Marquette University
Villanova
11/5/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Golden Eagles enter week tied atop the BIG EAST Standings.
The Marquette University volleyball team (15-7, 10-2 BIG EAST) is set for their final trip out east this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7. MU will begin the weekend with a match against Villanova (12-11, 5-7 BIG EAST) on Friday at 4 p.m. CT, and will wrap the weekend against Georgetown (12-11, 4-8 BIG EAST) on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT. Both matches will stream live on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
Marquette wrapped their season-long four-match homestand last week splitting a pair of matches against the team's previously tied for second directly below the Golden Eagles.
On Thursday, Oct. 29, Marquette saw their seven-match winning streak come to an end with a five-set loss to Creighton at the Al McGuire Center. MU fought back from dropping the first set to take a 2-1 lead in the match, but couldn't finish the Bluejays in either sets four or five in extra points, dropping their first match since Sept. 30. Carson Tyler paced the Golden Eagles with 22 kills while adding four service aces, six blocks and eight digs. Tani Juric provided a career-high 19 kills and hit .250 while contributing two blocks, and Luanna Markus orchestrated the offense with 43 assists, 24 digs and five blocks for a strong all-around performance. Defensively, Emi Juric matched Markus for the team lead with 24 digs and added eight assists, while Molly Welge anchored the net with six blocks to go along with six kills. Julia Stanev also contributed a team-high nine blocks.
Marquette bounced back on Sunday, Nov. 1 with a convincing sweep of DePaul, improving to 8-1 this season at home. Despite starting slow, the Golden Eagles handled the Blue Demons in the opening two sets. Down 18-12 in the third, MU fought back and scored 15 of the final 18 points to secure the sweep. Carson Tyler led all players with 17 kills while hitting .438 and added nine digs and three blocks. Emma Parks provided eight kills without an error on 19 swings for a .421 hitting percentage off the bench, while Molly Welge contributed seven kills, four blocks, two aces and two assists. Luanna Markus turned in one of her most efficient matches of the season, recording 32 assists and six kills while hitting .500, and added three blocks. Tani Juric chipped in six kills on .333 hitting, while Julia Stanev added five kills on a .400 clip and matched Welge for the team lead with four blocks. Defensively, libero Emi Juric anchored the back row with a match-high 16 digs.
A PIVOTAL STRETCH IN BIG EAST PLAY
Marquette enters the final two weeks of the regular season tied for first in the BIG EAST standings at 10-2, sharing the top spot with Creighton. MU controls its own destiny for a regular-season BIG EAST Championship, as four wins to end the season will clinch the Golden Eagles at least a share. MU and CU hold a two-match lead over DePaul in third place at 8-4, while St. John's and Xavier currently occupy a tie for fourth at 7-5.
In terms of the BIG EAST Tournament, both Marquette and Creighton can secure berths with a pair of wins this weekend, but if both win out, the Bluejays would win the tiebreaker for the No. 1-seed in the tournament on the third tiebreak rule (1-1 record head-to-head, 5-5 record in sets won, 213-211 CU wins tiebreak in total points scored). If a tiebreak is necessary with the Blue Demons and Marquette, the Golden Eagles would win the tiebreak due to leading the sets won this season 5-3.
RPI CHECK-IN
Marquette enters the week at No. 35 in the NCAA Adjusted RPI with a 15-7 overall record and a 10-2 mark in BIG EAST play, through matches Nov. 1. MU has risen 56 spots from No. 91 in the first NCAA Adjusted RPI rankings released on Sept. 29 to its current position of No. 35, the largest climb among teams that debuted inside the initial top 100. The Golden Eagles have built their résumé with wins over RPI No. 28 Illinois, No. 33 Creighton, No. 49 DePaul, and No. 50 Wright State, while maintaining a 6-7 record vs. top-100 teams and a perfect 9-0 against teams ranked below the top-100.
Last week, MU picked up a win over No. 49 DePaul and fell to No. 33 Creighton, and this upcoming week will face off against No. 84 Villanova and No. 128 Georgetown. Overall, the BIG EAST features five teams inside the top 100 of the RPI (Creighton No. 33, Marquette No. 35, DePaul No. 49, Xavier No. 76, Villanova No. 84).
BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS
Luanna Markus claimed the lone weekly honor from the BIG EAST this week, earning her second Freshman of the Week honor and first since Sept. 7. Marquette has earned 14 BIG EAST weekly awards through 10 weeks, including at least one honoree in nine of the 10 award announcements. From the BIG EAST weekly release below...
"Markus directed Marquette to a 1-1 mark this weekend, directing the offense with 9.38 assists/set, 3.50 digs/set, 1.00 kills/set, and 1.00 blocks/set while hitting .467. She posted a double-double in a five-set loss to Creighton with 43 assists and 24 digs, adding on five blocks and a pair of kills. In a sweep of DePaul, she totaled 32 assists, six kills on .500 hitting, four digs, and three blocks."
TYLER AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Junior outside hitter Carson Tyler continues to establish herself as one of the nation's most productive attackers and the leader for the BIG EAST Player of the Year award. Tyler is leading the BIG EAST in kills per set (4.43), points (445.5), points per set (5.30) and attacks per set (10.76). Nationally, Tyler ranks seventh in both points per set and total points, seventh in aces (51) and aces per set (0.61), and 16th in total kills (372). Tyler has reached double-digit kills in 21 of Marquette's 22 matches this season and enters the week after producing 22 kills while adding four service aces, six blocks and eight digs against Creighton and adding 17 kills while hitting .438 with nine digs and three blocks against DePaul.
