Harrisonburg, Va. - Head Coach Josh Steinbach now holds the most wins of any Villanova volleyball coach after the Wildcats swept Charleston Southern in three sets at the JMU Classic in Harrisonburg, Va. With 111 wins, he now holds more victories than former program leader Dennis McGinnis (1983-87). Two players saw double digit kills for a 3-0 sweep of the CSU Bucs. Villanova outscored their opponents 25-15, 25-22 and 25-23.

Starting for the Villanova squad were sophomore Michaela Berendt, freshman Cara Cunningham and juniors Colleen Hickey, junior Lauren Carpenter, Brittany Rembert and Michelle Adams as libero.

The first set showcased Wildcat dominance. The `Cats scored four unanswered points after Bucs' recorded two attack errors and aggressive kills from Colleen Hickey and Cara Cunningham. The set saw only two lead changes as Villanova wrapped up the first match on a 9-1 run.

The second and third sets were a bit more dramatic than the first for the Wildcats. The second set saw five lead changes and 10 tied scores until Steinbach's crew was finally able to pull away from the Bucs after inaccurate attacking and servicing caused Charleston So., to fall behind. A kill from captain Lauren Carpenter finally put the nail in the Bucs' coffin and gave the Wildcats their first win of the season.

"It's good to get the season underway with a win," said Coach Steinbach. "I thought we had a few good moments, but clearly it is early and we still have a number of things to work on."

Steinbach can be pleased with the efforts of his two leading outside hitters. Junior Lauren Carpenter recorded 18 kills and nine digs while her classmate Michaela Berendt registered 10 kills for the Wildcats. Colleen Hickey also had nine kills, just short of reaching the double digit mark with her teammates.

On the defensive end, starting libero Michelle Adams grabbed 10 digs and four assists while senior captain Allie DiBernardo recorded nine digs and two assists. Freshman Allison Fitzgerald made her Wildcat debut this early in the match this evening and was able to tally 7 digs for the night.

Starting setter Emma Pettit gave 41 assists with 11 digs to aid the Wildcats in their shutout over Charleston Southern.

"Lauren Carpenter, Colleen Hickey and Michaela Berendt had really nice matches offensively tonight," said Steinbach. "I look forward to seeing them improve as the season goes on."

Villanova will look to compete in two more matches in the JMU Classic tomorrow. The first being at 10 a.m. against Norfolk State before taking on host school James Madison at 7:00 p.m. to finish out their opening weekend.