Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Villanova

Last Match

Wildcats sweep Crimson for third-straight win

Barnes racks up 13 kills in win over Harvard

BOSTON,Ma.-It's been a pleasant trip to Boston for the Villanova Volleyball team. After sweeping Harvard in three-straight sets, the Wildcats finished 3-0 in the Northeastern Tournament and improved to 6-3 on the season. Harvard falls to 1-3 with the loss.

"Wins in college sports aren't easy and I'm excited to have gotten a 3-0 weekend," Villanova Volleyball Head Coach Josh Steinbach said. "We've got some offensive abilities and that's a lot of fun to coach."

The Wildcats and Crimson traded points early in the first set. After Riley Homer hammered a kill for the 12-11 lead, Harvard continued to stay within striking distance and even tied the score at 18. Despite Harvard's comeback, the Wildcats finished the job and won the first set, 25-21.

Villanova continued to ride the momentum from the first set with an early 6-1 lead in the second set. The Wildcats didn't relinquish the lead and earned a 25-21 second set win.
Harvard put up their best fight in the third set. Trailing 17-11, the Crimson mounted a comeback and gained a 21-20 lead. The lead was short-lived, and the Wildcats responded with a comeback of their own for a 25-23 third set win and the match.

Sanaa Barnes led the attack with 13 kills and recorded a .500 hitting percentage.

"Sanaa was just what we needed today," Steinbach said. "She was the senior on the floor that we needed her to be and she scored and blocked at a high level."

Inside The Box Score
Kiera Booth tied her season-high nine kills in the win and registered a season-high seven total blocks.
Riley Homer registered 12 kills, extending her streak of eight matches with double-digit kills.
 
The Wildcats will head back to their home state of Pennsylvania for the Temple Tournament on Sept. 17-18 against Princeton, Temple and Penn.

Friday, September 17 vs. Temple- 12:00 PM

The Tigers are 4-2 and are coming off a 3-0 weekend at the Colgate Tournament, defeating Cleveland State, Colgate and Hofstra. 

Elena Montgomery leads the team with 80 kills. 

Lindsey Kelly leads the Ivy League in assists per set (10.52).

The Wildcats are tied all-time against Princeton with a 5-5 record. 

Friday, September 17 at Temple-5:30 PM

The Owls are 3-5 on the season and swept Lehigh in their last match.

Gem Grimshaw is fifth in the American Athletic Conference in kills per set (3.37)

Villanova defeated Temple in their last matchup in 2019 in four sets powered by 15 kills from Clare Delaplane. 

The Owls consist of a young team this season with 11 freshmen and sophomores.

Saturday, September 18 vs. Penn-3:00 PM 

The Quakers are 3-4 and have lost four-straight matches.

Autumn Leak leads the Ivy League in kills (120).

Caroline Douglas is third in the Ivy League in digs per set (4.39).

The Wildcats are currently tied with the Quakers all-time with a 22-22 record.