Sept. 19, 2008
Box Score
VILLANOVA, Pa. - The Villanova volleyball team excelled in its home opener on Friday evening, blanking Bucknell, 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-18), in Jake Nevin Fieldhouse. The match was Villanova's first in the fourth annual Villanova Classic.
Senior Dana Tartazky led the Wildcats (6-5) with 17 kills, nine of which came in the first set. She hit .353 over three sets.
Junior Chelsea Graman gave out 33 assists, while freshman Kim Maroon led defensively with 16 digs, as senior Kaela Frizzell collected a career-high-tying 10.
Freshmen Laurie McNamara and Maggie Mergen connected on eight and six kills respectively.
Trailing 8-9 in the first set, Mergen connected on a kill to tie the score and then Frizzell served four consecutive points to give the `Cats an 18-16 advantage. VU would not trail again, though Bucknell (4-7) tied the score at 20. The Bison took a timeout as junior Amy Gulyas was ready to serve for set point and Tartazky closed the set, 25-22, with a kill after the break.
The second set remained close with the teams tied, 7-7, following an error from the Wildcats. VU used a 4-1 run to jump ahead, 13-9, and forced Bucknell to call timeout after a kill from Tartazky kept the lead at 15-11. A kill from McNamara increased `Nova's lead to 20-15, as the Wildcats used a 5-1 run to close out the second frame with a 25-16 victory. Villanova had a combined attack percentage of .455 in the set.
The Wildcats found themselves in another 9-9 tie in the third stanza, but used a 5-0 run with Gulyas serving to jump ahead, 14-9. A kill from Tartazky saw VU hold onto a 17-14 advantage, with a kill by Gulyas increasing the lead to 20-16. Senior Emily Brown served the final four points as a 5-2 run by Villanova closed out the match.
Villanova returns to the court in the conclusion of the Villanova Classic on Saturday. The Wildcats will face La Salle at 12:30 p.m. and Penn at 7:00 p.m.
