PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It was a strong start to the final weekend of the regular season for Villanova volleyball, taking down the Providence Friars in four sets (25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 25-19) at Alumni Hall on Friday night.
Skylar Gerhardt led the way for Villanova (17-12, 8-9 BIG EAST) with 18 kills on a career high .455 hitting percentage. Abby Harrell and Kiera Booth added 13 and 12 terminations each, with Booth also managing a clip of .429 in the match. Andrea Campos totaled 44 assists, a pair of aces and a team-high three blocks on the night she became the ninth Wildcat in history to reach 2,000 career helpers. Taryn Whittingham added a match-best 19 digs and Tara Garvey tied her season high in kills during the evening.
Andrea Campos totaled 44 assists, a pair of aces and a team-high three blocks on the night she became the ninth Wildcat in history to reach 2,000 career helpers. Taryn Whittingham added a match-best 19 digs and Tara Garvey tied her season high in kills during the evening.
"That was a good win on the road and under pressure. We're happy with how we fought tonight," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "Skylar was fantastic attacking which gave us the lift we needed."
The Wildcats jumped out to a 12-8 lead in the first set following a pair of aces from sophomore setter Faith Tyson, including the first of her career, and Providence took the first pause of the match. PC tied the match at 15-all then the sides traded runs, but Villanova closed it out with four straight to capture the opening frame.
Providence had the upper hand to begin the second period with an early 7-3 edge and went up as many as nine, 20-11. The 'Cats fought back and got within five to force a Friar timeout, then fended off four straight set points but PC responded after a second break and evened up the match at a set apiece.
The hosts secured the beginning three points of the third stanza, but it was a 16-6 VU run giving the Wildcats a seven-point lead. A dominant period from Gerhardt granted Villanova control of the match, as the sophomore hitter totaled five kills in a 25-19 set victory for the visitors.
Neither side could establish an advantage for most of the fourth frame, as it was tied at 15-15 over halfway in. Villanova then used a 6-0 stretch to get ahead and refused to look back, picking up the match in four for a much needed victory in enemy territory.
VU extends its lead over the Friars all-time, moving to 27-21 historically against Providence.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats finish out the regular season on Saturday evening, traveling to Connecticut for a 6 p.m. contest in Storrs. Villanova will now await the outcome of DePaul and Seton Hall's contests this weekend to determine their eligibility for the BIG EAST Tournament in Milwaukee.
