DePaul Travels to Xavier, Butler for Final Road Swing

Friday, November 9

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

Xavier

DePaul Travels to Xavier, Butler for Final Road Swing

11/8/2018 10:23:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

The Blue Demons are set to head to Xavier and Butler for the last road weekend of the 2018 season.

CHICAGO - The Blue Demons are set to travel to Xavier and Butler for the final two away contests of the 2018 season. DePaul will play Xavier in a 6:00 p.m. match Friday, Nov. 9 and will travel on Saturday to compete against Butler in a 1:00 p.m. match on Sunday.

"The team and staff are looking forward to the weekend," said head coach Marie Zidek. "Xavier and Butler are both playing well at home right now so we are prepared for a battle.

"Even though we have been bitten by the injury bug late in the season, we feel very comfortable that we know their styles of play and can execute at a level necessary to compete. With four matches left, there is also an added motivation for our team to finish strong. Players are ready to step in where they need to, and we are getting to a point where our team understands the intricacies of our offensive and defensive systems.

"Every team is fighting fatigue at this point in the season, and the teams that win here on out are still able to play with an edge despite this fatigue. We look forward to the Xavier- Butler road swing."

Last Time Vs. Xavier
Earlier in the season, DPU edged the Musketeers 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 17-25, 25-20) at home. In the win, Emma Price led the way with 19 kills while Avarie Evans-Allen finished with 14 and Donna Brown with 10. Isabelle Banez totaled 21 digs while Katie Dolan had 22 assists and Natalie Hayward finished with 20 assists and seven digs.

Scouting the Musketeers
Last weekend, Xavier swept Butler 3-0 (26-24, 26-24, 25-23). Senior Laura Grossman posted her third straight double-double in the win and her eighth of the season. Additionally, she posted a match-high 13 kills to go with her 18 digs in the match. Due to her performance, Grossman was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.

In the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, Xavier was tied for sixth with St. John's, but currently sits fifth in the standings, hand in hand with Georgetown who is fourth.

Last Time vs. Butler
DePaul defeated the Bulldogs in a fight set win earlier in the season 3-2 (25-22, 12-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-11) after previously defeating Butler for the last time on Oct. 5, 2016. In the win, four different DePaul sources recorded double-digit digs, with Claire Anderson and Dolan contributing a match-high 12-a-piece, Mattie Norris tacking on 10 and MacKenzie Savage adding a match-high 25. Anderson recorded her third double-double of the season, totaling 15 kills along with her digs.

Scouting the Bulldogs
Butler fell in three sets to Xavier last weekend but tops the BIG EAST in blocks per set (3.03) and total blocks (281.5)

Additionally, senior Bri Lilly and redshirt freshman Melody Davidson rank 1-2 in the BIG EAST in blocks per set with 1.54 and 1.30.

The Bulldogs were picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll but currently sit seventh in the standings.

Live Coverage
Friday's match will be streamed live through Xavier All-Access. Live stats can be viewed here.
Sunday's match can be viewed live through Facebook Live. Live stats can be viewed here.

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