DePaul Volleyball Welcomes Pair of BIG EAST Opponents

CHICAGO - DePaul volleyball opens October with a two-match conference slate at McGrath-Phillips Arena. The Blue Demons begin the weekend with Villanova on Friday, October 4 at 7 p.m., and close the week against St. John's at 12 p.m. on Sunday, October 6. Pride Night will be celebrated on Friday evening, while the Sunday afternoon match will be in support of Dig Pink. Both matches can be streamed on FloVolleyball here and here.

"This weekend is going to be a good test versus two teams that have built great momentum through their style of play," said head coach Marie Zidek.

"Villanova has won through offensive speed. They have some new players really making an impact and they dig just about everything that comes over. St John's wins through their block presence, game intelligence, and patience in the rally. They have two of the most dangerous attackers in the league in Erin Jones and Giorgia Walther, and their setter knows how to use everyone. This weekend will be a test for us to see if we can stay in attack mode to build points and extend rallies. To be successful in the BIG EAST over time, you have to be able to do these things against strong teams. We look forward to the challenge"

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

Setter Taylor Jakubowski enters the weekend with three consecutive double-doubles, most recently against Seton Hall on Saturday, September 28
Freshman Campbell McKinnon ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage, posting a .413 clip across 223 attempts
The Wildcats open the season 9-4, including six wins in straight sets and two BIG EAST victories against Georgetown and Seton Hall

SCOUTING THE RED STORM

The Red Storm also enter the weekend 2-0 in BIG EAST play, notching wins against Seton Hall in four sets and Georgetown in three sets
Junior Erin Jones and senior Giorgia Walther rank fourth and fifth in the conference in kills per set, averaging 3.81 and 3.71, respectively
Joanne Persico is one of the longest-tenured active head coaches in NCAA volleyball, entering her 31^st season at the helm of the program, boasting two BIG EAST championships and three NCAA tournament appearances

BLUE DEMON BITS

DePaul seeks their first 4-0 start in BIG EAST play since joining the conference in 2005
Junior Grace Brooker reached a career-high 11 kills against Xavier on Wednesday, September 25
Pin hitter Audrey Klemp holds the top hitting percentage in a single match across the conference, hitting .526 against Xavier on Wednesday, September 25
Graduate student Jill Pressly ranks 35th in the nation and leads all BIG EAST players with 222 kills, averaging 4.19 per set
DePaul sits third in the conference in kills, assists, and digs, with libero Rachel Krasowski chipping in 243 of the 714 Blue Demon Digs
The Blue Demons have reached 10 wins before the month of October for the first time since 2015

SERIES STUFF

DePaul has earned the previous six meetings against Villanova, while the Wildcats maintain the all-time series lead at 18-8
St John's holds the all-time series record 22-7, with the last Blue Demon victory coming in Queens, N.Y. in 2021

UP NEXT
The Blue Demons will be back on the road for four consecutive games, beginning with Georgetown on Friday, October 11 in Washington D.C. First serve against the Hoyas is set for 7 p.m. CT and the match can be streamed here. The Blue Demons close their weekend with a showdown against Seton Hall on Sunday, October 13 in South Orange, New Jersey. The match is slated for 12 p.m. CT. and can be streamed here on FloVolleyball.

FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Volleyball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.

TICKET INFORMATION
Join DePaul Volleyball at McGrath-Phillips Arena this fall and join us in celebrating 50 years of Blue Demon volleyball! Season ticket memberships start at only $45 per seat and include access to all 15 regular season home matches! For an additional $30, upgrade your experience and sit courtside at McGrath-Phillips Arena! Fans can visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information, including single-game tickets and group opportunities.

DePaul Volleyball Welcomes Pair of BIG EAST Opponents

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Grace Brooker

Audrey Klemp

Rachel Krasowski

Jill Pressly

DePaul University Athletics

DePaul Volleyball Welcomes Pair of BIG EAST Opponents

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Grace Brooker

Audrey Klemp

Rachel Krasowski

Jill Pressly

Related Videos