The No. 10 Golden Eagles defeated the Seton Hall Pirates (25-19, 25-17, 25-13) Friday night in the team’s seventh sweep of 2019.
Marquette didn’t have any trouble in the first set, going on multiple scoring runs for a 9-4 lead and 16-10 lead before winning the opening set 25-19. While Marquette combined for a .256 clip, the team’s four blocks held Seton Hall to a .163 hitting percentage.
“A couple of plays here and there we got in better positions,” head coach Ryan Theis said. “Their hitters maybe made a couple more mistakes.”
MU’s defense was more efficient in the second frame, recording two blocks in the first three points. Once the Golden Eagles’ offense got going, Marquette went on a 5-0 scoring run to gain an 18-9 advantage. Although the Pirates fought off three set points, Marquette fended them off to win the set 25-17.
After the second set, Hannah Vanden Berg was over .500 efficiency. By the end of the third set, senior outside hitter Allie Barber had gotten there as well.
“When one hitter can get hot at different times and score three straight, it puts a lot of pressure on the other team,” Theis said.
It was Golden Eagle domination once again in the final set. Vanden Berg’s three consecutive kills helped propel Marquette to a 10-4 lead early in the third. The Golden Eagles’ offense didn’t stop there, going on a 6-1 scoring run for an advantage of 23-11, eventually taking the third set 25-13.
It was Vanden Berg’s first career start in BIG EAST play. The freshman finished with nine kills, three service aces, six digs, an assist and a block.
“It was exciting. A little nerve-racking,” Vanden Berg said. “Everyone was super supportive so it’s hard not to have confidence.”
“(Hannah’s) a freshman still learning and we’re playing her in every different position to try and get her as comfortable as possible at all of them,” Theis said. “Because she can do that, she’s a pretty special kid.”
Barber led all hitters with 16 kills. Junior outside hitter Kaitlyn Lines recorded eight kills, nine digs, three blocks and two aces, while senior setter Lauren Speckman notched a double-double with a match-high 25 assists and 14 digs. Credited for four of the team’s seven blocks was middle blocker Sandy Mohr.
No Seton Hall player had more than seven kills.
No. 10 Marquette (12-2, 2-0 BIG EAST) will face the St. John’s Red Storm Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Al McGuire Center.
“The team’s heads are in a good spot after two matches,” Theis said. “Tomorrow’s going to be a long one, so it’s nice to get out of the first two quickly.”
