Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Villanova

Last Match

Wildcats Swept by DePaul

Riley Homer and Kiera Booth recorded double-digit kills against DePaul.

VILLANOVA, Pa.-Villanova's Volleyball team was unable to rebound from their Friday loss to Marquette and were defeated by DePaul in three-straight sets Saturday night. Villanova drops to 8-6 (0-2 BIG EAST) and DePaul improved to 9-5 (2-0 BIG EAST).

"It's a tough loss, we didn't play well and seemed flat all night long," Villanova Volleyball Head Coach Josh Steinbach said. "All we can do is look forward and try to plug away and get better before our next match."

DePaul maintained a steady lead in the fourth set and Villanova hung with them up until the Blue Demons went on a 6-0 run to lead 14-6. The Wildcats were unable to catch up and DePaul took the first set, 25-17.

Villanova made it a point to strike early in the second set and they did just that, grabbing a 5-2 lead powered by a pair of Homer kills. The Blue Demons couldn't be kept away and both teams traded three leads in the fourth set as well as five ties. Trailing 18-13, the Wildcats went on a 3-0 run to cut the deficit to 18-16. Despite the run, DePaul was able to stave off Villanova in a 25-20 second set win.

The third set was one that kept the fans at the Jake Nevin Field House on the edge of their seats. The Wildcats jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and DePaul countered with a 5-0 run to lead 6-5. The lead changed hands five times with nine ties in a back-and-forth affair. Down 21-17, the Wildcats went on a 3-0 run to trim the lead to 21-20. Villanova was able to keep DePaul in check and reached within one at 22-21, but the Blue Demons went on a 3-1 run to cement the 25-21 set win and the match.

Inside The Box Score
Homer led with 12 kills and has recorded double-digit kills in 12 matches this season.
Booth recorded 11 kills Saturday night, the sophomore has registered double-digit kills in three of her last four matches.
Averi Salvador led with 12 digs and has totaled 218 digs so far this season.

The Wildcats stay home and face Xavier on Friday, October 1 at 7:00 PM.

Friday, October 1 vs. Xavier- 7:00 PM

• The Musketeers split their first two BIG EAST matches with a 3-2 win over Providence and were swept by No. 16 Creighton.
• Sophomore middle blocker Delaney Hogan is third in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.336).
• Junior setter Carrigan O’Reilly leads the Musketeers with 422 assists this season. 
• Villanova is coming off back-to-back sweeps against Xavier from the 2019 season.

Saturday, October 2 vs. Butler-7:00 PM

• The Bulldogs split their first two BIG EAST matches with a 1-3 loss to No. 16 Creighton and a 3-0 win over Providence. 
• Junior libero Jaymeson Kinley leads the BIG EAST in total digs (291) and is second in digs per set (5.29).
• The Wildcats haven’t matched up with Butler since 2019, where Villanova won both matches.