Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
St. John's
VB Heads East for Key Matchups at St. John's, Seton Hall
10/15/2026 9:05:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Golden Eagles will complete first half of BIG EAST play this weekend.
The Marquette University volleyball team (10-6, 5-1 BIG EAST) is set to finish the first half of BIG EAST play this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17 at St. John's (15-4, 5-1 BIG EAST) and Seton Hall (8-10, 0-6 BIG EAST). First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT on Friday inside historic Carnesecca Arena against the Red Storm, and 4 p.m. CT at Welsh Gymnasium against the Pirates on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
Marquette improved to 10-6 overall and 5-1 in BIG EAST play with a four-set victory over Villanova (25-18, 25-15, 19-25, 25-22) on Oct. 10 at the Al McGuire Center. The Golden Eagles hit .326 and recorded 13 blocks while holding the Wildcats to a .190 hitting percentage. Tani Juric led MU with a career-high 17 kills on .438 hitting, while Caydence Doolan added 16 kills and Carson Tyler contributed nine kills and five service aces. Luanna Markus recorded 40 assists and Emi Juric led the defense with 17 digs as Marquette won its fifth BIG EAST match in six tries.
HISTORY VS. ST. JOHN'S
Marquette owns a 29-9 all-time record against St. John's and has held the advantage both at home (13-4) and on the road in Queens (12-3). The Golden Eagles have been especially successful in shorter matches, going 18-3 in three-set contests and 10-4 in four-set matches, while the Red Storm hold a 5-1 edge in five-set meetings. Marquette enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak in the series and has won 15 of the last 19 meetings overall. The Golden Eagles' longest streak against St. John's was 15 consecutive victories from 2010-23, while their longest skid was three matches from 2005-07. MU swept the most recent meeting, 3-0, in Milwaukee on Nov. 7, 2025, and owns a 4-1 record in the last five matchups, with the lone setback coming in the 2023 BIG EAST semifinal.
RPI CHECK-IN
Marquette enters the week at No. 55 in the NCAA Adjusted RPI with a 10-6 overall record and a 5-1 mark in BIG EAST play. The Golden Eagles have built their résumé with wins over RPI No. 36 Creighton, No. 40 Illinois and No. 67 Wright State, while posting a 3-1 record against teams currently ranked between 51-100. The Golden Eagles are a perfect 5-0 against teams ranked outside the top 100 and own four road or neutral-site victories, highlighted by a five-set win at Creighton on Oct. 4.
The BIG EAST features six teams inside the top 100 of the RPI (Creighton No. 36, Marquette No. 55, DePaul No. 59, Xavier No. 65, Villanova No. 81 and Georgetown No. 99), and Marquette has already faced four of those top-100 conference opponents through its first six league matches.
BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS
Marquette nearly swept the BIG EAST weekly awards on Oct. 12 as freshmen Emi Juric, Luanna Markus and Tani Juric were recognized for their performances in victories over Georgetown and Villanova. Marquette has earned nine BIG EAST weekly awards through the season's first seven weeks, including at least one honoree in six of the seven award announcements.
Emi Juric earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after leading the conference with 5.29 digs per set, posting 14 digs against Georgetown before a career-high 23 digs against Villanova.
Markus collected her third BIG EAST Setter of the Week honor after averaging a league-best 10.73 assists per set while directing the Golden Eagles to a conference-best .358 hitting percentage for the week.
Tani Juric was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after averaging 3.86 kills per set on .418 hitting, highlighted by a career-high 17 kills against Villanova. Marquette was one of only two schools to claim three weekly conference awards in the same week this season.
FIRST PLACE ON THE LINE
Marquette and St. John's enter Friday's matchup tied atop the BIG EAST standings with identical 5-1 conference records, making it one of the league's most important matches of the season to date. The Golden Eagles have won seven of their last eight matches and enter the weekend riding a four-match winning streak, while the Red Storm sit alone atop several conference statistical categories and own a 15-4 overall record. Friday's winner will gain an early advantage in the race for the BIG EAST regular-season championship as conference play reaches its midpoint following play this weekend.
