Marquette University
Creighton
10/28/2026 10:02:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
First-place Golden Eagles face both teams tied for second in the league this weekend.
The Marquette University volleyball team (14-6, 9-1 BIG EAST) is set for their two biggest matchups of the season this Thursday and Sunday, Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. The Golden Eagles will first welcome rival Creighton (13-9, 8-2 BIG EAST) on Thursday for a 6 p.m. CT first serve, and will host DePaul (16-5, 8-2 BIG EAST) on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Thursday's match will air live on FS1, with Jack Rinaldi (PxP) and Anna Connelly (analyst) on the call, while Bob Brainerd has the call on Sunday against DePaul on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Eagles strengthened their position atop the BIG EAST standings with their third-straight 2-0 weekend of conference action. MU extended their season-best winning streak to seven with a sweep of Butler and a five-set win over Xavier last Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24-25.
Marquette earned a straight-set win over Butler on Saturday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center, taking the match 25-21, 25-20, 25-21. The Golden Eagles hit .344 as a team and were led by Carson Tyler's match-high 17 kills and five service aces, while Tani Juric added 10 kills on a .450 hitting percentage. Luanna Markus paced the offense with 40 assists, Emi Juric recorded a match-high 15 digs and Molly Welge and Julia Stanev each posted four blocks as Marquette improved to 10-0 in three-set matches this season.
Marquette rallied for a five-set victory over Xavier on Sunday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center, claiming the match 25-17, 14-25, 17-25, 25-15, 16-14. Carson Tyler led the Golden Eagles with 23 kills and 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the season, while Emma Parks and Tani Juric added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Emi Juric recorded a career-high 28 digs, Luanna Markus dished out 44 assists and Marquette overcame a 2-1 set deficit before Juric sealed the win with a solo block in the deciding set. The victory improved the Golden Eagles to 9-1 in BIG EAST play and extended their winning streak to seven matches.
ROLLING THROUGH BIG EAST PLAY
Marquette enters the week first in the BIG EAST standings at 9-1, holding a one-match lead in the conference race. The Golden Eagles now face a pivotal weekend against the two teams currently tied for second place in the league standings, hosting Creighton and DePaul. Marquette already owns a five-set road victory over Creighton earlier this season and will look to split the season series with the Blue Demons after a five-set loss in Chicago on Sept. 30. MU sits in first-place along in the BIG EAST for the first time since 2021, a year in which the Golden Eagles won a share of the league's regular season title with Creighton.
SEVEN-STRAIGHT WINS... AND COUNTING
Marquette's current seven-match winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in program history and is the program's longest since the Golden Eagles won seven straight matches from Oct. 10-30, 2018. One more victory would give MU its first eight-match winning streak since 1984 and move the Golden Eagles into sole possession of fifth place on the program's all-time list. The streak is also tied for the fourth-longest BIG EAST winning streak in school history and matches the program's longest conference winning streak since 2019. Additionally, Marquette's current seven-match home winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest home winning streak in program history and is the longest since the Golden Eagles won seven straight home matches in 2019.
RPI CHECK-IN
Marquette enters the week at No. 36 in the NCAA Adjusted RPI with a 14-6 overall record and a 9-1 mark in BIG EAST play, through matches Oct. 25. MU has risen 55 spots from No. 91 in the first NCAA Adjusted RPI rankings released on Sept. 29 to its current position of No. 36, the largest climb among teams that debuted inside the initial top 100. The Golden Eagles have built their résumé with wins over RPI No. 27 Illinois, No. 40 Creighton, and No. 53 Wright State, while maintaining a 5-6 record vs. top-100 teams and a perfect 9-0 against teams ranked below the top-100.
Last week, MU picked up wins over No. 162 Butler and No. 81 Xavier, and this upcoming week will face off against No. 40 Creighton and No. 42 DePaul, aiming for two more signature wins to add to their resume. Overall, the BIG EAST features five teams inside the top 100 of the RPI (Marquette No. 36, Creighton No. 40, DePaul No. 42, Villanova No. 61, Xavier No. 81).
BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS
Marquette enjoyed another pair of conference honors on Oct. 26 as freshmen Emi Juric (Defensive Player of the Week) and junior Carson Tyler (Offensive Player of the Week) were recognized for their performances in victories over Butler and Xavier. Marquette has earned 13 BIG EAST weekly awards through the season's first nine weeks, including at least one honoree in eight of the nine award announcements. From the BIG EAST weekly release below...
"Tyler continues to be a dominant force in the BIG EAST, leading the conference in kills (5.00/set) and points (6.00/set) as the Golden Eagles enjoyed an undefeated week. In a sweep of Butler, the junior posted 17 kills on .375 hitting with eight digs and five aces. In a five-set victory over Xavier, Tyler contributed a double-double with 23 kills, 12 digs, and a pair of aces."
"Juric anchored Marquette's defense to a 2-0 week, averaging 5.38 digs per set and posting a .976 reception percentage. She recorded 15 digs and four assists in the sweep of Butler before collecting a career-high 28 digs, three assists and one ace in the five-set victory over Xavier."
