NEW YORK – Marquette volleyball will continue its season as the 14
th-seeded Golden Eagles downed the Bearcats in three sets Saturday (25-19, 25-21, 25-16) in front of a home crowd at the Al McGuire Center. This is the first time in program history that Marquette is one of the final 16 teams standing in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The road does not get any easier as the Golden Eagles (28-6) will face No. 3 national seed Illinois in Champaign on Dec. 7 for a berth in the Elite Eight.
Junior Allie Barber led with a match-high 18 kills and a .400 hitting percentage, while sophomore Hope Werch connected for eight kills. Junior Lauren Speckman and sophomore Sarah Rose handed out 21 and 12 assists in the match, while senior Anna Haak collected 12 digs. The Golden Eagles collected 11 team blocks as senior Jenna Rosenthal and freshman Ellie Koontz turned in six, often teaming up for the point. Sophomore Elizabeth Orf was also a strong presence at the net, turning in four blocks in the victory.
No. 9 seed Creighton saw its season come to an end Saturday evening as the Bluejays fell to Washington in straight sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-23). Creighton ends its season with a 29-5 record, tying the program record for wins in a season. The Bluejays had a 21-match win streak, as well as their school-record 15-match home win streak, snapped with the loss.
Creighton had 36 kills, seven aces, 39 digs and eight blocks on .113 hitting. Kloth led CU with 11 kills, and Brittany Witt finished with 15 digs. The match marked the final contest for Bluejay seniors Samantha Bohnet, Taryn Kloth, Kelsey O'Connell and Jaali Winters. The quartet helped CU win four BIG EAST regular-season titles, four BIG EAST Tournaments, and 111 matches over a four-year span while helping the Jays to the program's first Sweet 16 (2015) and Elite Eight (2016).