VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Villanova volleyball (16-10 overall, 7-7 BIG EAST) will round out its 2023 home slate this weekend, hosting the DePaul Blue Demons and Marquette Golden Eagles in the penultimate week of BIG EAST play.

SAYING GOODBYE TO SEVEN SENIORS    

Saturday will be Senior Day at Jake Nevin Field House, with the 'Cats recognizing their seven-person senior class in the contest against Marquette. The Wildcats will be honoring Madeline Barber, Kiera Booth, Andrea Campos, Angelle Diamond, Riley Homer, Abby Keevins and Taryn Whittingham in a pre-match ceremony, recognizing a class that has won 45 matches in a Villanova uniform. These seven have combined for over 2,300 kills, 2,050 digs, 700 blocks and 225 aces and steadied the ship through the COVID-19 pandemic. And the work isn't yet finished, as the 'Cats are within striking distance of extending the season with the first postseason play of these seniors' careers.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP CHANCES    

Three spots in the BIG EAST Tournament are already secured by Creighton, Marquette and St. John's, but the final berths remain up for grabs. Xavier is in the driver's seat for the four seed at 9-5, with Villanova and Seton Hall both at 7-7 in the five and six slots and DePaul (6-8) on the outside looking in. With four matches to play, the Wildcats would likely lock up a berth with a win over DePaul and another W in the final three, which is a schedule that includes a pair of two-win squads. Even without a .500 record in the final four matches, Villanova could still manage to squeak in since Seton Hall has a difficult schedule with the conference's top three teams remaining, plus a potential winner-take-all competition against the Blue Demons in the final weekend. 

TALE OF TWO SERIES    

It's been an interesting weekend historically when Villanova takes on travel partners DePaul and Marquette, as the Wildcats have dominated DPU all-time but struggle against the Golden Eagles. The 'Cats own a 19-7 all-time edge against the Blue Demons, going 19-2 up through October of 2019. DePaul has the recent edge though, owning the previous five contests including three five-set wins and two sweeps. Marquette has won the last 10 matches in that series and 23 of the 27 bouts, but Villanova's most recent win did come at Jake Nevin Field House back on October 14 of 2017. 

DIGGING IN ON DEPAUL    

• DePaul comes into the weekend in need of wins, currently on the outside looking in for a BIG EAST Tournament spot. The Blue Demons are 6-8 in BIG EAST play, a game behind both Villanova and Seton Hall. But DePaul controls its own destiny in a way, with contests the next two weekends against both VU and SHU. 
• DPU has the league leader in three major categories, as Jill Pressly paces the conference in kills (4.44 per set) & points (425) and Rachel Krasowski in digs (5.05 per set). The Blue Demons also boast two of the BIG EAST's top-five blockers, Katelynn Oxley (second) and Meghan Scholz (fifth). Running a 6-2 offense, Maggie Jones and Ashley Cudiamat both rank in the league's top 10 for assists. 
• As a whole, the Blue Demons lead the conference in blocks with 202 and sit in the top five for digs (second), assists (third) and kills (fourth). DPU is by far last in service aces, and has also struggled in hitting percentage.

GANDER AT THE GOLDEN EAGLES    

• Marquette has locked up a spot in the postseason, owning a BIG EAST mark of 12-2. The only conference losses for the Golden Eagles came in a five-setter against St. John's on Oct. 14 and a sweep at the hands of Creighton on Sunday to snap a five-match win streak. 
• The preseason conference favorites, MU ranks in the top half of the BIG EAST for every single category, with the best marks being hitting percentage and service aces (both second) and the lowest assists (sixth). 
• Aubrey Hamilton has been one of the league's top attackers, with 339 kills on the year and 4.33 points per set. Carsen Murray ranks second in the conference with a .351 hitting percentage, and setter Yadhira Anchante & libero Sarah Kushner sit fifth in the BIG EAST for assists and digs respectively. Jenna Reitsma leads the squad in service aces, with she and Ella Foti both in the league top 10.

Streaming for both contests will be available on FloSports and stat links on StatBroadcast, with both matchups set for a start time of 6 p.m. at Jake Nevin Field House.