INDIANAPOLIS – Villanova Women's Volleyball took down Butler in three straight sets (25-23, 25-13, 25-19) at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. This was the second time VU swept the Bulldogs this season and their ninth sweep of the fall.

Leading the charge for Villanova (15-12 / 8-8 BIG EAST) were Abby Harrell, Taylor Lewis, and Campbell McKinnon. Harrell recorded a match high of 13 kills, continuing a four-game stretch with double-digit kills. Lewis made her first trip back to her hometown of Indianapolis since becoming a Wildcat, where she added 10 terminations of her own along with a block. McKinnon led the way for the 'Cats with a .600 hit percentage; while adding six kills, and three blocks.

Those three all had individual hit percentages over .400, leading the team to their fifth highest mark of the season at .313.

"Good road win for us," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "I felt like we played much smoother and confident. All four freshmen had good matches, and Abby [Harrell] looked comfortable attacking and passing."

The usual suspects, Alyssa Nelson and Taylor Jakubowski, passed over 15 assists each with 18 and 15 respectively. This match was the 14^th time they have done so in the same match during the 2024 campaign.  

The first set went back and forth, with both teams resetting the momentum with timeouts after Butler appeared in control through the first half of the set. Villanova rebounded from their own timeout taken at 22-22 with two quick points en route to taking the first game 25-23. The Wildcats recorded four of their five total aces in the opening frame, two coming from Cat Young.

The second stanza was all Villanova, as after being knotted at 2-2, a McKinnon ace gave them a lead, which they never relinquished. VU was able to cruise to a 25-13 win, with the match point giving them what would be their highest lead in any match on the day.

In the third frame was the first time on Saturday that the Wildcats fell behind by a substantial margin, trailing 11-7 before a 3-0 run forced a Butler timeout. VU took advantage of the time given to recollect, as they were able to force some key Bulldog mistakes down the stretch. Taylor Lewis recorded three straight kills to give the 'Cats a 19-16 lead that they built on to emerge victorious after this set at 25-19.

The Wildcats have won three straight matches against Butler, dating back to the 2023 season, and now are 11-12 all-time when facing off against the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT: The 'Cats will return home to play their last two regular season contests, hosting Providence and UConn at Jake Nevin Field House on Friday and Saturday.