The Golden Eagles pulled out a victory against St. John’s in a hard-fought four-set match on Friday, 25-19, 25-21, 24-26, 26-24. The match featured 29 ties and 11 lead changes, but Marquette (21-6, 11-3) extended its winning streak to five. Marquette head coach Ryan Theis was happy with his team’s resilience in the match.
“Happy we fought and were able to pull one out today,” Theis said. “I rarely call out individuals, but I do think Autumn really stepped at the end of that game and took over and put us on her shoulder’s a little bit.”
Theis was referring to sophomore Autumn Bailey who hammered home 27 kills on a .358 hitting percentage and added 15 digs and two aces and blocks. Redshirt sophomore Meghan Niemann also had a nice game for the Golden Eagles with 11 kills and three blocks. Junior Karin Palgutova led the Red Storm with 20 kills and 11 digs.
The Golden Eagles got out to a fast start in the first set, taking a 6-1 lead. St. John’s only point came on a Barber service error and the run forced a Red Storm timeout. St. John’s responded with a 5-3 streak to make the score 6-9, and even cut the deficit to two points of Marquette at 11-13 but would never get closer than that. The Red Storm lingered close behind Marquette for the majority of the game but could never get over the hump and the Golden Eagles took the set, 25-19.
Bailey led Marquette in kills with five and had no errors on 11 attacks for a .455 hitting percentage, but it was sophomore Nele Barber who was the story of the set. The German-born sophomore had four kills and not one, not two, but three aces in the frame. As a team, the Golden Eagles had a hitting percentage of .306.
The second set was a much different story for the Golden Eagles, as they found themselves trailing for a majority of the game. The frame was back and forth from the opening serve and Marquette battled to grab a 7-6 lead, however St. John’s scored six of the next eight points, taking a 12-9 advantage. The Golden Eagles responded with a 7-3 run to reclaim the lead, 16-15. Despite losing the lead yet again after a 4-2 Red Storm attack, Marquette promptly took it back at 21-20 and would not lose it again. The Golden Eagles finally ended the set, 25-21, thanks to a 7-1 run and a great play at the net from freshman Gabby Benda.
Bailey again led Marquette in kills with six and had no errors, adding an ace and five digs. Niemann and junior Erin Lehman each had five kills in the frame. The set had 12 ties and five lead changes before the Golden Eagles put it away.
The third set was another slow start for Marquette, as the Golden Eagles fell in a 7-3 hole early in the game. The Golden Eagles climbed all the way back and drew a tie, 15-15. Things looked bleak for Marquette as St. John’s grabbed a 24-19 lead, sitting at gamepoint. But Marquette went on an incredible 5-0 run with their backs against the wall to tie the game at 24. However the Red Storm answered back and ended the game, 26-24. The loss was Marquette’s first dropped set out of the last 15, the last time came on Oct. 24 in a loss to Creighton.
St. John’s was led by Karin Palgutova who had five kills. For Marquette, Bailey also had five kills and an ace and added five digs, but had her first error of the match in the set. The Golden Eagles hit just .102 as a team and more errors (7) in the set than they had in the first two combined.
After poor starts in the second and third sets, Marquette came out ready in the fourth. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but saw it disappear after a 5-1 Red Storm run, making the score 6-5. The Red Storm extended their lead to 12-9, but Marquette responded with a 5-1 run for a 14-13 advantage. The lead would change hands one more time before the Golden Eagles closed out the hard fought game and match, 26-24.
Bailey was on fire in the final set and had 11 kills with three digs and two blocks. Lehman had two kills as did redshirt junior Courtney Kintzel, who saw her first action on Friday since the Sept. 19 victory over Florida.
Marquette takes on Providence tomorrow, and despite the Friars’ 0-12 in conference record, the Golden Eagles are not overlooking their opponent.
“There’s always a danger of being overconfident,” redshirt sophomore Meghan Niemann said. “Tomorrow we’re really gonna have to be smart, we’re gonna have to be prepared, because they got nothing to lose.”
The Golden Eagles will be back in action on Saturday at 5 p.m. against the last-place Providence Friars. Anyone with a used ticket stub from the Marquette men’s basketball exhibition against Wisconsin-Lutheran will receive free admission to the match.
