PROVO, Utah — The 16th-ranked Marquette University volleyball team upset No. 9 BYU, 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-12) on Saturday night to conclude the BYU Nike Invitational with a 3-0 record.
It was just the fourth home loss for the Cougars in the past five years and the first since October 2017. The victory also marked the third victory in program history over a top-10 opponent and the first since a win at No. 7 USC in the 2016 season opener.
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Marquette (3-0) was led by senior Allie Barber with a match-high 19 kills, while juniors Kaitlyn Lines and Hope Werch tallied 17 and 11 kills, respectively. Barber and Werch earned Nike Invitational All-Tournament team honors and Lines claimed the MVP award.
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Senior Lauren Speckman collected her first double-double of the season with 31 assists and 13 digs. Junior Sarah Rose shared setting duties and handed out 21 assists, while classmate Martha Konovodoff totaled 13 digs in the match.
There it is! The match-winning play for #muvb! Golden Eagles win 3-1 at No. 9 BYU pic.twitter.com/JNUEjYXDqE
— Marquette Volleyball (@MarquetteVB) September 1, 2019
The first set was a tight contest -- tied eight times with four lead changes. A 5-0 run from the Golden Eagles gave them a 21-19 lead, but four-straight from BYU (2-1) gave the Cougars the 25-22 win. MU came out firing in the second frame as Lines played a fantastic set helping the Golden Eagles to a 4-0 stretch with two kills and two blocks. Marquette hit a blistering .538 in the second set and stifled the Cougars as they managed just a .114 mark.
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Marquette bounced back in the third set from behind as the set saw the lead change hands three times. The final play ended as Marquette won a challenge, which reversed the call and gave the Golden Eagles a 25-22 win. The Golden Eagles completely dominated the fourth set with a 25-12 win behind a .455 hitting percentage, holding BYU to a -0.40 clip.
Madelyn Robinson totaled 18 kills to lead the Cougars as McKenna Miller added 10.
The Golden Eagles will travel to No. 5 Wisconsin on Thursday, Sept. 5. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. CT and will air live on FS1.
