NEW YORK – The No. 14 seed Marquette volleyball team will square off against No. 3 seed Illinois in the NCAA Champaign Regional on Friday at noon ET on ESPNU. This marks the first time in program history that the Golden Eagles will play in the round of 16. Marquette (28-6) is in the midst of its eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, having represented the BIG EAST in the event every year since 2011.
The 2018 BIG EAST regular season and tournament runners-up hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever last weekend. Marquette rolled past High Point in the first round at Al McGuire Center in straight sets. After advancing to the second round, the Golden Eagles swept Cincinnati to make it to the regional semifinal. The second semifinal in Champaign features San Diego versus No. 6 seed Wisconsin. The winner of each semifinal will advance to the regional final on Saturday.
Marquette is led by All-BIG EAST First Team members junior Allie Barber and seniors Anna Haak and Jenna Rosenthal. Barber is 12
th in the nation in kills per set at 4.67. Haak is averaging 2.56 kills and 3.18 digs per set. Rosenthal boasts a .375 hitting percentage which ranks 29
th nationally. Barber and Rosenthal were named to the AVCA East Coast All-Region First Team, while Haak garnered an honorable mention nod. Barber was selected as the East Coast Region Player of the Year.
Illinois (30-3) entered the NCAA Tournament as one of the top teams in the country and are making their 18
th all-time appearance in the NCAA Regional. The Illini are led by Big Ten Co-Setter of the Year, senior Jordyn Poulter, who is 12
th in the nation in assists per set at 11.55. Their three losses came against conference foes Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The Golden Gophers are the No. 2 seed this year, while the Cornhuskers are the defending national champions and the No. 7 seed in the 2018 tournament.
NCAA Regional Semifinal
Matchup: #14 seed Marquette at #3 seed Illinois
Date & Time: Friday, Dec. 7 at noon ET
Location: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Coverage:
LIVE STATS |
LIVE VIDEO (ESPNU)
NCAA Regional Final
Potential Matchup: San Diego/#6 seed Wisconsin Winner
Date & Time: Saturday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. ET
Location: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)