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The very odd and very different spring season for fall sports inches closer to us every day. Women’s volleyball can begin matches on January 22nd, just 17 days from when I’m typing this. Thus, it makes sense that it’s time for the AVCA to release their preseason poll!
Also making sense: YOUR Marquette are in the preseason top 25. That definitely explains why you’re reading about this now.
Marquette will start the spring season ranked #20 in the country. The Golden Eagles finished the 2019 campaign as the #20 team in the country, so it’s nice to see the squad get the respect they deserve for their nine straight NCAA tournament appearances. MU picked up 352 points in the polling, which tucks them in between Pittsburgh with 404 points and Hawaii with 294 points.
It’s a little surprising to see MU get ranked, though. The Golden Eagles will be without All-American attacker Allie Barber and setter Lauren Speckman, both of whom graduated following the 2019 season. All-Big East caliber libero Martha Konovodoff also graduated in December 2020 and will thus miss the season, as will Sarah Rose, the other half of MU’s setter pairing with Speckman back in 2019. Rose will miss the season as she engages in treatment for Ewing’s Sarcoma.
The only other Big East team to even earn votes in the preseason poll is Creighton. I know, you’re not surprised to hear that. You’re probably also not surprised to find out that the Jays will start the season ranked, coming in at #15 in the poll. Creighton and Marquette have long since been locked in a duel for the top spot in the Big East, or rather, Marquette has been locked into trying to unseat Creighton from their perch atop the conference. I don’t think I’m stepping out of line to say that no one else in the Big East cares about winning in volleyball as much as Marquette and Creighton do, so it is what it is.
This would normally be the part of the show where I tell you what teams on Marquette’s schedule are ranked or earning votes to start the season....... but we don’t have a schedule. Yes, the season can start in 17 days, but the conference and the university have been very hush-hush on the actual plans for competition this spring. Fingers crossed that the schedule comes along very soon, I guess?
You can check out the entire AVCA top 25 right here.