Last Night In #BIGEASTvb – 12.2 NCAA First Round
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST went 1-1 in the first round of the volleyball NCAA tournament first round with No. 9 seed Creighton defeating Coastal Carolina, 3-1 and Marquette losing in three to in-state rival Wisconsin.
With Creighton’s win in the first round, the Bluejays will host Michigan State at D.J. Sokol Arena on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CST. The Spartans, ranked 12th nationally, defeated 25th ranked Missouri State 3-0 in the first match in Creighton’s bracket.
[15] CREIGHTON 3, Coastal Carolina 1 (25-20,27-25,20-25,25-22)
The ninth-seeded Bluejays home debut in the NCAA Tournament was everything the Jays could have asked for and more, as the Bluejays defeated Sun Belt Conference champion Coastal Carolina (20-8) in four sets before a sold out crowd of 2,517. Creighton (26-6) pulled away in a tense first set, using a 5-0 run to build a 17-13 edge, and finishing off the Chants with an ace by Samantha Bohnet on set point for the 25-20 win. Marysa Wilkinson had 13 kills and a match-high six blocks to lead a balanced Bluejay attack. Jaali Winters posted her sixth straight double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs, and sophomore Brittany Witt had 15 digs on the night while surpassing 1,000 in her career. Creighton had 52 kills, five aces, 58 digs and 10 blocks on .209 hitting. The crowd of 2,517 was second-largest in D.J. Sokol Arena history, trailing only the 2,578 in a 3-0 win over Kentucky earlier this fall
[11] Wisconsin 3, MARQUETTE 0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-11)
Marquette junior Anna Haak led the Golden Eagles (22-10) with 11 kills and a .296 clip, while sophomore Allie Barber added 10 kills. Classmate Lauren Speckman dished 27 assists, while freshman Martha Konovodoff collected nine digs and Haak took eight digs. Marquette got off to a good start in the first set and held a 17-15 advantage after a 3-0 run, which forced a Badger timeout. That frame was closely contested with the score tied 15 times and five lead changes. The Golden Eagles held off two set points from Wisconsin (21-9) to tie at 24, pushing to extra points, but UW claimed a 27-25 victory. After dropping the second set, 25-21, Marquette took the first point in the third set, but the Badgers pressured and hit .583 with just one error, taking a 25-11 victory, completing the sweep. The Golden Eagles conclude the season with its seventh straight berth in the NCAA Tournament and the eighth consecutive season with 20-or more victories.
NCAA Second Round Schedule:
[12] Michigan State at #9 [15] Creighton
Date & Time: Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
Location: Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
LIVE STATS | WATCH (FSGO)
Sweet 16 Potential Matchup: Winner No. 8 seed [10] Washington/[rv] Illinois on Dec. 8 (Time TBA)