Villanova volleyball needed to win two sets against University of Connecticut last Friday night to earn a spot in the Big East Tournament. After two sets, Villanova was down, 2-0, and mathematically, any chances of a tournament had shrunk.
Frustrated, the Wildcats made a rare trip to the locker room after the second set in an attempt to regain focus.
Sophomore Taylor Lewis was one of the Wildcats who emerged from the locker room to take the court for the third set with Villanova’s tournament chances hanging in the balance.
Lewis, a 6’1” outside hitter from Indianapolis, led Villanova to a come-from-behind win. VU took three consecutive sets against UConn (23-25, 14-25, 25-17, 27-25, 15-10) to clinch a Big East Tournament appearance and the victory. Lewis was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll for her performance.
“[Against UConn] being down, 2-0, and grinding out a third set,” Lewis said. “It was just awesome to grind out that five-set win, and then today, you know, it was a tough one, but we got it done.”
Lewis reached a career-high of 17 kills against the Huskies. Just 18 hours later, Villanova returned to the court to defeat Providence in a 3-0 clean sweep. Lewis led the team in hitting percentage (47.8%) against the Friars.
“It felt like the team all our hard work, all the days we spent in Nevin kind of accumulated at this moment,” Lewis said. “[The team has] great chemistry off the court, on the court. I feel like we all bond and mesh together very well, which, from what I’ve heard, has not always been the case in the past.”
Last fall, Lewis concluded her rookie season with 144 kills and a spot on the Big East All-Academic Team. Her intellect also earned her the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for the entirety of her freshman year.
“[Lewis] has been a huge reason why we’re having success,” Villanova head coach Josh Steinbach said. “I think the main growth has been the way she’s able to handle [the ball] when things don’t go well. She’s much calmer, cool [and] collected, and handles the bumps in the road much better.”
Prior to Villanova, Lewis attended Cathedral High School, where she won four sectional titles. Outside of high school, Lewis competed on multiple club volleyball teams. She was a member of the Boiler Juniors and the Academy Volleyball programs based in Indianapolis.
“I was blessed to be on very good club teams,” Lewis said. “I started to kind of take [volleyball] a little more seriously later into middle school, seventh and eighth, where I was like, alright, let’s try out for the high school team, and then let’s see if I can play in college.”
Starting in fifth grade, Lewis played for Munciana Volleyball in Yorktown, IN. She spent the majority of her middle school and high school years playing for that club team.
Upon deep reflection on the future of her athletic and academic career, Lewis realized what she valued the most. Not only did she imagine herself in a successful volleyball program, but aspired to play at a school with a rich culture.
Lewis did not want school and volleyball to be her whole life. She hoped for a balanced social life where she could have fun with friends as well.
“Especially with my visit at Villanova, it was kind of the only place where I really thought I envisioned myself here,” Lewis said. “I see a lot of people that I feel are similar to me, I can see myself going here and see myself succeeding, and I’m really happy with my decision.”
On Nov. 1, the ‘Cats defeated Butler in Lewis’ home state. Lewis smacked the final kill to solidify Villanova’s win against the Bulldogs.
The success of the team has resulted in their first 20-win season and best conference record (11-5) since 2019.
“Twenty wins were on our radar as well, and here we are,” Steinbach said. “It might get us in the NCAA Tournament, and we’re in a pretty good position for that, so we’re pretty excited about it.”
Now approaching the end of her second season, Lewis and the Wildcats are preparing for postseason play. The Wildcats own the three seed in the Big East Tournament. On Saturday, Nov. 22, Villanova is scheduled to take on two-seed Xavier in Milwaukee, WI, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
