Creighton, Marquette Advance To NCAA Volleyball Round Of 32
NEW YORK – The first round of the 2019 NCAA Volleyball Championship wrapped up on Friday night as BIG EAST teams went 2-1 with Creighton and Marquette earning straight set sweeps to advance to Saturday night’s round of 32. St. John’s fell to Texas A&M in first round action on Thursday night.
The Bluejays will face seventh-seeded Minnesota on Saturday night with first serve set for 9 p.m. ET while the Golden Eagles tangle with 16-seed Purdue at 7 p.m. ET for a spot in the Sweet 16. Minnesota swept MAAC Champion Fairfield on Friday night to advance to the second round while Purdue took down Horizon league at-large selection Wright State in straight sets.
Creighton 3, Iowa State 0 (25-22,25-15,25-19)
Creighton (25-5) moved past first round opponent Iowa State 3-0 on Friday evening inside Maturi Pavilion on the campus of University of Minnesota to advance to Saturday’s round of 32. The 15th-ranked Bluejays were led by a team-high 15 kills from freshman Keeley Davis while Jaela Zimmerman closed the match with 10 kills. Sophomore right side Annika Welty added nine kills for a career-high. Senior libero Brittany Witt led the stalwart defense for the Bluejays with 15 digs on the night to bring her within one of the Creighton program-record for career digs. With Friday night’s win the Bluejays have won an NCAA Tournament match in each of the last five seasons and moved to 8-1 all-time in First Round matches.
Marquette 3, Dayton 0 (25-23,25-19,25-22)
Marquette (28-5) pushed past Dayton 3-0 on Friday night to advance to Saturday’s round of 32 for the fifth time in program history. Senior Allie Barber led the way for the Golden Eagles with 17 kills at a .378 clip, while junior Hope Werch tallied 11 kills with a .381 hitting percentage. Lauren Speckman and Sarah Rose led the offense with 24 and 15 assists, respectively. Junior libero Martha Konovodoff paced the defense with 12 digs while rookie Hannah Vanden Berg tallied 11 digs of her own. Friday night’s win improved No. 15 Marquette’s record to 28-5 on the season to match a program record for wins set by the 2018 Sweet 16 squad.
Texas A&M 3, St. John's 0 (27-25,25-21,25-12)
After making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years, St. John's season came to a close on Thursday night, as 13th-seeded Texas A&M defeated the Johnnies in three sets at Reed Arena to advance to the Round of 32. The Red Storm ended its 2019 campaign with a 22-12 record and the Johnnies' third bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the BIG EAST Championship title for the first time since 2007. Sophomore Efrosini Alexakou led the team with 13 kills and added four digs while Klara Mikelova recorded 11 kills and eight digs. Senior setter Erica Di Maulo capped off the final match of her collegiate career by posting 30 assists, six digs and three blocks.
NCAA Second Round Schedule:
Marquette at [16] Purdue
Date & Time: Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. ET
Location: West Lafayette, Ind. (Holloway Gymnasium)
LIVE STATS | WATCH (BTN+)
Sweet 16 Potential Matchup: Winner of [1] Baylor vs. USC on Friday, December 13 (Location &Time TBA)
Creighton at [7] Minnesota
Date & Time: Dec. 7 at 9 p.m. ET
Location: Minneapolis, Minn. (Maturi Pavilion)
LIVE STATS | WATCH (BTN)
Sweet 16 Potential Matchup: vs. [10] Florida in Austin, Texas on Friday, December 13 (Time TBA)