(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) CINCINNATI – The Marquette University women’s volleyball team (17-9, 11-5 BIG EAST) snapped the 13-match win streak of Xavier (25-3, 14-2 BIG EAST) with a four-set victory Sunday afternoon at the Cintas Center.
Natalie Ring led Marquette offensively with 21 kills on .292 hitting while also contributing nine digs, anchoring the Golden Eagles’ attack. Hattie Bray added 11 kills on an efficient .500 hitting mark and tallied five blocks, helping MU control the net. Elena Radeff chipped in seven kills and two blocks, while setter Isabela Haggard ran the offense efficiently with 33 assists, four kills, and three blocks. Overall, Marquette hit .278 as a team, recorded eight team blocks, and tallied 48 digs.
Marquette opened with a quick 4-0 burst before Xavier pushed back to take a brief lead midway through the frame. The Golden Eagles answered immediately, stringing together a pivotal 7-0 run behind Studer’s serve and a flurry of kills from Ring to reclaim control. Haggard added a late ace, and Bray finished the set with a kill to secure a 25-20 win and a 1-0 match lead.
The Golden Eagles controlled the second set from the opening points, using an early surge sparked by three quick kills from Ring and a solo block from Bray to build a 4-1 advantage. Marquette continued to separate as Haggard delivered an ace and added a pair of kills during a 6-1 run that pushed the lead to 11-6 and forced a Xavier timeout. MU’s block also took hold, forcing multiple Musketeer attack errors while Bray and Radeff chipped in timely swings. Ring notched her fifth kill of the frame to make it 23-17, and Haggard capped a strong set with the clinching kill for a 25-18 win and a 2-0 match lead.
Set three featured the tightest play of the afternoon, with neither side able to separate early as the score moved level through 13-13. Xavier gained momentum to go up 16-13, then extended the lead behind steady sideout play. Marquette pulled within three on kills from Bray and Parks, but Xavier answered with a late push and closed the frame on an ace from Emma Grace to take the set, 25-19.
Marquette put together its most dominant stretch of the match in set four, breaking an early 8-8 tie with a massive 9-1 run behind the serving of Studer and steady first-contact play. Ring caught fire with four kills during the surge, while Bray and Radeff teamed up for key blocks to force a pair of Xavier errors. MU closed out the set with strong contributions from its bench, including kills from Emma Parks on the final two points, sealing a 25-13 win to take the match in four.
NOTABLES
- With the win, Marquette snapped Xavier’s 13-match win streak dating back to Oct. 3
- The Golden Eagles take a four-match win streak into the postseason
- MU tallied their highest RPI win of the season, with Xavier ranked No. 22 heading into the match
- Natalie Ring extended her double-digit kills streak to 29 with 21 today, hitting the mark in every match since 11/30/2024
- Natalie Ring tallied over 20 kills for the seventh time this season with 21 kills at Xavier
- Hattie Bray (11) and Natalie Ring (21) combined for double-digit kills for the 12th time this season, and the sixth time in the past seven matches
Blitzing the Butler Bulldogs: INDIANAPOLIS – The Marquette University women’s volleyball team (16-9, 10-5 BIG EAST) blitzed Butler (12-16, 5-10 BIG EAST) in straight sets Saturday afternoon on the road.
Marquette was led by Hattie Bray’s dominant all-around afternoon, posting 12 kills on .526 hitting along with eight blocks. Natalie Ring added 11 kills, two aces, and three blocks, while Elena Radeff contributed five kills and an ace. Isabela Haggard paced the offense with 26 assists, four kills, eight digs, and a career-high five blocks, while Keira Schmidt hit .500 with four kills and four blocks. Libero Adriana Studer rounded out the effort with a team-high 12 digs and two aces as MU finished at .341 hitting.
Marquette controlled the opening frame with steady side-out rhythm and timely swings from Ring and Bray, then slammed the door with a dominant closing stretch. After taking a 19-16 lead, the Golden Eagles rolled off the final six points, fueled by a Radeff ace, multiple blocks, and Ring’s late kill, before Bray ended it with a solo stuff to secure the set, 25-16.
MU battled through a tight early stretch before taking control midway, using a momentum-shifting run sparked by Ally Eckel’s serve to flip a 12-14 deficit into a 15-14 lead. From there, the Golden Eagles leaned on steady offense from Ring and Haggard while tightening up defensively, holding Butler to just two points during a key 6-0 surge out of the media timeout. Ring delivered multiple late kills to keep MU in front, and after Butler staved off a few set points, she finished the frame again with a kill to close out the second set, 25-20.
The Golden Eagles blitzed Butler from the opening serve in the third, racing out to a 7-1 lead behind a dominant serving run from Studer and a pair of early kills from Bray. MU controlled the net throughout the set, with Bray and Schmidt combining on multiple blocks as the margin quickly ballooned into double digits. Ring and Bray kept the offense rolling in transition, and Schmidt added a late kill and solo block to shut the door. Marquette closed out the frame comfortably, taking the third set 25-14, and the match, 3-0.
NOTABLES
- MU only committed eight attack errors in the match, their lowest since recording the same against Milwaukee on 9/14/25. MU also had their highest hitting percentage (.341) as a team since that same Milwaukee match
- Isabela Haggard totaled a career-high five blocks
- Natalie Ring extended her double-digit kills streak to 28 with 11 today, hitting the mark in every match since 11/30/2024
- Hattie Bray recorded fewer than two errors and 10+ kills (12 kills, 2 errors today) for the fifth time this season, and second match in a row
- Hattie Bray (12) and Natalie Ring (11) combined for double-digit kills for the 11th time this season, and the fifth time in the past six matches
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