Allie Barber knocked down a match high 18 kills on Friday night as Marquette defeated Xavier in straight sets, 25-19, 25-19, 25-23. With the win, the Golden Eagles move to 9-1 in Big East play and maintain a half-game advantage over 8-1 Creighton.
The win did not come easy for Marquette, even though the Musketeers continue to play without star hitter Kristin Massa. MU hit just .230 in the match and outside of a couple of flareups that were the difference, Xavier played Marquette tight through all three sets.
For example, in the first set, Marquette was up by just one after the first 19 points had been scored.