Smithfield, RI – The Wildcats opened up the Hampton Inn-vitational at Bryant University by going 2-0 on the day and winning each match in straight sets, defeating North Dakota and Marist.
 
"Every win is good and it is always good to win away from home, especially recovering from the loss last weekend," said head coach Josh Steinbach. "It was good to get some looks at some different lineups. Some of the things we saw as a coaching staff we really liked and some people did some really nice things."
 
In the first match, it took some late-set scoring from Villanova to take the first set. After trailing 9-6 and not getting any closer before 15-12, the Wildcats settled in and turned it on late. Villanova came back to tie it at 15-15 thanks to kills from Remy Fairchild and Sophia Howling, and took its first lead at 18-17 on another kill from Delaplane. It remained close, but at 23-22, Howling was the beneficiary of a ball that caromed off her shoulder and over to keep the point alive, and then put the match away with a kill.
 
The Wildcats didn't slow down in set two, looking strong in all facets of the game. After being tied at 6-6, a 9-0 run by the Wildcats gave them plenty of breathing room. It was another balanced attack from Villanova, with four players all tallying five kills by the intermission.
 
Set three went even better for the Wildcats, who were off to the races from the get-go, taking a 3-0 lead and never looking back, going on to win the set 25-14.
 
Bigger than the score were some unforgettable moments for a few Wildcats in the match. Belle Morgan was given the starting nod at setter for her first career game action, and dished out 26 assists and picked up three kills and seven digs along the way. After checking into a match briefly last week, Kathleen Johnson received her first extended action today and made the most of it. Johnson was all over the court and finished with a match-high ten kills. At 14-4 in the third set, Anastasia Galanou checked into a game for the first time, and picked up a kill in the first point she played, rifling one down the line. Shortly after, sophomore Olivia Brown checked in for the first time as well and received a similar result. Brown picked up her first kill via a ball tipping off a UND blocker and falling out of bounds. The play was met with a thunderous cheer from the Wildcats players and coaching staff to put the exclamation point on the win.
 
"It was great to get those kids some live action so they feel comfortable later in the year when we need them," Coach Steinbach said. "If you have an injury or something later on, it is a big deal to have that kind of exposure in matches early in the season."
 
After a quick break in the afternoon, the Wildcats returned for the nightcap against the Marist Red Foxes.
 
In the first set, Mallory Potts provided a huge spark off the bench. The senior checked in and instantly recorded three straight kills to erase a three-point deficit. The teams remained even all the way to 18-18, before another kill by Potts, as well as one from Barnes and an ace gave the Wildcats their first cushion of the match, which they would hang on to and win the set 25-22.
 
The Wildcats bottled that momentum and kept it going in the second set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and never trailing. Marist got as close as one, but some attack and service errors held the Red Foxes back. Emma Decker was big in the second set, not just serving up assists, but picking up a few kills of her own including the final one of the set to secure a 25-17 victory.
 
The Wildcats were able to close out the day and stay perfect in sets with a 25-20 third set victory. Johnson made her presense most felt in the second match at a good time, closing out the match with the final two kills.
 
Villanova returns to action tomorrow for its final match at the Hampton Inn-vitational, taking on Bryant at noon.