TYLER AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Junior outside hitter Carson Tyler continues to establish herself as one of the nation's most productive attackers, leading the BIG EAST in kills per set (4.38), points (396.5), points per set (5.22) and attacks per set (10.64). Tyler ranks ninth nationally in points per set, 10th nationally in aces per set (0.61), 11th nationally in total points (396.5), 16th nationally in total kills (333) and 19th nationally in kills per set. Her 46 service aces rank second in the BIG EAST and ninth nationally. Tyler has reached double-digit kills in 19 of Marquette's 20 matches this season and enters the week after posting 40 kills over victories against Butler and Xavier, including a 23-kill, 12-dig double-double in Sunday's five-set win over the Musketeers.
MARKUS RUNNING THE OFFENSE
Freshman setter Luanna Markus has emerged as one of the premier setters in the conference, leading the BIG EAST in both total assists (751) and assists per set (9.88). Markus ranks 55th nationally in assists and assists per set and has recorded at least 30 assists in 18 of Marquette's 20 matches this season. She has surpassed the 40-assist mark six times, including back-to-back performances of 40 assists against Butler and 44 against Xavier last weekend. Markus has been instrumental in helping Marquette lead the BIG EAST in hitting percentage while ranking among the conference leaders in assists and kills.
OFFENSIVE POWER IN THE BIG EAST
Marquette boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the conference, leading the BIG EAST and ranking 66th nationally with a .244 team hitting percentage. The Golden Eagles have eclipsed the .300 hitting mark six times this season and are coming off consecutive performances of .346 at Seton Hall and .344 against Butler. MU also ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists per set (11.72), fifth in kills per set (12.67) and third in aces per set (1.59).
WELGE CONTROLS THE NET
Freshman middle blocker Molly Welge has developed into one of the conference's top front-row defenders, ranking third in the BIG EAST and 78th nationally with 1.20 blocks per set. Her 90 total blocks rank third in the BIG EAST and 70th nationally. Welge has recorded at least one block in every match this season while adding 122 kills and a .279 hitting percentage offensively. Her consistency has helped Marquette rank among the BIG EAST leaders in team blocking throughout the season.
TANI'S EMERGENCE
Freshman outside hitter Tani Juric has become one of Marquette's most reliable offensive options during conference play. Juric ranks second on the team with 188 kills and has reached double-digit kills in six of the last seven matches. During that stretch, she is averaging over 3.0 kills per set while posting 17 kills against Villanova, 15 kills on .452 hitting at Seton Hall and 10-kill performances against both Butler and Xavier. Her emergence has given Marquette one of the most balanced attacking duos in the BIG EAST alongside Tyler.
EMI HOLDS DOWN THE BACK ROW
Freshman libero Emi Juric has become one of Marquette's most consistent defensive players, leading the team with 409 digs and 5.38 digs per set. She has recorded double-digit digs in 18 of 20 matches and enters the week after posting a career-high 28 digs against Xavier, the highest total by a Golden Eagle this season. Juric has surpassed 20 digs four times this year, including three times in her last four matches, and has helped anchor a defense that has held opponents below .200 hitting in 10 matches.
SERVING UP PRESSURE
Marquette ranks third in the BIG EAST and 111th nationally with 1.59 service aces per set. Tyler ranks 10th nationally and second in the BIG EAST with 0.61 aces per set, while her 46 total aces rank ninth nationally. Emi Juric (18), Allie Beers (17) and Avery Helms (15) have also reached double figures in aces this season as the Golden Eagles continue to pressure opponents from the service line.
FRESHMEN DRIVING THE SUCCESS
Marquette's rise to the top of the BIG EAST standings has been fueled by a standout freshman class. Markus leads the BIG EAST in both assists and assists per set, while Welge ranks third in the conference in both blocks per set and total blocks. Tani Juric ranks second on the team with 188 kills and has reached double-digit kills in six of her last seven matches. Collectively, Markus, Welge, Juric and Emi Juric have accounted for 496 kills, 409 digs, 90 blocks and 751 assists.
ROAD WARRIORS
Marquette has thrived away from Milwaukee this season despite one of the nation's toughest travel schedules. The Golden Eagles opened the year by playing 11 of their first 14 matches away from home and have responded by winning six of their last seven true road contests. MU finishes the final three weeks of the season with four of six matches in Milwaukee.
SWEEP SUCCESS
When matches stay short, few teams in the country have been more efficient than Marquette, as the Golden Eagles are a perfect 10-0 in three-set matches this season. Ten of Marquette's 14 wins have come in straight sets.
ATTACKING BALANCE
Marquette's offense features one of the most balanced attacks in the BIG EAST, with five players recording at least 90 kills this season. Carson Tyler leads the way with 333 kills and ranks first in the BIG EAST in both kills and kills per set, while Tani Juric sits second on the team with 188 kills and has reached double-digit kills in six of the last seven matches. Molly Welge has added 122 kills from the middle, while Emma Parks (101) and Caydence Doolan (92) have also surpassed the 90-kill mark. The depth has helped Marquette lead the BIG EAST and rank 66th nationally in hitting percentage (.244) while also ranking fourth in the conference in assists per set and fifth in kills per set.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Al McGuire Center has been a major advantage for Marquette this season as the Golden Eagles remain a perfect 7-0 at home and 4-0 in BIG EAST. Marquette is hitting.278 at home while holding opponents to a.169 hitting percentage. The Golden Eagles are averaging 13.62 kills, 14.54 digs and 2.42 blocks per set at home.
