Nov. 16, 2008
Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. - The Villanova volleyball team concluded the 2008 season on Sunday afternoon falling 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 21-25, 23-25), to USF in Tampa, Fla. The Wildcats finish the season 14-16 overall with a 5-9 record in the BIG EAST.
Freshman Morgan Petkovich led the squad with 18 kills and a .441 hitting percentage, while classmate Maggie Mergen chipped in 15 kills and hit a blistering .519. Freshman Laurie McNamara added a .462 hitting percentage with seven kills.
Junior Chelsea Graman dished out 43 assists while senior Emily Brown collected a season-high 16 digs and junior Amy Gulyas tallied 11. Senior Whitney Harrington had six blocks in the match.
"We played well offensively," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "Kim Maroon was out with a broken hand and we played tough defense, but just couldn't stop USF. The freshman hit really well today and the senior played well. It was a positive season for us and I think we played hard all year."
A kill from Mergen in the first set tied the score at 10 apiece, but after a 9-4 stretch from USF, the Bulls led 19-14. McNamara connected on a kill and USF hit an error to tie the score again at 20-20, but a kill from the Bulls and a miscue from Villanova gave USF the first set victory.
The Wildcats led 11-8 in the second frame and extended that to 16-14 after Petkovich connected on a kill. The Bulls responded to the set at 18 each, but Villanova regained the lead 22-19, after consecutive errors from the Bulls. McNamara connected on a kill to set the Wildcats to serve for set point and they earned the victory on an error from the Bulls.
The third set was tied at 12 after errors from both teams were exchanged, but the Bulls jumped to a 17-14 lead. Villanova responded to close within a point, 20-19, but USF closed out the set with a 5-2 stretch to earn the win.
In the fourth frame, back-to-back kills from Mergen and senior Dana Tartazky gave the Wildcats an 11-9 advantage, but the Bullas came back to tie the score at 13 apiece. A kill from McNamara kept VU in front, 19-16, but a 5-2 stint from USF tied the score at 21. Harrington connected on a kill for a 23-23 tie, but USF closed out the match with a kill and an error by Villanova to earn the victory.
