#BIGEASTvb Weekend Roundup – 8.28.17
NEW YORK - Two big wins for the BIG EAST over ranked opponents highlight opening weekend for BIG EAST volleyball as Marquette upset then-No. 20 Hawai’i at home and Creighton played spoiler to then-No. 3 Washington. Four teams came out of the weekend undefeated: Creighton, Providence, Villanova and Xavier; while four were edged by just one opponent: Butler, Georgetown, St. John’s and Seton Hall.
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Butler posted a 3-1 record at the Bulldog Brawl with wins over Stony Brook (3-0), Oakland (3-2), Robert Morris (3-2) and a loss to Eastern Michigan (1-3). Senior setter Makayla Fergusen was named Tournament MVP with 10.29 assists per set. In addition to Ferguson, Butler middle blocker Rachel Klitzing and outside hitter Natalie Ravenell were named to the all-tournament team. Ravenell posted 3.18 kills per set, 2.47 digs per set. Klitzing had 1.76 blocks per game. Whitney Beck led Butler in stat averages for kills per set (3.82) and digs per set (3.59).
Box Scores: Stony Brook | Oakland | Robert Morris | Eastern Michigan
Creighton went 3-0 at the Washington Husky Invitational and moved up from No. 9 to No. 7 in the AVCA national rankings, the highest ranking in program history. The Bluejays opened the 2017 season with wins in Seattle over Saint Mary’s (3-0), Pitt (3-0) and then-No. 3 Washington (3-0) losing just one set en route to the first regular season tournament title for the Bluejays since the 2014 Bluejay Invitational. For the Bluejays, senior middle blocker was all over the court as the tournament MVP and stat averages of 2.90 kills, 1.50 blocks and 0.30 digs per set while hitting a team-best .397 in 10 sets. The win over No. 3 Washington is the highest ranked team that the Bluejays have ever beaten.
Box Scores: Saint Mary’s | Pittsburgh | #3 Washington
DePaul dropped three at the Indiana Invitational losing to Indiana State, Indiana and Ball State. Brittany Maxwell led the Blue Demons with 2.91 kills per set along with Claire Anderson. Maxwell also had six service aces.
Box Scores: Indiana State | Indiana | Ball State
Georgetown won a share of the D.C. Challenge title with a 2-1 weekend, featuring wins over Howard and perennial NCAA Tournament team American. Junior middle blocker Symone Speech boasted a stat line of 22 kills, four blocks and three digs in the Hoyas 3-2 win over American on the tournament’s final day. Speech averaged 4.29 kills per set for the weekend behind .536 hitting. Junior libero Kenzie Higareda averaged 4.14 digs per set with 21 digs, four assists in the 3-1 win over Howard, 25 against American.
Box Scores: Howard | UC Santa Clara | American
Marquette faced the toughest overall opponents of the weekend at the Rainbow Wahine Tournament in Honolulu, going 1-2 against No. 20 Hawaii, No. 13 UCLA and No. 22 San Diego State. The Golden Eagles drew BIG EAST fans in with a victory in the early morning hours for the mainland fans over host Hawaii in a close, five set thriller. It was the third straight year Marquette opened the season with a road victory over a top-25 ranked opponent. Sophomore outside hitter Allie Barber racked up 22 kills and eight digs in the win over Hawaii. She also had 18 kills against UCLA and 13 against San Diego State for an average of 3.83 kills per set.
Box Scores: #20 Hawaii | #13 UCLA | #22 San Diego
Providence found themselves undefeated after the first weekend of play in the 2017 season as the Friars won the Boston College Tournament title in Chestnut Hill, Mass. PC defeated UAB (3-2), BC (3-1) and Fairfield (3-0) to win. Junior middle blocker Allison Impellizeri was named the tournament’s MVP. Freshman libero McKenzie Lydon was named to the all-tournament team as well.
Box Scores: UAB | Boston College | Fairfield
St. John’s won the annual Jack Kaiser Classic with a 3-1 record, sweeping Holy Cross and New Hampshire, defeating Sacramento State in four sets, but losing to UConn. Setter Erica DiMaulo, freshman outside hitter Jordan McCalla and sophomore middle blocker Hanna Wagner were named to the All-Tournament team. DiMaulo averaged 10.92 assists per set with eight service aces and 2.38 digs per set.
Box Scores: Holy Cross | Sacramento State | New Hampshire | UConn
Seton Hall had a strong opening weekend in Norman, Okla. at the Oklahoma Nike Invitational. The Pirates won two of three matches to improve to 2-1 for the first time since 2014. The Hall opened the season with a five-set victory over the tournament host, Oklahoma, on Friday. After dropping a match to national-power Colorado early on Saturday, the Pirates bounced back to sweep Northwestern State in the nightcap. Junior outside hitter Abby Thelan was named to the All-Tournament Team and recorded her first career double-double with team-highs of 13 kills and 11 digs against the Buffs. Thelan led SHU in kills in all three matches (18 vs. Oklahoma, 9 vs. Northwestern State).
Box Scores: Oklahoma | Colorado | Northwestern State
Villanova won the Virginia Tournament in Charlottesville going undefeated against Liberty, Hofstra and host Virginia. Amanda Pedersen-Henry was named the tournament’s MVP as she posted an impressive 41 kills, 13 digs, six blocks and 47.5 points. Against Hofstra, Pedersen-Henry tallied 21 points on 17 kills in a five-set victory. Setter Emma Decker averaged 10.83 assists per set.
Box Scores: Liberty | Hofstra | Virginia
Xavier lost just one set en route to a Musketeer win of the Hampton Inn Invitational. Senior Kristen Massa was named invitational MVP after helping the Musketeers win the tournament with a 3-0 record. Classmates Lauren Frilling and Alexis Newsome were also named to the all-tournament team. Massa record 44 kills – averaging 4.40 k/s – over three matches to go along with 33 digs. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native added four aces and nine blocks. Massa's weekend was highlighted by a career-high 18 kills in the 3-1 win over UIC. The outside hitter also posted her first career double-double in the three-set win over Bowling Green (11 kills, 18 digs). Newsome ranked second on the team in blocks (11) over the weekend. The middle blocker added 14 kills and four digs.
Box Scores: Duquesne | Illinois-Chicago | Bowling Green
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#BIGEASTvb Midweek Schedule
Tuesday, Aug. 29
Miami (Ohio) at XAVIER at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 31
Idaho at DEPAUL at 7 p.m.
All times are Eastern.