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Your #19 Marquette Golden Eagles are absolutely cruising now, as they should be, after sweeping Butler on Wednesday. Allie Barber had 17 kills in the sweep and the Golden Eagles controlled the match the entire time. Not much has changed since we last met on Wednesday, so let’s get looking at this weekend.
A SCHEDULING NOTE: If you were looking at the schedule ahead of time earlier in the week, or remember what we said at the end of the Butler recap, things have changed. Marquette’s flight to New York got cancelled, thus causing a change in the schedule. A slight time change for Saturday, and a move of Friday’s match to Sunday. Just a small tweak, nothing too major.
Big East Match #8: @ Seton Hall Pirates (6-14, 1-6 Big East)
Date: Saturday, October 13, 2018
Time: 4 pm CT
Location: Walsh Gymnasium, South Orange, NJ
Watch: SHUPirates.com
Listen: Seton Hall Radio
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Twitter Updates: @MarquetteVB
Sheeeeeeesh, Seton Hall is bad. They have not played anyone very good besides Pitt and Texas Tech this season and they got crushed by those two. They do have a top 100 win over #83 VCU, but that’s it for highlights. Given where they were just a few years ago with the Manthorpe twins, Seton Hall is a dumpster fire this season.
Holding it down on the offensive side of the ball is Abby Thelen who is averaging 3.68 kills per set, which is pretty impressive considering how bad the Pirates are. Besides Thelen, no one else is producing for the Pirates, so I believe Coach Theis will not have to worry too much about blocking schemes on this road trip.
Setting for the Pirates is Sophia Coffey and Maggie Cvelbar. Coffey is averaging 6.19 assists per set while Cvelbar is averaging 5.05. Considering how bad Seton Hall is I am guessing this is a whoever can get to the second ball situation.
Seton Hall stinks. Marquette 3-0, with the only thing standing in their way being preparation for St. John’s more than SHU since Wednesday night. Book it.
Big East Match #9: @ St. John’s Red Storm (15-7, 4-3 Big East)
Date: Sunday, October 14, 2018
Time: 2 pm CT
Location: Taffner Field House, Queens, NY
Watch: ESPN3, thanks to SJU’s weird tertiary deal
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Listen?: RedStormSports.com
Twitter Updates: @MarquetteVB
The Red Storm have a pretty good record this season and that is probably a product of not playing anyone very good until conference play. At least Seton Hall played some top 60 teams. St. John’s has their match against Creighton, and that is IT. They opened the season with teams from the Tri-State Area who are not very good and destroyed them. St. John’s is clearly New York’s team and that is not even an argument. If you do wanna argue my twitter is @owenmbrown11, but you can also direct your complaints to the nearest brick wall.
Leading the offense for St. John’s is Efronsini Alexakou. The freshman from Greece is averaging 3.17 kills per set while only appearing in a little more than half of St, John’s sets played this season, but she has played in all seven Big East contests. Opposite of Alexakou is Rachele Rastelli who is averaging 2.73 kills per set. Ryan Theis may wanna keep an eye on Alexakou, but I wouldn’t be too worried about the freshman.
Setting for the Red Storm is Erica di Maulo, who is averaging 9.78 assists per set. Di Maulo has been great this season for the Johnnies as she is spreading the ball around the floor and has seemed to enjoy Alexakou’s presence on the court as she seems to be di Maulo’s primary option at this point in the season.
I think Marquette will take this one pretty easily, although this is a crucial match for St. John’s, as they’re currently occupying the fourth and final Big East tournament berth. I am saying another sweep and I will probably be saying this until we take on Creighton at the Al.