Marquette To Host 2014 Big East Volleyball Tournament

Waaaaaaay back in May, Marquette announced their volleyball schedule for this fall.  One key component was missing: The location of the Big East tournament.  That mystery was solved this morning when the athletic department announced that the Al McGuire Center will be the host for the 2014 Big East Volleyball Tournament, giving Marquette a chance to defend their Big East tournament title on their home court.  Presuming that it takes the same format as last year, the top four teams in the Big East will qualify for the tournament and play in the semifinals on Friday, November 28, with the championship match to follow on Saturday, November 29.

It's the third time in four years that the Big East will congregate in Milwaukee to decide who gets the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.  Last year, Creighton was the host, and in 2012, Pittsburgh was scheduled as host, but due to the Panthers being pouty-pants about how the conference was being operated, the tournament was taken away from them and given to MU for the second consecutive season.

Marquette won the first regular season and conference tournament titles in program history by pulling off the double dip in 2013.  The Golden Eagles defeated Butler in four sets in the semifinals in Omaha, and knocked off the hosting Creighton Bluejays, 3-1, in the title game.

Head coach Ryan Theis begins his first season at Marquette on August 30th against UC-Santa Barbara in the Colorado State Rams Classic.