This past weekend, Villanova’s volleyball team lost two conference games on the road. Villanova’s record now stands at 9-5 and 0-2 in Big East play. Villanova sits at eighth in the Big East standings, tied with three other 0-2 programs.

On Friday, Sept. 22, Villanova traveled to the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to play against Marquette. The Wildcats lost to the Golden Eagles in straight sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-11).

Although Villanova fell short of a win, freshman outside hitter Abby Harrell put on an excellent performance with nine kills, three aces and six digs. Senior setter Andrea Campos added 22 assists, two aces and a block, while sophomore outside hitter Skylar Gerhardt got the ‘Cats seven digs, five kills and a block. However, Villanova’s efforts just weren’t enough to overcome Marquette’s surplus of versatile athletes.

Villanova traveled from Milwaukee to Chicago to play DePaul on Saturday, Sept. 23 at McGrath-Phillips Arena. While the team put up a tough fight in a five-set rollercoaster matchup (20-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 12-15), the ‘Cats suffered their second loss of the weekend. 

Campos led the team with a total of 49 assists. Senior libero/defensive specialist Taryn Wittingham gave Villanova 26 digs, five assists and two blocks. Senior middle blocker Kiera Booth had the most kills over the weekend, with seven on Friday and 18 on Saturday. 

“Our seniors are very driven to have a good, final season and they are not a group we have to fire up,” head coach Josh Steinbach said. “We have been better at home historically, I think our team is really comfortable at ‘Nova.”  

Coming off a challenging weekend in the Midwest, the Wildcats remain hopeful for their home games this weekend. The Wildcats are set to play Xavier at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29 and Butler at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30. Both games will be in Jake Nevin Field House.