TYLER TAKES CHARGE
Junior outside hitter Carson Tyler leads Marquette with 261 kills (4.21/set), 314.5 points and 37 service aces. Tyler ranks 25th nationally and first in the BIG EAST in kills per set, 15th nationally and first in the league in points per set, and 14th nationally and third in the conference in aces per set (0.60). She also ranks second in the BIG EAST in total kills and points. Tyler owns three 20-kill performances this season, highlighted by a career-high 30 kills at DePaul, and most recently recorded 13 kills against Georgetown before adding nine kills and five aces against Villanova.
MARKUS THE MAESTRO
Freshman setter Luanna Markus continues to pace the Golden Eagles with 587 assists (9.47/set), totals that rank first in the BIG EAST and 61st nationally in total assists while ranking 81st nationally in assists per set. Markus has reached 30 assists in 14 of 16 matches, including a career-high 54 against St. Thomas, 47 at DePaul and 43 at Creighton. She has also added 130 digs, 43 kills and 36 blocks this season.
WELGE'S WALL
Freshman middle blocker Molly Welge leads Marquette with 75 blocks (1.23/set) and ranks second in the BIG EAST and 62nd nationally in blocks per set. Her 75 total blocks rank fifth in the conference and 65th nationally. Welge has recorded multiple blocks in every match this season and posted a career-high 10 against Milwaukee. She has also contributed 97 kills while hitting .249.
TANI FINDS HER GROOVE
Freshman Tani Juric ranks second on the team with 144 kills (2.25/set) and is coming off a career-high 17-kill performance against Villanova. Juric hit .438 against the Wildcats after recording 10 kills against Georgetown and has hit .391 or better in four of her last six matches. She has reached double figures in kills five times this season.
DOOLAN'S ROLE CONTINUES TO GROW
Freshman Caydence Doolan has become a consistent contributor on the outside, totaling 86 kills in 38 sets (2.26/set). Doolan followed a five-kill outing against Georgetown with 16 kills against Villanova, one shy of her career high. Since entering the St. Thomas match with six kills on the season, she has recorded 80 kills over Marquette's last nine matches.
EMI ANCHORS THE BACK ROW
Freshman libero Emi Juric leads Marquette with 214 digs (3.34/set) and ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in total digs. She has reached double figures in digs 13 times, including a season-high 22 against St. Thomas. Juric has also added 52 assists and 18 service aces through 64 sets.
FRESHMEN FILL THE STAT SHEET
Marquette's freshman class continues to drive the Golden Eagles' success. Markus leads the team in assists, Emi Juric leads in digs, Welge leads in blocks and Tani Juric ranks second in kills. Doolan has emerged as a reliable option on the outside as the freshman-heavy core has helped MU to a 10-6 overall record and 5-1 mark in BIG EAST play.
ACE IN THE HOLE
Marquette has recorded 97 service aces through 64 sets and averages 1.56 aces per set, ranking third in the BIG EAST and 116th nationally. The Golden Eagles posted eight aces against Georgetown and seven against Villanova, while Tyler produced five by herself against the Wildcats. Marquette's 97 total aces rank fifth in the conference.
BATTLE-TESTED AT THE NET
The Golden Eagles have totaled 136.5 blocks (2.20/set) and rank fifth in the BIG EAST and 109th nationally in blocks per set. Welge leads the way with 75 blocks, while Markus (36), Tyler (30) and Tani Juric (29) have all contributed significantly at the net. Marquette has reached double figures in blocks in eight matches this season.
NO EASY OUT
Marquette has not been swept through 16 matches this season and has won at least one set in every contest. The Golden Eagles improved to 8-0 in three-set matches and are 2-3 in five-set matches after victories over St. Thomas and Creighton.
HOME SWEET HOME
Marquette improved to 5-0 at the Al McGuire Center following victories over Georgetown and Villanova last weekend. The Golden Eagles have won all five home matches this season and are 3-0 in BIG EAST home contests, and will finish the second half of BIG EAST play with six of eight matches at the Al McGuire Center.
ROAD TESTED
Marquette played 11 of its first 14 matches away from the Al McGuire Center, including nine true road contests and two neutral-site matches. That stretch featured trips to Stanford, Wisconsin, Illinois, UConn, Providence, DePaul and Creighton before the Golden Eagles return home to face Georgetown.
