Sept. 3, 2011
Box Score | Petkovich Post-Match Interview | Steinbach Post-Match Interview
VILLANOVA, Pa. - The Villanova volleyball team closed out the Big 5 Tournament with a 3-1 (25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20) victory over Penn on Saturday evening at The Palestra. The Wildcats (4-2) were named tournament champions for the second consecutive year.
Junior Morgan Petkovich had a stellar night and tallied 23 kills with just three errors to hit .455. Senior Maggie Mergen posted 16 kills, while freshman Allie DiBernardo and junior CeCe Twitty notched seven kills apiece and put up eight and seven blocks, respectively. DiBernardo also dished out 48 assists to her teammates.
Senior Kim Maroon collected a match-high 20 digs, while Petkovich, DiBernardo and sophomore Mariah Henley each added eight digs.
The Wildcats combined to hit .333 overall and held Penn to just a .180 hitting percentage.
Villanova took a 7-3 lead in the first set with three kills from Petkovich as Penn called an early timeout. The Wildcats extended their lead to 13-8 and Penn burned its final timeout after a combined block from DiBernardo and Williams. Petkovich found the floor for a kill to stay in front, 21-16 and DiBernardo sneaked a kill over the net for set point, 24-18. The Quakers stayed alive for an additional point, but a combined block from Williams and Twitty won the set for the `Cats, 25-19. Petkovich tallied six kills.
Twitty connected for a kill and Petkovich followed with an ace to give the Wildcats a 7-4 lead in the second frame, but Penn quickly responded with three unanswered points to tie the set at seven apiece. After Petkovich found the floor for a kill Villanova held a 17-12 lead and a combined block from Twitty and Petkovich extended the lead to 19-13. After a Penn timeout, Williams and Twitty teamed up for another block and pushed the Wildcats lead to 21-13. A kill from Mergen gave Villanova set point, 24-17 and she sealed the 25-17 win with a final kill. The Wildcats hit a .419 clip as a team, while holding Penn to just .148.
A kill from Mergen gave Villanova a 9-6 lead in the third set and after Petkovich found the floor for a kill the lead had extended to 13-9. After Petkovich connected for a kill, the Wildcats led 18-14 and the Quakers took a timeout. Penn pulled within two points, 21-19 out of the break and came back to tie the score at 22. After the Quakers pulled in front, 23-22, Villanova used its first timeout of the tournament to talk things over. Andersen smashed a kill after the break to tie at 23, but Penn earned set point, 24-23 after an error. The Quakers won the third stanza, 25-23. Mergen tallied seven kills.
After trailing Penn in the fourth frame, Mergen served an ace to give the Wildcats their first lead, 11-10. Williams and Twitty teamed up for a block which extended `Nova's lead to 15-11. Out of the break, the duo combined for another block and Petkovich found the floor to stay in front, 17-13. Andersen slammed a kill to set Villanova up for match point, 24-20 and an error from the Quakers sealed the victory with a 25-20 win.
Following the win, Petkovich was named MVP of the Big 5 Tournament, while DiBernardo earned all-tournament honors.
Villanova will play its home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 6 when Delaware visits Jake Nevin Fieldhouse. Come support the Wildcats for the "Blue Out" match!
