DePaul University
Northern Illinois
Blue Demons Open Home Play With DePaul Invite
9/6/2023 3:28:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
DePaul hosts Northern Illinois, St. Thomas and Evansville
CHICAGO - DePaul volleyball begins their home slate hosting the DePaul Invite at McGrath-Phillips Arena from Sept. 7-9. The Blue Demons open competition against Northern Illinois on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m., followed by the first-ever matchup with St. Thomas on Friday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. Action will conclude when DePaul hosts Evansville on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. All matches will be streamed through FloSports.Â
'After building some solid momentum and team chemistry on the road these past two weeks, we are excited to open on our home floor," said head coach Marie Zidek. "One of our small goals is to craft the highest home win percentage in the league. We want this place to become one of the more difficult places to play for our opponents. Opening against NIU is the perfect way to be tested for this. They are a regional team, so their fans and confidence no doubt will travel. Their attackers make a living chiseling the ball line and moving around the defense with shots. They also are a solid serving team at nearly a 1:1 ratio of ace to error, which means they're not afraid to attack you from the service line. St Thomas is coming with a lot to prove in their transition from D2 to D1, so we will have ample opportunities here to learn to control momentum versus a team that has nothing to lose. Evansville is going to be a test at how well we can weather their two top attackers that come after you with attack pace and game intelligence. This has been the biggest area of focus for us, and to date we have mixed success versus a group of players who come after you with high levels of game intelligence. This is a great match to prepare us for St. Johns, a team that stands between us and finishing high in the league this year."
"We look forward to welcoming in our returning fans, on-boarding new fans, and celebrating our alumni," said Zidek.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
- Northern Illinois sits at 1-5 (0-0 MAC), earning a 3-2 win over University of North Carolina Wilmington.
- The offense is led by Nikolette Nedic with 96 kills (3.56 kills per set).
- Crew Hoffmeier, a VCU transfer, paces the defense with 145 digs, averaging 5.37 per set in the early season.
- The Huskies welcomed seven newcomers, including six transfers and one freshman, to the team for the 2023 season.
- Sandra Parys is in her first season at NIU.
SCOUTING THE TOMMIES
- St. Thomas enters the weekend with a 1-5 (0-0 Summit League) record, earning a 3-1 win over California Baptist.
- The Tommies are led by young talent with freshman Ellie Gustafson (49 kills) and sophomore Megan Wetter (44 kills) pacing the offense (49 kills) while sophomore Ella Voegele leads the defense (100 digs, 4.17 per set).
- The team welcomed seven newcomers, with five freshmen and two transfers.Â
- Head Coach Thanh Pham is in his 21st season with the Tommies.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
- Evansville comes into the tournament at 4-1, earning wins over Central Michigan, USI, Samford and North Alabama. Their only setback of the young season came at SEMO.
- Freshman Ainoah Cruz is leading the Purple Aces with 87 digs, averaging 4.35 per set. Cruz was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday, Sept. 4.Â
- Giulia Cardona is leading the offense, totalling 111 kills throughout the season, including a career-high 32 against North Alabama.
- The Purple Aces welcomed eight newcomers to the squad for the 2023 season.
- Head Coach Fernando Morales is entering his fifth season in Evansville.
SERIES STUFF
This will be the 34th matchup all time between the Blue Demons and Huskies, with Northern Illinois currently leading the series 22-11. The last meeting between the two teams was on Aug. 24, 2018 when the Blue Demons won 3-2.
This marks the first ever matchup between DePaul and St. Thomas, as the Tommies made the jump to Division I in July of 2020.
Evansville leads the series 8-6 over DePaul, with the last meeting coming in 2015.Â
BLUE DEMON BITS
- DePaul went 2-1 at the WNY Invite last weekend, defeating Binghamton and Montana by scores of 3-1.Â
- Audrey Klemp was named to the WNY Invite All-Tournament Team and the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after totaling 47 kills throughout the weekend (4.27 per set). Klemp owned a .500 hitting percentage against Binghamton and eclipsed her career-high in kills with 22 against Montana.Â
- Rachel Krasowski also earned a spot on the WNY Invite All-Tournament Team and the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, as she completed the weekend with 65 digs (5.91 per set). The senior earned match-highs for digs in both the Binghamton (22) and Montana (30) matches.
- Jill Pressly eclipsed 1,000 career kills against Binghamton on Sept. 1. The Plano, Texas native totaled 56 kills during the tournament, averaging 5.09 per set.Â
- Head Coach Marie Zidek is in her sixth season leading the Blue Demons.
UP NEXT
The Blue Demons will travel to Milwaukee for a midweek clash with the Panthers on Tuesday, Sept. 12. First serve from the Klotsche Center is set for 6 p.m.
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
