Villanova volleyball headed to the Midwest last weekend to face Big East rivals Xavier and Butler, splitting the contests.
The Wildcats (17-6, 8-4 Big East) lost to Xavier, 3-0, on Friday, Oct. 31 in Cincinnati, OH. They finished the road trip with a 3-1 victory over Butler on Saturday in Indianapolis. Villanova now stands third in the conference, with just four regular-season games remaining.
“We’re happy to have gotten a good win at Butler because out of the weekend, that was the one we had to beat,” head coach Josh Steinbach said. “I’m a little disappointed with how we played on Friday [at Xavier]…It wasn’t our night. We just didn’t start very strong and never really got it together. Once we got rolling [against Butler], we took care of business out there.”
In its second loss to Xavier this season, Villanova fell in straight sets (16-25, 22-25, 20-25). The Musketeers (22-2, 11-1 Big East) currently stand in second place in the conference.
Junior outside hitter Abby Harrell had a team-high 11 kills in the match. Sophomore middle blocker Campbell McKinnon also led the Wildcats with six blocks and two aces, while sophomore defensive specialist Lola Buck-Taylor recorded nine digs.
The Musketeers gained control of the match from the opening points, racing to a 7-0 lead in the first set. While Villanova fought back to make it 11-11, Xavier ultimately stopped the Wildcats at 16 points and took care of the opening set.
The second set was much more tightly-contested, with the teams tying the score 11 times. At one point, Villanova held a 17-14 advantage, but the Musketeers went on a pair of late 4-0 runs to seal the set.
Entering the third set, the Wildcats came up with a narrow, 10-7 lead. Xavier managed to come back and complete the sweep with a 4-0 stretch at the end of the match.
“Anytime you get close, sometimes it’s how the ball falls,” Steinbach said. “But I don’t think we were ever super comfortable [against Xavier]. We went on little runs, but couldn’t keep our rhythm that night.”
The Wildcats bounced back on Saturday night in Indiana with a four-set win over Butler (19-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-23). The Bulldogs (12-13, 5-7 Big East) are tied with DePaul for sixth place in the conference.
Harrell once again led the Wildcats with a double-double performance of 10 kills and 16 digs. McKinnon and sophomore outside hitter Cat Young added eight kills apiece.
The Wildcats had an unsteady start and faced a strong opening performance from the Bulldogs, falling, 25-19 in the first frame.
Villanova flipped the score in an intense second set. The teams reached an 18-18 tie before the Wildcats claimed seven of the next eight points. A clutch block from graduate opposite hitter Ava Mehrten secured the set for Villanova.
The Wildcats held onto the energy, winning the next two sets. Villanova led the third from start to finish, with the Bulldogs not closing the deficit any further than four points.
The teams battled back-and-forth toward the end of the final set, with ties at 19, 20, 22 and 23. Harrell struck with two of her four aces on the night late in the fourth set, giving Villanova the momentum to take the match.
“[Harrell] plays the whole game, and, arguably, she had the two biggest plays of the night in set four,” Steinbach said. “She hit two great serves and dialed up two aces to give us the lead in the fourth set where we were behind. We closed it out from there…She’s always going to do things to help us win.”
The teams eventually reached a 23-23 deadlock. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Lewis, an Indianapolis native, smacked the final kill to seal the Villanova victory.
The Wildcats have a crucial match coming up this week on their home court. Villanova will host Georgetown (13-12, 6-6 Big East) on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. The Wildcats last defeated the Hoyas, 3-1, on the road on Oct. 9.
The team will then head to Omaha for a matchup with the conference’s undefeated powerhouse, No. 12 Creighton (19-5, 12-0 Big East).
“If we want to stay in third [in the Big East], the one we have to have is Georgetown,” Steinbach said. “ Creighton is one of the elite teams of the country, and playing out there on their home court is going to be a huge challenge. Right now, we’re going to dial in on Georgetown…We’re going to have to play well at our place.”