MARKUS RUNNING THE OFFENSE
Freshman setter Luanna Markus has emerged as one of the premier freshmen and setters in the conference, leading the BIG EAST in both total assists (826) and assists per set (9.83). Markus ranks 55th nationally in assists and has recorded at least 30 assists in 20 of Marquette's 22 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 two weeks ago before adding a massive 43 assists and 24 digs against Creighton.
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 .245 team hitting percentage. The Golden Eagles have eclipsed the .300 hitting mark seven times this season and are coming off a .406 hit percentage against DePaul, the second-best mark of the season. MU also ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists per set (11.77), fourth in kills per set (12.77) and fourth in aces per set (1.56).
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 73rd nationally with 1.20 blocks per set. Her 100 total blocks rank third in the BIG EAST and 62nd nationally.
STANEV STEPPING UP
Julia Stanev has provided a significant boost to Marquette's defense at the net during conference play. The senior ranks second on the team with 47 total blocks and 0.94 blocks per set, highlighted by a career-best nine blocks against Creighton and six against Villanova. Over her last five matches, Stanev has contributed 20 total blocks, helping the Golden Eagles rank third in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (2.25). Offensively, she is coming off a strong performance against DePaul, recording five kills while hitting.400 in the sweep of the Blue Demons.
TANI'S EMERGENCE
Freshman outside hitter Tani Juric has developed into one of Marquette's most reliable offensive weapons, ranking second on the team with 213 kills (2.54 per set) while hitting.274, the second-best mark among Golden Eagle attackers with at least 200 attempts. Juric has reached double-digit kills in 10 matches this season, including seven of her last nine appearances, and surpassed her career-high with 19 kills against Creighton last Thursday.
EMI HOLDS DOWN THE BACK ROW
Freshman libero Emi Juric leads Marquette with 328 digs and 3.90 digs per set, ranking fifth in the BIG EAST in total digs and seventh in digs per set. She has posted double-digit digs in 20 of 22 matches this season and owns four 20-plus dig performances, including a career-high 28 digs against Xavier and 24 digs against Creighton last Thursday. Juric has recorded at least 15 digs in six of her last nine matches and has helped anchor a Marquette defense that ranks third in the BIG EAST in blocks per set and first in conference play in hitting percentage.
SERVING UP PRESSURE
Marquette ranks fourth in the BIG EAST and 118th nationally with 1.56 service aces per set, totaling 131 aces on the season. Carson Tyler continues to pace the attack from the service line, ranking eighth nationally and second in the BIG EAST with 0.61 aces per set, while her 51 total aces rank seventh nationally and second in the conference. Emi Juric (22), Allie Beers (16), Avery Helms (15) and Annika Kowalski (9) have also contributed at least nine aces as the Golden Eagles have recorded five or more aces in 12 matches this season.
FRESHMEN DRIVING THE SUCCESS
Marquette's rise has been fueled by one of the conference's most productive freshman classes. Luanna Markus ranks first in the BIG EAST in assists per set (9.83) and total assists (826), while Molly Welge ranks third in the conference in both blocks per set (1.20) and total blocks (100). Tani Juric ranks second on the team with 213 kills, and Emi Juric sits fifth in the BIG EAST with 328 digs. Collectively, the quartet has accounted for 1,002 assists, 348 digs, 143 blocks and 348 kills, playing a central role in Marquette's success.
ROAD WARRIORS
Despite playing 11 true road matches and facing trips to Wisconsin, Illinois, Creighton, DePaul and Stanford, Marquette owns a 6-5 road record and a 5-1 mark in BIG EAST road matches. The Golden Eagles swept conference road trips at UConn, Providence, St. John's (NY) and Seton Hall, while also earning a five-set victory at Creighton.
SWEEP SUCCESS
When matches stay short, few teams in the country have been more efficient than Marquette, as the Golden Eagles are a perfect 11-0 in three-set matches this season. MU has had three five-set victories and just one four-set victory, and has won at least one set in every match this season, including against top-ranked teams like Texas, Stanford, and Wisconsin. Dating back to a three-set loss to Creighton in the BIG EAST Semifinals on 11/22/2025, MU has gone 24-straight matches without being swept, the fifth-longest streak in program history.
Consecutive Matches Without Being Swept
- 54 8/30/2019-9/5/2021
- 39 12/2/2021-9/2/2023
- 38 9/5/2014-9/11/2015
- 27 8/24-11/17/2012
- 24 12/5/2025-Present
ATTACKING BALANCE
Marquette features one of the BIG EAST's most balanced attacks with five players recording at least 97 kills this season. Carson Tyler leads the way with 372 kills, ranking first in the BIG EAST and 16th nationally, while Tani Juric has added 213 kills, Molly Welge 135, Emma Parks 114 and Caydence Doolan 97. The balance has helped Marquette lead the BIG EAST and rank 66th nationally in hitting percentage (.245), while also ranking fourth in the conference in kills per set (12.77) and assists per set (11.77).
