VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova volleyball started a four-match homestand with a straight-set win (25-18, 25-23, 25-14) on Friday night, toppling the Xavier Musketeers in a BIG EAST bout at Jake Nevin Field House.

It was a well-balanced effort for Villanova (10-5, 1-2 BIG EAST), outdoing Xavier in nearly every statistical category including kills, hitting percentage, assists, service aces, digs and blocks. 

Abby Harrell totaled 10 kills and Skylar Gerhardt put up eight kills, three aces and six digs while Kiera Booth contributed a match-high four blocks and eight terminations at a.438 clip.

Andrea Campos led all players in the match with 26 assists and Taryn Whittingham contributed a match-high 12 digs and three aces.

"We played really good team volleyball tonight," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "Our leaders prepared the team well for this match and we played well in our gym."

The Wildcats got out to a hot start in the match, taking an early 11-6 lead before a Xavier timeout. But Villanova kept the pressure on after that pause, using a 4-0 run to establish more distance in the frame and carrying that momentum into a 25-18 win.

It was Xavier starting the second stanza with a hot streak, securing a 9-4 advantage to prompt a Villanova timeout. After the 'Cats got themselves back within two, it was a 4-0 Musketeer run to create a larger edge but the Wildcats battled all the way back to tie it at 18-18. Xavier strung together a few but Villanova didn't panic, taking six of the last seven to ensure a two set lead.

VU scored early and often in the third stanza, dominating the Musketeers the entire way. The Wildcats used four separate 4-0 stretches to separate themselves from Xavier, cruising to an 11-point third set win and a sweep of one of the BIG EAST's top teams.

With the victory, the Wildcats have matched their win total from last year (10) in half as many matches and picked up the team's ninth win all-time over Xavier.

UP NEXT: Villanova prepares for one of its biggest contests of the year, hosting the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday in the program's annual Jam The Jake match. First serve is set for 7:05 p.m. from Jake Nevin Field House, broadcast live on FloVolleyball.