Cincinnati – Villanova picked up its second road win in as many days with a straight-sets victory over Xavier. Tonight's win gave the Wildcats back-to-back road wins for the first time this season after defeating Butler last night.
Villanova utilized an incredibly balanced attack on the night, with
Mallory Potts posting a team-high 10 kills while three others chipped in nine. The four leading attackers posted 23, 24, 25 and 26 total attacks each. The attack was once again orchestrated by
Emma Decker who finished with 37 assists, her second-most in a three-set match this season.
Villanova started the match strong with a 25-17 win in the first set. It took a few plays for the Wildcats to find their groove, but a series of small runs throughout the set helped them slowly pull away. Sanaä Barnes led the way through the opening set with four kills to help set the tone.
The second set was as close as it gets, with neither team ever leading by more than two. Villanova did find itself trailing 18-16, but three kills from Potts, Olsonoski and Delaplane quickly erased the deficit and were able to go up 23-21. After a Nova timeout at 24-23, Delaplane put away the set's final point to escape with a 25-23 win.
The Wildcats then wasted no time in closing out the road trip and closed out the match in the third set. After neither team being able to grab a lead in the second set, Nova led by as much as 10 in the second. The 'Cats were up 23-13 and it seemed the match was all but over, but Xavier did not go quietly. Seven straight points by the Musketeers forced a pair of Nova timeouts, but the lead proved to be insurmountable and Villanova won 25-20.
"Great win for us," head coach
Josh Steinbach said. "Two road wins in a weekend is a huge statement. Our seniors were outstanding and Sanaä had a great match.
Sarah Allman serving sparked us as well. We're excited about where we're sitting right now coming down the stretch."
With a pair of weekend wins, Villanova now sits alone in third in the BIG EAST, a spot ahead of St. John's.
Villanova's next action will be next Friday in the first of two-straight meetings with the Georgetown Hoyas. Villanova will head to Washington D.C. for a Friday night match at 5 o'clock. The teams will then each travel back to Villanova for a rematch on Sunday at 5 o'clock as well.
