DePaul University Athletics
Saturday, October 2
Chicago, Ill.
5:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
vs
Connecticut
Blue Demons Welcome Connecticut, Marquette to McGrath-Phillips Arena
9/30/2021 3:59:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
A pair of undefeated BIG EAST teams visit Lincoln Park
CHICAGO – The DePaul women's volleyball team will look to continue its hot streak when it welcomes conference foes Connecticut and Marquette to Lincoln Park Oct. 2-3 for a pair of matches.
The Huskies and Blue Demons will square off on Saturday, Oct. 2 with first serve set for 5 p.m. CT while the Golden Eagles will make the trek down I-94 on Sunday, Oct. 3 for a 3 p.m. meeting.
Both matches can be streamed live on FloSports. For special DePaul pricing on a subscription, visit the information page at depaulbluedemons.com. All fans in attendance are required to wear a face covering while indoors in accordance with updated local and university mandates.
Demon Doings: DePaul (9-5, 2-0 BIG EAST) enters the weekend riding a five-match win streak after claiming the Chicago Cup crown Sept. 17-18 and opening the BIG EAST slate 2-0 with sweeps over Georgetown and Villanova last weekend. In the inaugural weekend of conference play, the Blue Demons knocked down some long-standing records, picking up the first win at McDonough Arena since 2017 and the first at Villanova since 2012. DePaul began the conference season with consecutive victories for the first time since joining the BIG EAST in 2005.
The Blue Demons boast a balanced attack led by sophomore outside hitter Jill Pressly who is averaging a team-high 3.51 kills per set paired with 3.12 digs per set. Hana Karl is coming on strong as of late, averaging 2.59 kills per set in the five-match win streak along with six service aces over the span. Middle blockers Donna Brown and Aly Kindelberger have seen strong seasons at the net, combining for 25 of the team's 39 solo blocks. Rachel Krasowski has dominated the back row, averaging 5.21 digs per set.
Scouting the Competition:
CONNECTICUT - The Huskies roll into the weekend on a five-match win streak and stand at 10-4 overall. UConn went 2-0 in the first weekend of BIG EAST action, sweeping both St. John's and Seton Hall. Senior outside hitter Caylee Parker leads the squad with 3.02 kills per set. Middle blocker Kennadie Jake-Turner leads the conference in attack efficiency at a .354 mark to go along with 2.39 kills per set. Libero Karly Berkland has picked up 196 digs on the season. Ellen Herman-Kimball enters her third season at the helm of the Huskies program after serving as an assistant coach for the previous five seasons.
MARQUETTE – The Golden Eagles are receiving photos in the AVCA Top-25 poll and enter the weekend with an 11-2 record with losses coming at the hands of top-10 foes including reigning National Champions Kentucky and then-No. 2 Wisconsin. In the first weekend of BIG EAST action, MU took down Villanova 3-1 before sweeping Georgetown a day later. Marquette is led by graduate student pin hitter & setter Taylor Wolf. Wolf is averaging 2.95 kills per set to go along with 5.20 assists per set and has a team-high 18 service aces. Fellow grad students Hope Werch and Savannah Rennie provide offensive re-enforcement with 2.79 and 2.70 kills per set, respectively.
Series Stuff: DePaul and UConn will square off for just the 11th time on Saturday evening and the first time since the Huskies rejoined the BIG EAST in July of 2020. Connecticut has won the previous 10 meetings including a 3-0 win at the 2018 DePaul Invitational. Sunday's matchup with Marquette marks the 67th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Golden Eagles lead the series 38-28. The last time the Blue Demons came away victorious was November 1, 2008, in a 3-2 decision.
From Head Coach Marie Zidek: All teams this weekend are hot. UCONN is riding a five match win streak and look very balanced behind Graduate Transfer setter McKayla Wuensch. She is not afraid to set any ball and her hitters really feed off her energy. They play a style very similar to ours, so it will be a great battle of personnel within both systems. Sunday's match features one of the best pure volleyball players in the country in Taylor Wolf who is top 5 for triple doubles, which in volleyball is extremely rare. We enter this weekend hot ourselves coming off a five-match win streak and two sweeps that we had to earn the hard way on the road. We are battle tested and ready to battle this weekend. Our defense has been doing a great job of creating extra chances for our offense, and our offense has been trending up since pre-season ended. If you were looking for a weekend to see volleyball in McGrath, this is it!
