(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATINS) MILWAUKEE – Aubrey Hamilton and Natalie Ring each had 13 kills and the Marquette University women’s volleyball team swept Xavier, 25-13, 25-20, 25-14, on Sunday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center.
“Any time we can be diverse, spread the ball around and get other attackers involved it keeps blocks off balance,” MU head coach Ryan Theis said. “A lot of it has to do with first touch and I thought we did a pretty good job.”
The Golden Eagles (11-6, 7-1 BIG EAST) hit a combined .355 (49-11-107) and got off to a fast start by hitting .538 (16-2-26) in the opening frame. Hamilton and Ring each had six kills with no hitting errors in the second set.
MU limited Xavier (6-12, 4-4 BIG EAST) to a 28-16-108 (.111) hitting line overall and a mark of .022 in a 25-14 third set loss. Sarah Stevens and Anna Taylor each had nine kills to lead the Musketeers.
The Golden Eagles closed the match with the final nine points of the third set and Ring led all players in the frame with five kills.
“I though (Ella) Foti served some pretty challenging balls to put them in some tough spots (in the closing run),” Theis said. “The theme of some of the second and third sets was (Xavier) trying to muck it up a bit and create off blockers on the ground and try to throw it around. We just wanted to be clean and generate quality swings and it just took us half of two and half of three to get a rhythm of that.”
NOTABLE:
- Marquette is 21-9 all-time against Xavier and has won each of the last 11 meetings since a loss to the Musketeers in the 2016 BIG EAST semifinals in Indianapolis.
- MU is 16-4 against Xavier since the Musketeers entered the BIG EAST for the 2013 campaign.
- Hamilton had a season- and match-high 16 digs to tie a career best.
- In MU’s two wins this weekend, Hamilton hit .264 with 41 total kills and 29 digs for averages of 5.13 kills and 3.63 digs per set.
- MU middle blocker Hattie Bray hit .615 (8-0-13) with no hitting errors and posted a team-high three blocks.
- MU setter Yadhira Anchante notched 35 assists and 14 digs and has a team-best 13 double doubles this season
UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles host Milwaukee at the Al McGuire Center at 7 p.m. Central time on Tuesday to close out their three-match home.
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