Marquette's women's volleyball team has laid out its 2026 competition itinerary, featuring a 16-game conference slate, a format consistent with the previous year. The team is slated to face conference rivals Illinois with a home-and-away arrangement. The Milwaukee fixture against Illinois is scheduled for a Friday, with the return match in Champaign set for a Sunday.
The announcement comes on the heels of a less-than-stellar 2025 season, which saw the Golden Eagles conclude with an 11-21 record. This finish marked the first time in three seasons they failed to achieve 20 wins, a notable dip for the program.
Non-Conference Showdowns and Key Dates
The season's initial matches present a challenging non-conference schedule. Marquette is set to host Texas at Fiserv Forum on August 24th, followed by a series of games on August 28th and 29th at Wright State. A trip to face Stanford is also on the books for September 5th, where they will compete against South Florida. The team will also make an in-state visit to Wisconsin on September 13th.
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Further into the season, the Golden Eagles will host St. Thomas on September 13th, marking the close of their non-conference play at home. The Big East conference games, involving teams such as Illinois and others, are interspersed throughout September and October, culminating in games on November 6th, 7th, 13th, and 14th.
International Stage and European Championships
While Marquette gears up for its domestic season, the international volleyball landscape is also seeing significant activity. The 2026 Men's European Volleyball Championship, the 34th iteration of the tournament, is scheduled to unfold across Bulgaria, Finland, Italy, and Romania from September 11th to September 27th, 2026. This competition will bring together 24 national men's teams. The French national team, for instance, has a defined schedule for the group stages, commencing on September 10th against Switzerland. Subsequent matches for France include confrontations with Turkey, Latvia, Germany, and Romania within the same September timeframe.
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