No. 16 Marquette swept Utah Valley University and Boise State University in a nine-hour span to start the season 2-0 at the BYU Nike Invitational.
Marquette had no problems defeating Utah Valley (25-14, 25-18, 25-21) Friday morning.
The Wolverines never hit better than at a 0.226 clip in a set while the Golden Eagles averaged a 0.395 hitting percentage.
Senior outside hitter Allie Barber finished with a game-high 14 kills and 0.444 hitting percentage. She was the only Golden Eagle to record double-digit kills.
Junior Hope Werch tallied eight kills, and transfer Kaitlyn Lines added seven kills and three service aces. Senior Lauren Speckman finished with a team-high 24 assists. Junior Elizabeth Orf finished with four of Marquette’s five blocks.
The Wolverines’ Kazna Tarawhiti posted a team-high 13 kills and accounted for 10 of Utah Valley’s 24 digs. Meanwhile, Jaysa Funk Stratton accounted for 25 of the team’s 31 assists.
The Golden Eagles won again in straight sets Friday night against the Broncos (25-11, 27-25, 25-22).
Boise State nearly forced a fourth set, taking leads in the second and third sets. The Broncos also tied the second set 10 times before consecutive kills from Werch resulted in the 27-25 set victory.
Three Golden Eagles reached double-digit kills. Werch had her best offensive match of the day with 13 kills, 15 digs and a 0.522 hitting percentage. Werch tied with Lines for the team-high 13 kills, while Barber added 12 of her own.
Boise State’s Janell Walley recorded a game-high 15 kills and team-high 12 digs, while Danielle Boss tallied a match-high 32 assists. Boss accounted for 32 of the team’s 39 assists. The Broncos compiled seven total blocks and four service aces.
No. 16 Marquette (2-0) has a tough test Saturday at 8 p.m. CST against No. 9 Brigham Young University.
