For 15 years, Villanova volleyball left Storrs, CT empty-handed. The University of Connecticut volleyball team had become some sort of kryptonite for it, until last weekend.
On Oct. 18, UConn’s gym was “especially loud,” as it hosted a pink-out. Villanova was looking to return to the Main Line with a long-awaited victory.
It did.
Villanova defeated UConn, 3-1, on the road, for the first time since 2010. The previous night on Oct. 17, the ‘Cats defeated Providence, 3-1, marking head coach Josh Steinbach’s 300th win in his 19th season at the helm. Last Saturday, the Wildcats defeated Marquette, 3-1, at Jake Nevin Field House, after losing to DePaul by the same score the night before.
Villanova (16-5, 7-3 Big East) enters this week third in the Big East standings. The season opened with a historic eight-game win streak, leading into a competitive performance in conference play so far.
“It’s nice to have been at a fantastic place like Villanova long enough to accumulate a bunch of wins,” Steinbach said. “[I’m] thankful to have coached people over the years that have been bright and thoughtful. It’s made my job easy.”
One exceptional Wildcat on Steinbach’s roster is junior outside hitter Abby Harrell. Against Providence, Harrell reached 1,000 career kills, making her the 21st player in program history and sixth in the past year to achieve such a feat. She earned Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors, with 38 total kills this weekend.
“What made it even more special was that I got to kind of share that with my coach,” Harrell said. “I think that Josh has been such a father figure in my life, and we’ve just progressively gotten closer over my time here and I just have so much respect and love for him.”
The monumental Big East victories the past few weeks now puts Steinbach at 302 career wins. Under the experienced leadership of Steinbach, the ‘Cats were able to pull off beating the Huskies in an intense, 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 26-24) matchup.
After winning the first two sets, the Wildcats were confident going into the next set. However, the Huskies overcame the ‘Cats to win the third.
With powerful maneuvers by Harrell, freshman setter Ava Harris and sophomore outside hitter Cat Young, Villanova was able to secure the win.
“They’re pretty motivated, and want to win pretty badly,” Steinbach said. “It was a hard-fought match. UConn’s especially loud. It’s a gym you’re not used to playing in, so those are the things that we try and focus on, and certainly everybody was excited to win up there.”
The last time the ‘Cats were able to defeat the Huskies on their home court was Sept. 26, 2010. Steinbach led Villanova to a clean, 3-0, sweep of UConn at Storrs that day.
Fifteen years later, the ‘Cats have regained superiority over the conference foe.
“They’re probably our biggest rival in the sense that we tend to go back and forth a lot every year,” Harrell said. “There’s a lot of passion and history there.”
After the tough loss to DePaul on Friday night, Villanova returned to defeat Marquette on Saturday. To no surprise, Harrell led the team in kills with 16.
“Abby’s been exceptional, I haven’t had to do a whole lot to help her out,” Steinbach said. “She’s really easy to coach because she is looking for feedback, looking to get better. She is a growth mindset kid who questions the things she’s doing and isn’t just set our way.”
With only three weeks left of regular season play, Harrell and the rest of the Wildcats are eager to maintain their strength and commitment.
In their next matchup, Villanova will play Xavier on Friday, Oct. 31, in Cincinnati at 6 p.m. The Big East Tournament is scheduled for the penultimate weekend in November.
