OMAHA, Neb. – Creighton and Marquette advanced to the final of BIG EAST Volleyball Championship Presented by JEEP with semifinal wins over UConn and St. John’s, respectively. The Bluejays and the Golden Eagles will meet Saturday for the championship title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship field. The NCAA Selection show will air on ESPNU on Sunday, April 4, time TBD.
Creighton, the No. 1 seed from the Midwest Division, defeated Connecticut in straight sets in the first semifinal; Midwest No. 2 Marquette also won in straight sets over defending tournament champion St. John’s.
Saturday’s final will air on FS1 at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. CT. Bob Brainerd and Jill Dorsey-Hall will be on the call from D.J. Sokol Arena.
Final : Midwest No. 2 Marquette at Midwest No. 1 Creighton
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. CT
WATCH: FS1 |
Live Stats
BIG EAST Tournament Central
Meeting Notes: Saturday will be the fifth time Creighton and Marquette will meet in the BIG EAST Tournament. Creighton has a 3-1 lead over Marquette in the tournament series. The last time CU and MU met in the championship was 2018 in the championship game. Creighton won 3-1. Creighton and Marquette have met three times before in the final, Marquette won the first meeting 3-1 in 2013; but Creighton won 3-2 in 2017 and 3-1 in 2018. Saturday will be Marquette’s fourth-straight tournament final appearance. Creighton has appeared in six consecutive championship games (2013-2018), winning five. Marquette handed Creighton their first title loss in 2013. Creighton’s record in the semifinals is 7-1.
In The BIG EAST Championship: Fifth meeting; Creighton leads series, 3-1 (Last 2018)
Marquette In The BIG EAST Championship: 11-11; 13th appearance (Last 2019); Champion (2013)
Creighton In The BIG EAST Championship: 12-2; Eighth appearance (Last 2019); Five-time Champion (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Semifinal recaps:
No. 1 MW Creighton 3, No. 2 E UConn 0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-18)
Postgame Interview with Creighton head coach Kirsten Berthal Booth
Creighton’s Annika Welty tied her career-high with 12 kills and Keeley Davis added 12 kills and nine digs to pace the Bluejay offense. Ellie Bolton collected a match-high 17 digs and served a career-high three aces. Creighton had 47 kills, four aces, 56 digs and six blocks on .248 hitting. UConn was paced by nine kills from Jasmine Davis and nine digs by Aset Baker-Falealili. The Huskies had 35 kills, three aces, 38 digs and six blocks on .149 hitting. UConn played Friday's match without the services of All-BIG EAST outside hitter Caylee Parker, the reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week.
No. 2 MW Marquette 3, No. 1 E St. John’s 0 (25-17, 25-17, 27-25)
Postgame Interview with Marquette head coach Ryan Theis
Marquette sophomore Hannah Vanden Berg posted 12 kills and hit .478 to lead Marquette and Hope Werch added 10 kills while hitting .364. Werch also chipped in across the board with three service aces, seven digs and three blocks. The Golden Eagles hit .280 as a team, including a match-high .355 in the second frame (14-3-31). The Red Storm (10-4), which had won each of its last five matches since a March 10 loss to Villanova, was led by 13 kills from BIG EAST Player of the Year Efrosini Alexakou. Ariadni Kathariou notched six blocks on the afternoon and Rachele Rastelli was held to a .156 hitting percentage on a team-high 32 swings. St. John's entered the match leading the conference in hitting percentage (.256), assists (13.29) and kills (13.92) and ranked third in blocks (2.20). Marquette pulled out a pair of 25-17 wins in each of the first two sets before needing extra points in the third to claim the sweep. MU fought off three set points in the final frame after trailing 24-22. The Golden Eagles surged ahead 25-24 on a Kaitlyn Lines kill and ended it, 27-25, on a Kathariou hitting error.
BIG EAST Volleyball Championship Presented By JEEP
Semifinals – April 2 – BEDN
No. 1 MW Creighton 3, No. 2 E 0
No. 2 MW Marquette 3, No. 1 E
Final – April 3 – FS1
No. 2 MW Marquette at No. 1 MW Creighton, 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. Central