Following a Friday victory against Kansas State, Marquette volleyball completed its perfect weekend with two three-set victories on Saturday against Western Kentucky (25-22, 25-18, 25-22) and Saint Louis (25-18, 25-13, 25-19).
The first matchup for the Golden Eagles did not exactly start as intended. Marquette just barely pulled out the first set despite 11 errors. Junior setter Lauren Speckman had seven digs in that frame alone, which allowed the Golden Eagles to take the set despite a 0.044 hitting percentage.
In the second set, the Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 7-1 lead and kept that advantage throughout the set, boasting an incredible 0.517 hitting percentage.
The third set was also a tight one, but Marquette took and maintained an early lead. The Golden Eagles hit 0.440 and had only one error in that final frame while the Lady Toppers hit 0.346 and put up three errors.
Redshirt senior Jenna Rosenthal put up 10 kills, no errors, and a total hitting percentage of 0.714 in the first match of the doubleheader. Junior outside hitter and BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week Allie Barber led the way for the Golden Eagles with 12 kills. Speckman ended with a team-high 20 assists, and tied senior Anna Haak and sophomore libero Martha Konovodoff with nine digs.
Taylor Bebout was the star for the Lady Toppers, recording a game-high with 23 assists and 10 digs. Sophia Cerino added nine kills and 11.5 points, but that was nowhere near enough to take down the Golden Eagles.
In the second match of Marquette’s day at the Marcia C. Hamilton Classic against host Saint Louis, the Golden Eagles took set one by dominating the Billikens in almost every major statistical category. Marquette had six more kills, seven more digs, and an 0.084 advantage in hitting percentage.
Marquette went down early in set two but used a 6-0 scoring run to climb back into the lead. The Golden Eagles hit .333 in the second set and held SLU to .000. Sophomore middle blocker Elizabeth Orf tallied four kills and no errors, leading to a .571 hitting percentage in the frame.
The final frame was hardly a challenge for the Golden Eagles. Marquette led for almost all of the set.
Barber, who was voted to the All-Tournament team, again had a phenomenal game, contributing 15 kills, bringing her season total up to an astounding 84, and a 0.519 hitting percentage Saturday night.
Rosenthal’s efforts on the weekend earned her Tournament MVP. The middle blocker has been critical to Marquette’s success this season. Through six games Rosenthal has contributed a stellar 57 kills, nine errors, and 19 blocks.
Anna Haak and Hope Werch had big matches as well. Haak contributed eight kills, seven digs and an 0.381 hitting percentage, earning a selection to the All-Tournament team. Werch, a sophomore outside hitter, boasted a stat line of eight kills, eight digs and three blocks, helping to propel the Golden Eagles to another big victory. Lauren Speckman again led the team in assists and digs, with 22 and 10 respectively.
Marquette (5-1) hopes to carry this momentum into their first home matchup of the year, where they’ll take on the University of Southern California Trojans at the Al McGuire Center on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. Central time.
