By Jeep
Semifinals - Nov. 24 - BEDN
No. 4 seed Villanova vs. No. 1 seed Creighton at 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT
No. 3 seed Butler vs. No. 2 seed Marquette at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT
Final - Nov. 25 - FS2
Semifinal Winners, 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT
All times listed are Eastern.