DePaul Begins BIG EAST Play at Georgetown, Villanova

Friday, September 24

Washington, D.C.

4:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

Georgetown

DePaul Begins BIG EAST Play at Georgetown, Villanova

9/23/2021 5:43:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Live Stats (Georgetown)Live Stats (Villanova)Georgetown Live Video (HoyaVision)Villanova Live Video (FloSports)FloSports Information Page Match Notes (PDF)

CHICAGO – For the first time since the 2019 season, the DePaul women's volleyball team will make a trip to the East Coast as the Blue Demons open BIG EAST play with matches at Georgetown and Villanova, Sept. 24-25.

DePaul will begin the road swing in Washington, D.C. for a matchup with the Hoyas on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. CT before making the short trip to Villanova, Pa. to take on the Wildcats on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Friday's matchup at McDonough Arena can be viewed on HoyaVision by visiting guhoyas.com while Saturday evening's match can be seen on FloSports. For more information and discounted pricing on a FloSports subscription visit DePaul's information page at depaulbluedemons.com.

Demon Doings:

The Blue Demons closed out non-conference action with a 7-5 record and are winners of three straight
DePaul boasts a balanced offense with sophomore outside hitter Jill Pressly leading the way with 3.44 kills per set to go along with 2.91 digs per set. Pressly has tallied eight double-doubles through 12 matches
Right sides Emma Price and Bailey Nelson have knocked in 2.23 and 2.00 kills, respectively
In the middle, senior Donna Brown and freshman Aly Kindelberger have been potent at the net, with a combined 84 blocks on the season
Sophomore libero Rachel Krasowski leads the conference with an impressive 5.50 digs per set which also ranks ninth in the nation
Ashley Cudiamat and Molly Murrihy have been sharing setting responsibilities averaging 5.72 and 4.63 assists per set, respectively
The Blue Demons are 2-1 on the road thus far in the 2021 season

Scouting the Competition:

GEORGETOWN – The Hoyas will see BIG EAST action for the first time since 2019 after sitting out the 2020 season. Georgetown enters the weekend 4-7 on the season and most recently dropped all three matches at the Jefferson Cup in Charlottesville, Va. The Hoyas are led by freshman outside hitter Mary Grace Goyena averaging 2.98 kills per set. Georgetown head coach David Heller is in his second season at the helm after spending a season as an assistant on The Hilltop.
VILLANOVA – Villanova went 8-4 in non-conference play and most recently saw a 2-1 weekend in a three-match tournament at Temple. The Wildcats took down common opponent, Penn, 3-1 to close out the non-conference slate. Sophomore outside hitter Riley Homer paces the Wildcats with 3.81 kills per set, good for third in the BIG EAST. Averi Salvador ranks sixth in the conference in digs per set at 4.36. Josh Steinbach enters his 15th season on the Main Line.

Series Stuff:

Through 26 previous meetings, the Hoyas hold the all-time series 15-11. DePaul took the last meeting over Georgetown on November 16, 2019 at McGrath-Phillips Arena.
Villanova has taken 20 of the 23 all-time meetings between the two programs. The Blue Demons picked up a thrilling 3-2 win in the last matchup on November 15, 2019.

Last Time Out:

In the final weekend of non-conference competition, the Blue Demons went 3-0 against city adversaries and took the 2021 Chicago Cup title. En route to earning bragging rights, DePaul swept both Loyola and UIC while taking down Northwestern for the first time since 1980.
Donna Brown earned tournament MVP honors while Rachel Krasowski and Bailey Nelson were selected to the All-Tournament Team.

From Head Coach Marie Zidek: We have some demons so to speak to exercise out on the East Coast. It's been a while since we have been able to close a match out at both Georgetown and Villanova. This group is extra hungry and has something to prove against these teams. For most it'll be the first time we have seen them since the 2019 season and for our new people it's one of those road trips you circle on the calendar every year. Both teams play extra motivated in their home gym, and it will require our best efforts to beat them this weekend. Looking forward to these next growth opportunities as this group continues to ride high from last weekend's Chicago Cup victory.

Up Next: After opening conference play on the road, the Blue Demons will return home to welcome Connecticut and Marquette to McGrath-Phillips Arena, Oct. 2-3.

For all of the latest on DePaul Women's Volleyball, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.