Over the weekend, Villanova’s volleyball team played two conference games at Jake Nevin Field House, going 1-1. The Wildcats now stand at 10-6 overall and 1-3 in the Big East after beating Xavier and falling to Butler. After the weekend’s competitions, Villanova is tied for eighth in the conference standings.
On Friday, the Wildcats defeated Xavier in straight sets (25-18, 25-23, 25-14). Senior setter Andrea Campos led the way with 26 assists and six digs. Senior libero Taryn Whittingham pulled off 12 digs and matched senior outside hitter Skylar Gerhardt’s ace count, with both accounting for three.
Freshman outside hitter Abby Harrell led the team with 10 kills while senior middle blocker Kiera Booth and Gerhardt executed eight kills across the three sets. The ‘Cats were able to hand Xavier its first Big East loss.
Head coach Josh Steinbach emphasized the importance of pulling off wins at home, and the home team advantage the team feels.
“We certainly are the most comfortable here in [Jake Nevin Field House],” Steinbach said. “It’s a hard place for a visiting team to play.”
After Friday’s match, Stein- bach said that on-court chemistry be- tween veterans was key in the team’s success.
“We have seniors on the court who have been playing together for a long time,” Steinbach said. “The identity of the team, to always find a way to get it done, really showed tonight.”
The ‘Cats then suffered a loss on Saturday against Butler. It was the annual “Jam the Jake” match where students earn bonus lottery points for attending the game. For the match, Harrell gave the team 11 kills but she could not compare to Butler setter Cora Taylor. Taylor ended the match with 35 assists, which is more than Villanova totaled in the contest. Campos later matched her assist total from the Xavier match, with 26 again. Whittingham and Campos both had 11 digs while Harrell had eight for the match.
The Wildcats were overpowered by Butler’s well-placed hits. Villanova’s conservative serves failed to bring the Bulldogs out of their system. In addition, the only offensive play that seemed to be working for Villanova, its slide, was untangled and countered effectively by Butler, bringing Villanova’s offense to a halt.
The ‘Cats will be back in action against Providence on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at Jake Nevin Field House.
