Box Score

VILLANOVA, PA. - Allie Loitz (Bonita, Calif./Bonita Vista) and Darcy Wolf (Allentown, Pa./Central Catholic) led the offensive attack with a combined 25 kills, while the Villanova defense held DePaul to hit just .152, as the Wildcats (16-8, 7-5 BIG EAST) swept the Blue Demons (13-12, 7-6 BIG EAST) 25-18, 25-20, 25-19, on Saturday night at Jake Nevin Field House.

Loitz recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 13 kills and 11 digs, while Wolf connected on a career-high 12 kills against DePaul.

Emma Decker (LaGrange, Ill./Nazareth Academy) had success finding her teammates all night, supplying 13 assists per set for a grand total of 39 in the three-set match. The Villanova offense had 17 more kills and two less errors than DePaul, as the Wildcats combined to hit .302 in the contest. Claire Crutchfield (Falls Church, Va./Bishop O'Connell) and Amanda Pedersen-Henry (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) both added seven kills in the win

The Wildcat defense was commanded by freshman Regan Lough (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) (14), Loitz (11), Makenzie Northrup (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) (9) and Allison Fitzgerald (St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) (8), who all tallied at least eight digs against the Chicago-based University.

The victory improved Villanova's Saturday record to an impressive 10-2 record on the season, including five-straight over BIG EAST foes. Friday matches haven't been the Wildcats' forte this season, however Villanova almost always bounces back the next day for a win. Coach Josh Steinbach recognized the importance of the youthful squad being able to respond to adversity.

"I think one of the most important things that young teams need to learn is to be steady," explained Steinbach.

"You have to have the mindset to be able comeback from a bad pass, bad play or even a bad match and move on to the next one. Hopefully that's one of the lessons that we have learned this season."

With the match tied at 4-4 in the first set, kills from Allie Olsonoski (New Orleans, La./Ben Franklin), Wolf and Loitz along with a few Blue Demon errors allowed the Wildcats to jump to a 10-6 lead to force a DePaul timeout. Villanova kept the pressure on, jumping to a 17-10 to open up the set. DePaul kept fighting, cutting the lead to just three at 18-15, but the Wildcats ended the set on a 7-3 to notch a 1-0 lead by taking the opening frame 25-18. The Villanova defense played exceptionally well to start the match, holding DePaul to hit just .088.

The second stanza was the closest, featuring 14 ties and five lead changes. With the frame tied at 16-16, a 5-0 run gave the Wildcats some breathing room at 21-16. DePaul would chop the Villanova to three at 23-20, but kills from Loitz and Crutchfield solidified the set at 25-20 as the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead.

Villanova kept the momentum in the third set, as they never relinquished their lead at 1-0. The Wildcats took 10 of the first 15 points of the frame for a 10-5 lead. Following a Blue Demon timeout, a DePaul 7-5 run cut the Villanova advantage to just two at 15-13. The Cats would outlast the Blue Demons the rest of the way, as Wolf's 12th and final kill on match point gave Villanova its 18th win of the season.

The win bumped the Wildcats back into fourth place in the BIG EAST Conference standings. If the season ended today, Villanova would qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament in Indianapolis.

Villanova heads on the road next week, visiting St. John's on Friday and Seton Hall on Saturday night. Friday's match against the Red Storm will be aired live on ESPN 3 at 7:00 pm.