Volleyball Opens DePaul Invitational Weekend

Friday, September 11

Chicago, Ill.

6 p.m.

DePaul University

Central Michigan

9/10/2026 3:13:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Game Notes (PDF)

Blue Demons welcome Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Auburn to Lincoln Park

CHICAGO – Fresh off two ranked matches that helped push DePaul into the top-12 nationally in attendance, DePaul volleyball (4-2) turns the page to the DePaul Invitational, hosting Central Michigan (0-7), Western Michigan (6-1) and Auburn (4-2) at McGrath-Phillips Arena Sept. 11-13. All three matches will stream on ESPN+.

"This weekend gives us three very different opponents, and three valuable chances to keep building player and program development, with each team, in turn, preparing us for the styles we'll face in BIG EAST play," said head coach Marie Zidek. "It also presents three opportunities to get back in the win column. September is the month teams across the country use to build their résumé before conference competition begins. With the first RPI release coming in October, and RPI being a key metric the NCAA Championship committee evaluates, we're sharply focused on producing the kind of game that sets us up for competitive success through the rest of the non-conference slate."

The DePaul Invitational continues an eight-match home stretch for the Blue Demons, who wrap it up later this month with the Chicago Cup against a pair of local foes. DePaul also hosts a neutral-site meeting between Auburn and Central Michigan on Saturday.

DEPAUL INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE (Central Time)
Friday, Sept. 11 | vs. Central Michigan | 6 p.m. | Live Stats | Stream
Saturday, Sept. 12 | Auburn vs. Central Michigan* | 12 p.m. | Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 12 | vs. Western Michigan | 4 p.m. | Live Stats | Stream
Sunday, Sept. 13 | vs. Auburn | 2 p.m. | Live Stats | Stream

ALUMNI DAY
Saturday's 4 p.m. match against Western Michigan also serves as DePaul Volleyball Alumni Day, with a 3 p.m. reception at McGrath-Phillips Arena ahead of first serve.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK
DePaul opened September with two three-set tests against ranked competition, pushing No. 1 Nebraska and No. 12 Penn State the distance before falling on Sept. 4 (19-25, 13-25, 15-25) and Sept. 7 (23-25, 27-25, 21-25).

Against Nebraska, DePaul played before a state of Illinois indoor volleyball attendance record of 8,786 at Wintrust Arena, the first-ever volleyball match at the venue. The Blue Demons hit .308 in the opening set, the best hitting percentage by an unranked team against No. 1 Nebraska in nearly a year and trailed just 13-12 in the third before the Huskers closed it out on a 3-0 run. Kendall Timme led DePaul with 12 kills, and Leonor Polezzi added 25 assists and two aces. Freshman Jocelyn Paige made her first career start and recorded a solo block.

Three days later, DePaul pushed No. 12 Penn State to the brink before a sellout crowd of 1,075, the program's first-ever meeting with the Nittany Lions. The Blue Demons led 23-19 in the first before Penn State closed on a 6-0 run, then rallied from a 9-0 deficit in the second to lead 25-24, one point from a fourth set, before the Nittany Lions scored the final three. Isabela Tavares-Salomon led DePaul with 12 kills; Timme added 11 kills and a team-high five block assists. Polezzi ran the offense to 26 assists, and Nora Mannion paced the defense with a match-high 16 digs.

Chippewa Chart

Central Michigan is winless through seven matches, with its only set win of the season coming against Oakland on Sept. 2.
Sophomore Taylor Cripe leads the Chippewas with 75 kills (3.41/set) and has reached double-digit kills in five of seven matches, including a team-high 16 against Oakland.
Freshman Brenna Storz has been CMU's most efficient hitter, posting a team-high 10 kills on a .389 clip against Oakland and leading the team with 17 total blocks.
Sophomore Cecilia Bustamante paces the back row with 54 digs (2.45/set), including a career-high 17 against Oakland.
Second-year head coach Arielle Wilson, a Chicago native, spent 2016-17 on staff at DePaul as an assistant with the middle blockers.
DePaul leads the all-time series, 11-3, last meeting a sweep on Aug. 28, 2021.

Bronco Breakdown

Western Michigan arrives at 6-1, its only blemish a three-set loss at Michigan State on Sept. 8.
Sophomore Annalise Patchett paces the attack with a team-high 77 kills (3.08/set), while Gabby Weihe hits a team-best .442 and Cassidy Pratley leads WMU with 22 total blocks.
Setter Leah Richmond runs the offense with 258 assists (10.32/set).
Head coach Colleen Munson, in her 22nd season, is the winningest coach in program history at 417-252, with five NCAA Tournament appearances and 11 20-win seasons.
Saturday's match doubles as DePaul Volleyball Alumni Day, with a 3 p.m. reception ahead of first serve.
Western Michigan holds a 6-2 edge in the all-time series.

Tiger Tracker

Auburn closes out its non-conference road trip in Chicago, opening the weekend at UIC on Friday, meeting Central Michigan at McGrath-Phillips Arena on Saturday, then closing out the tournament against DePaul on Sunday.
The Tigers enter off a 3-1 road win at Florida State, a match in which Belle Patrick stepped into an expanded role for injured All-SEC outside hitter Lauren Dreves and led the team with 14 kills on 39 swings; Grace Havlicek posted a season-high seven blocks to go with eight errorless kills.
Seventh-year head coach Brent Crouch has directed Auburn to four-straight winning seasons and consecutive NCAA Tournament berths in 2022 and 2023, both firsts in program history. He carries an 86-66 record at Auburn (181-157 career, 12 seasons).
DePaul and Auburn have met twice all-time, with the Tigers sweeping both meetings, in Chicago in 1987 and at a neutral site in 2007.

DePaul DeBrief

Kendall Timme ranks second in the BIG EAST in kills per set (3.85) and points per set; Leonor Polezzi ranks first in the league in assists per set (9.20). The two are tied for third in the BIG EAST in service aces per set.
Nora Mannion ranks second in the league in digs per set (4.80).
As a team, DePaul ranks third in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage, second in assists per set and third in kills per set.

Milestone Watch

Kendall Timme needs 22 kills to reach 400 for her career (currently 378) and five blocks to reach 50 (at 45).
Amanda Saeger needs 12 assists to reach 1,700 for her career (1,688).
Jade Dudley-Epps needs 13 blocks to reach 200 for her career (187).
Nora Mannion (375) and Eva Hurrle (380) are each closing in on 400 career digs, needing 25 and 20, respectively.
Isabela Tavares-Salomon is 19 kills from 200 for her career (181).

"Each opponent plays a bit differently, and this will be a unique challenge, similar to the first weekend at the Drake Invitational, to respond to each style as we build a strong game over the three-day tournament," said Zidek. "We hope that the crowd from last week carries over and can get behind this team once again."

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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!