Up Next: Following this weekend's matchups, the Blue Demons will hit the road for a swing at No. 16 Creighton on Oct. 8 and at Providence, Oct. 10.
For all of the latest on DePaul Women's Volleyball, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Huskies and Blue Demons will square off on Saturday, Oct. 2 with first serve set for 5 p.m. CT while the Golden Eagles will make the trek down I-94 on Sunday, Oct. 3 for a 3 p.m. meeting.
Both matches can be streamed live on FloSports. For special DePaul pricing on a subscription, visit the information page at depaulbluedemons.com. All fans in attendance are required to wear a face covering while indoors in accordance with updated local and university mandates.
Demon Doings: DePaul (9-5, 2-0 BIG EAST) enters the weekend riding a five-match win streak after claiming the Chicago Cup crown Sept. 17-18 and opening the BIG EAST slate 2-0 with sweeps over Georgetown and Villanova last weekend. In the inaugural weekend of conference play, the Blue Demons knocked down some long-standing records, picking up the first win at McDonough Arena since 2017 and the first at Villanova since 2012. DePaul began the conference season with consecutive victories for the first time since joining the BIG EAST in 2005.
The Blue Demons boast a balanced attack led by sophomore outside hitter Jill Pressly who is averaging a team-high 3.51 kills per set paired with 3.12 digs per set. Hana Karl is coming on strong as of late, averaging 2.59 kills per set in the five-match win streak along with six service aces over the span. Middle blockers Donna Brown and Aly Kindelberger have seen strong seasons at the net, combining for 25 of the team's 39 solo blocks. Rachel Krasowski has dominated the back row, averaging 5.21 digs per set.
Scouting the Competition:
CONNECTICUT - The Huskies roll into the weekend on a five-match win streak and stand at 10-4 overall. UConn went 2-0 in the first weekend of BIG EAST action, sweeping both St. John's and Seton Hall. Senior outside hitter Caylee Parker leads the squad with 3.02 kills per set. Middle blocker Kennadie Jake-Turner leads the conference in attack efficiency at a .354 mark to go along with 2.39 kills per set. Libero Karly Berkland has picked up 196 digs on the season. Ellen Herman-Kimball enters her third season at the helm of the Huskies program after serving as an assistant coach for the previous five seasons.
MARQUETTE – The Golden Eagles are receiving photos in the AVCA Top-25 poll and enter the weekend with an 11-2 record with losses coming at the hands of top-10 foes including reigning National Champions Kentucky and then-No. 2 Wisconsin. In the first weekend of BIG EAST action, MU took down Villanova 3-1 before sweeping Georgetown a day later. Marquette is led by graduate student pin hitter & setter Taylor Wolf. Wolf is averaging 2.95 kills per set to go along with 5.20 assists per set and has a team-high 18 service aces. Fellow grad students Hope Werch and Savannah Rennie provide offensive re-enforcement with 2.79 and 2.70 kills per set, respectively.
Series Stuff: DePaul and UConn will square off for just the 11th time on Saturday evening and the first time since the Huskies rejoined the BIG EAST in July of 2020. Connecticut has won the previous 10 meetings including a 3-0 win at the 2018 DePaul Invitational. Sunday's matchup with Marquette marks the 67th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Golden Eagles lead the series 38-28. The last time the Blue Demons came away victorious was November 1, 2008, in a 3-2 decision.
From Head Coach Marie Zidek: All teams this weekend are hot. UCONN is riding a five match win streak and look very balanced behind Graduate Transfer setter McKayla Wuensch. She is not afraid to set any ball and her hitters really feed off her energy. They play a style very similar to ours, so it will be a great battle of personnel within both systems. Sunday's match features one of the best pure volleyball players in the country in Taylor Wolf who is top 5 for triple doubles, which in volleyball is extremely rare. We enter this weekend hot ourselves coming off a five-match win streak and two sweeps that we had to earn the hard way on the road. We are battle tested and ready to battle this weekend. Our defense has been doing a great job of creating extra chances for our offense, and our offense has been trending up since pre-season ended. If you were looking for a weekend to see volleyball in McGrath, this is it!
Up Next: Following this weekend's matchups, the Blue Demons will hit the road for a swing at No. 16 Creighton on Oct. 8 and at Providence, Oct. 10.
For all of the latest on DePaul Women's Volleyball, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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