VB NOTES - 11.11

NEW YORK – The penultimate weekend of #BIGEASTvb action kicks off Friday morning with one of the biggest matchups of the season.
 
Around the League
DePaul (15-11, 8-6 BIG EAST) heads to Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on Butler (14-13, 8-6 BIG EAST) in a matchup of the two teams tied for fourth place in the BIG EAST standings. With this being the only matchup between the Blue Demons and Bulldogs this season, the winner will have the head-to-head tiebreaker, and thus, an inside track to the fourth spot in the standings. The top four teams qualify for the BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP on Thanksgiving weekend.
 
UConn (19-7, 11-3 BIG EAST) also gets its weekend started on Friday, as the Huskies are on the verge of clinching a berth in the BIG EAST Championship. The Huskies need just one win this weekend over either St. John’s (14-14, 5-9 BIG EAST) on Friday or Seton Hall (12-16, 4-10 BIG EAST) on Saturday to clinch. UConn can also clinch a postseason berth with a DePaul loss in either of its matches this weekend.
 
Both #23 Creighton (24-3, 12-2 BIG EAST) and (RV) Marquette (21-4, 12-2 BIG EAST) wrapped up postseason berths last weekend, and the two continue to duke it out for the top spot in the standings. Currently, the Bluejays own the tiebreaker by virtue of a pair of head-to-head wins over the Golden Eagles. This weekend, Creighton heads to Georgetown (6-19, 2-12 BIG EAST) and Villanova (14-12, 6-8 BIG EAST), while Marquette pays a visit to Xavier (11-14, 6-8 BIG EAST) and Butler.
 
In the Polls 
Creighton moves up one spot in the AVCA Coaches Poll to #23 after spending three straight weeks ranked 24^th. Marquette remains in the receiving votes category for the 10^th consecutive week.
 
This Weekend on the BIG EAST Digital Network 
Providence at Georgetown, Saturday 2:30 p.m. ET, McDonough Arena
 
The future of BIG EAST volleyball will be on display on the BEDN Presented by SoFi on FloSports this Saturday, as Georgetown welcomes Providence to town. Both sides boast some impressive freshman talent.
 
For the Friars, Shaliyah Rhoden has had a stellar freshman season in which she ranks seventh in the BIG EAST with 3.31 kills per set. The Rowlett, Texas native won BIG EAST Freshman of the Week back on October 4 after a week that featured a 23-kill performance against Seton Hall.
 
On the Georgetown side, the outside hitter tandem of Mary Grace Goyena and Giselle Williams have stood out this season. Both are averaging over 2.6 kills per set this season for the Hoyas.
 
#BIGEASTvb Upcoming Schedule
Friday, November 12
DePaul at Butler, 11 a.m.
²³Creighton at Georgetown, 2 p.m.
UConn at St. John’s, 3 p.m.
Providence at Villanova, 7 p.m. ^

Saturday, November 13
Providence at Georgetown, 2:30 p.m. $
^RVMarquette at Xavier, 4 p.m. ^
UConn at Seton Hall, 6 p.m. ^
²³Creighton at Villanova, 7 p.m. ^

Sunday, November 14
^RVMarquette at Butler, 2 p.m.
DePaul at Xavier, 2 p.m. ^
Seton Hall at St. John’s, 4 p.m.
 
All Times Eastern
$ BEDN on FloSports
^ FloSports