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Villanova sweeps Delaware behind strong attack

08/28/2021

VILLANOVA, Pa- The Villanova Wildcats won their second-straight match after sweeping Delaware 3-0 Saturday night. With the win, Villanova improves to 2-1 while the Blue Hens drop to 2-1.

Villanova jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the first set fueled by a service ace from Averi Salvador and a kill from Rose Crist. Delaware was able to tie it at five but after a kill from Riley Homer, the Wildcats didn't turn back and won the first set, 25-13. Homer racked up five kills in the first set and Belle Morgan recorded 12 assists.

The Blue Hens got off to a fast start in the second set by going on a 3-1 run including two kills from Lauryn Richardson. Both teams traded points and never trailed by more than three until the final two serves. Leading 23-20, the Wildcats ensured the win by taking advantage of two attack errors from Delaware to earn a 25-20 second set win. Averi Salvador collected four digs and the duo of Homer and Kiera Booth combined for six kills.

In the third and final set, the Wildcats went to work and cruised to a 25-13 third set victory and match win. As a team, Villanova recorded a hitting percentage of .333. Morgan set up six assists while Taryn Whittingham dug up four and Booth recorded two block assists.

"It was a fun weekend," Villanova Volleyball Head Coach Josh Steinbach said. "A great starting point for this team and I'm more excited now than I was before the weekend. We played really well together and everyone contributed."

Overall, Homer led the team with 11 kills, Morgan tallied 25 assists and Salvador finished with nine digs. Throughout the entire match, the Wildcats recorded a .333 attack percentage.

Villanova heads to Phoenix, Arizona for the Grand Canyon Invite starting on Friday, September 3. The Wildcats will take on Rider University, Western Carolina University and Grand Canyon University for a weekend series.  

Friday, September 3 vs. Rider- 7:30 PM

The Broncs begin the season 0-3 after dropping matches against Temple, Delaware and Villanova

Jillian Chan and Morgan Romano both lead the Broncs with 30 kills apiece.

Anilee Sher, the 2020-21 MAAC Co-Setter of the Year, has tallied 102 assists in her first three matches. 

Villanova faced Rider earlier this season and won the match in four sets. The duo of Riley Homer and Clare Delaplane combined for 29 kills and Belle Morgan dished out 43 assists.

Saturday, September 4 vs. Western Carolina University-7:30 PM

The Catamounts begin the season 0-2 after losses to UNC Asheville and Davidson. 

Western Carolina is No. 21 in the NCAA in digs per set (18.12) and Destinee Dorsey leads the Southern Conference with 50 digs. 

As a team, the Catamounts lead the conference with 99 assists.

Overall, the Wildcats are 1-0 against the Catamounts. 

Sunday, September 5 at Grand Canyon University-5:00 PM 

The Lopes won their first three matches at the Idaho Volleyball Classic, defeating Eastern Washington, Nevada and Idaho. 

Freshman outside hitter McKenzie Wise was named the WAC Freshman of the Week after she averaged 3.90 kills per set and recorded a .329 hitting percentage. 

The Lopes are currently in the top 15 in the NCAA in team digs, kills and assists per set. 

This will be the first time in history that Villanova takes on Grand Canyon University in Volleyball.