DePaul University
Georgetown
Volleyball Opens Conference Play Hosting Georgetown, Villanova
9/21/2023 5:09:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
DePaul welcomes first BIG EAST opponents of the season
CHICAGO - DePaul volleyball begins conference play at McGrath-Phillips Arena this weekend. On Friday, the Blue Demons will welcome the Georgetown Hoyas for a 7 p.m. match. On Saturday, the Villanova Wildcats will visit Lincoln Park with first serve set for 6 p.m.
"This program accomplished a lot this pre-season," said head coach Marie Zidek. "The past five weeks spent together has chiseled and molded us in ways that have allowed us to continue to reach for higher levels of game and more game intelligence. We have also used our preseason matches to practice mentalities, not over inflating a win and not being super demoralized at a loss ... simply trying to learn from what happens in the match to continue testing different play sets and people in different positions in practice. This group is starting to show resilience, strength, and togetherness. That will be needed this weekend as Georgetown and Villanova come in hot and on top of their games. One of the top performers from Georgetown, Kamryn, is coming back to Chicago and played for the same club team as Rachel Krasowski, so a lot of Chicago will be out to see that match. Villanova looks out for blood. They have pins playing really well attacking line and a pair of middles that are the very best at niche motor attacking in gaps of the block, which is going to force us to have to make some choices. Really looking forward to matches 12 and 13. Everyone gets a fresh slate to show what they're made of over the next 18 matches."
SCOUTING THE HOYAS
- Georgetown enters conference play with a 9-3 record, earning wins over VCU and Penn and dropping matches to Iona, North Alabama and George Washington.
- Peyton Wilhite and Mary Grace Goyena pace the offense, totaling 139 and 136 kills respectively. Wilhite averages 3.09 kills per set while Goyena averages 3.02 kills per set.
- Freshman Emily Wen ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in assists, averaging 9.64 per set.
- Junior libero Karis Park leads the team in digs (177 total, 3.93 per set) and ranks sixth in the conference. Park was also named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 18.
- The Hoyas welcomed five freshmen to the team, joining 13 returners from the 2022 season.
- AJ Bonetti is in his first season at the helm of the Hoyas.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
- Villanova comes into the weekend with a 9-3 record, falling only to Western Michigan, Notre Dame and Lehigh.
- Senior setter Andrea Campos ranks third in the conference in assists with 10.18 per set.
- Madeline Barber sits at third in the BIG EAST with a .378 hitting percentage.
- Freshman Abby Harrell averages 3.38 kills per set, which is good for seventh in the conference.
- Four freshmen joined the Wildcats throughout the offseason.
- Josh Steinbach enters his 17th season as the head coach of the Wildcats.
SERIES STUFF
Georgetown has a slight lead in the overall series, 15-14, but the Blue Demons have won the last four matchups.
The Wildcats lead the overall series, 19-6.
BLUE DEMON BITS
- The team ranks in the top three in three categories within the conference: first in blocks (2.72 blocks per set), second in assists (12.47 assists per set) and second in kills (13.19 kills per set).
- Meghan Scholz was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week on Monday. Scholz currently leads the conference in blocks with 42 total, averaging 1.40 per set, which ranks 21st nationally and is second among Division I freshmen.
- Senior Jill Pressly paces the Blue Demons offense, totaling 148 kills (4.11 per set). Pressly ranks third in the conference.Â
- Senior libero Rachel Krasowski has 177 digs through 36 sets, averaging 4.92 per set which is good for second in the conference.
BIG EAST WHIPAROUND
- Butler ranks third in the BIG EAST in digs per set (15.6) and assists per game (12.21).
- UConn's Dogu Kutulu ranks top-10 in the conference in assists per set at 5.47.
- Creighton, the reigning BIG EAST Champions, enter the conference slate at 9-2 and lead the league in four statistical categories: hitting percentage (.247), assists per set (13.43), kills per set (14.60) and digs per set (17.07).
- Marquette has posted a 4-7 record this season with a total of seven matches against ranked opponents.Â
- Providence leads the conference in service aces, coming in with 2.06 per set. The Friars have three individuals in the top-10 for service aces in the conference.
- St. John's has two student-athletes in the top-10 for kills per set: Erin Jones in fifth (3.53) and Giorgia Walter in 10th (3.36).
- Seton Hall ranks second in blocks per set (2.38) and digs (15.97), while sitting in fourth in kills per set (12.97).
- Xavier's Delaney Hogan and Anna Taylor are in the top-10 for hitting percentage. Hogan ranks second (.403) and Taylor sits in ninth (.293).
UP NEXT
DePaul will hit the road for their first trip of conference play. The Blue Demons will visit Providence on Saturday, Sept. 30 and UConn on Sunday, Oct. 1. First serve is set for 12 p.m. for both matches.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONSÂ
For all the latest information on DePaul Volleyball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.Â
2023 TICKET INFORMATION Â
Season ticket packages for the 2023 DePaul Volleyball season are available now. Season ticket packages start at just $39 and for a limited time includes an exclusive DePaul flag. Courtside season ticket options are also available for $79. Single-game tickets and Group Ticket Offers are also available and start at $5. Fans can visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information. Â
