Volleyball Returns Home With BIG EAST Tournament Berth in Reach

Friday, November 13

Chicago, Ill.

7 p.m.

DePaul University

St. John's

Buy Tickets

11/12/2026 4:52:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Game Notes (PDF)

DePaul hosts St. John’s, Seton Hall to close regular season

CHICAGO – DePaul volleyball (17-8, 9-5 BIG EAST) closes the regular season at McGrath-Phillips Arena this weekend, hosting St. John's on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. CT and Seton Hall on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. CT. Both matches will stream on ESPN+. The Blue Demons are tied with St. John's for third in the BIG EAST standings, and a win in either match would clinch a spot in the four-team BIG EAST Tournament.

"This weekend is an opportunity to create more meaningful moments, and all of our work this season is coming to its biggest inflection point," said head coach Marie Zidek. "To get there, we have to finish our chances against St. John's and limit their scoring runs, especially in transition. We're hungry for this opportunity, and we're focused on a complete team game that produces great moments."

LAST TIME OUT
DePaul snapped a three-match winless streak with a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-23) at Villanova on Nov. 7, completing the season sweep of the Wildcats. Trailing 23-20 in the fourth set, the Blue Demons closed on a five-point run, with Eva Hurrle serving the final four points. Isabela Tavares Salomon led DePaul with 16 kills and five block assists, Kendall Timme added 13 kills and two aces, and Leonor Polezzi had 42 assists, 11 digs and four aces. Caroline Wright anchored the net with eight block assists, and Abby Cahill led the back row with 18 digs.

The night before, DePaul fell 3-2 (28-26, 22-25, 25-21, 20-25, 10-15) at Georgetown after trailing and rallying in every set. Timme led the way with 21 kills, Martina Diana tied her career high with 16, and Tavares Salomon added 15. Polezzi dished out 30 assists, Amanda Saeger had 23, and Cahill had a match-high 23 digs.

RED STORM REPORT

St. John's is 19-8 overall and 9-5 in the BIG EAST, and has won its last two matches, beating Providence and UConn last weekend. Joanne Persico is in her 33rd season leading the program.
The Red Storm lead the BIG EAST in kills per set (12.99), assists per set (12.24) and opponent kills per set (11.17). They are second in digs per set (15.24) and opponent hitting percentage (.160).
Carola Tesoro is second in the BIG EAST in kills per set (3.82) and has 409 kills, and Lejla Hadžiredžepovic is sixth at 3.21. Rashanny Solano Smith leads the conference with 5.44 digs per set, Chloe' Bell is third in hitting percentage (.363), and Amanda Caputi runs the offense at 6.12 assists per set.
DePaul won the first meeting 3-2 on Oct. 18 in Queens. The Blue Demons recorded 14 blocks in that match, a season high. DePaul also beat St. John's in the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals, the program's first tournament win.

PIRATE PREVIEW

Seton Hall is 10-16 overall and 2-12 in the BIG EAST. The Pirates beat UConn 3-2 on Nov. 6 and fell to Providence on Nov. 7. Shannon Thompson is in her fifth season as head coach.
Gwen Adler is eighth in the BIG EAST in assists per set (6.33), and Rylee Nelson is ninth in digs per set (3.25).
DePaul won the first meeting 3-1 on Oct. 16 at South Orange. Jade Dudley-Epps, Cahill and Timme combined for 10 aces in the match.

DEPAUL DEBRIEF

DePaul can clinch a BIG EAST Tournament spot with a win over St. John's on Friday, a win over Seton Hall on Saturday, a Xavier loss to UConn on Friday, or a Xavier loss to Providence on Saturday.
A win over either opponent would give DePaul the No. 3 seed, its highest in BIG EAST Tournament history and its best conference tournament seed since earning the No. 2 seed at the 1993 Great Midwest Conference Tournament.
A berth would be the program's fourth BIG EAST Tournament appearance and the first in the new four-team format, and its fourth conference tournament appearance in six years. That is the most in a six-year span since 1999 to 2004.
Timme is third in the BIG EAST in kills per set (3.59) and fourth in points per set (4.05). Tavares Salomon is eighth in kills per set (3.10). Polezzi is second in assists per set (8.81) and third in aces per set (0.56).
As a team, DePaul is third in the BIG EAST in aces per set (1.60). Dudley-Epps set the BIG EAST single-match hitting percentage record at .895 (17 kills, no errors) against Western Michigan on Sept. 12.

FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
Stay up to date with all things DePaul Volleyball at DePaulBlueDemons.com. For real-time updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram, and Facebook, or sign up for email updates and text alerts.

TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket memberships are now live for the 2026 DePaul Volleyball season! Season ticket memberships include access to all 15 anticipated regular season matches at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Lincoln Park. Season tickets are available beginning at $79 for general admission and $129 for courtside seating! Want to bring your team to the match? Group ticket deposits are also available for parties of 10 or more. Visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets to reserve your seats today!