(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky – The Marquette University women’s volleyball team rallied for a thrilling five-set victory, 20-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-10, against Western Kentucky on Friday afternoon in the Hyatt Place Invitational at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Redshirt junior Ella Foti posted a career-best 18 kills for the Golden Eagles (2-3) in her first start of the season and hit .378 with eight digs a service ace and a block. Outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton notched 16 kills, 12 digs and four blocks, while middle Carsen Murray hit .542 with 14 kills and three blocks.
MU hit nearly .400 in the opening frame, but eight WKU service aces lifted the Hilltoppers to a 25-20 victory.
Hamilton pushed the Golden Eagles to a third set victory in extra points by scoring six kills consecutively late in the stanza to put Marquette at set point. The native of Hartland, Wisconsin used three kills in a row to put MU up 21-19 before a WKU timeout, and three more to lift Marquette to a 24-20 lead. Foti and Hattie Bray combined on a block to give MU the 27-25 win after a 5-0 WKU run.
The Golden Eagles hit just .130 in a third set loss, but rebounded with a 25-22 fourth set victory to push the match to the fifth. MU jumped ahead 9-3 in the fourth and eventually pulled ahead, 20-13.
Marquette claimed the fifth set, 15-10, by hitting .320 (9-1-25) and pulled ahead for good with a 4-0 run after a 8-7 Hilltopper lead at the switch.
C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Kaylee Cox led WKU (4-4) with a match-best 19 kills and five service aces, while middle blocker Izzy Van De Wiele had a match-high eight blocks. Van De Wiele entered the match leading WKU with 1.52 blocks per set and is one of 18 players nationally to average at least 1.50 per frame.
NOTABLE:
- WKU has lost five-set decisions in each of its two matches, today against MU and Tuesday evening against Tennessee.
- MU had four players reach double figures in digs, with setter Yadhira Anchante (55 assists, 11 digs), outside hitter Jenna Reitsma (10 kills, 15 digs) and Hamilton all recording double-doubles.
- Anchante’s assist total of 55 is a season high.
- MU’s serve-receive recovered after allowing eight service aces in the opening set. WKU posted just three more in the final four frames to end the day with 11.
- Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Morgan Daugherty played in the final two sets as a reserve and posted a career-high two kills.
- Marquette and WKU had split the previous four meetings in program history between the pair of perennial NCAA tournament competitors.
- WKU won last year’s season opener in Dayton, 3-1, as MU middle blocker Carsen Murray missed the game due to injury. Hattie Bray led MU in the loss with 11 kills and MU hit a combined .137 to WKU’s .242.
- Playing against the Hilltoppers holds special significance for MU, which defeated then-No. 24 WKU, 3-1, in the 2011 NCAA First Round at Huff Hall in Champaign, Illinois. That match was MU’s first in NCAA tournament play and the win marked MU’s first ever over a ranked opponent. Former AVCA All-American Ciara Jones led MU with 17 kills in that contest, while fellow outside hitter Ashley Beyer had 15.
UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles stay in Bowling Green and take on No. 24 Dayton at 12:30 p.m. Central time on Saturday. The match will not have a live broadcast but will have live statistics accessible through GoMarquette.com.
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