VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova volleyball clinched its berth in the postseason Friday night, taking down Providence in straight sets (25-15, 25-15, 25-11) at Jake Nevin Field House during Fan Appreciation Night.

Villanova (16-12 / 9-8 BIG EAST) had a player lead the match in kills, assists, and blocks. They were able to cruise to the victory, improving on their last match against the Friars, where they were taken to five sets before securing the win. The 'Cats had their fourth highest hit percentage in a game on the season at .326%.

Abby Harrell led the match with 11 kills and added a block on a .475 hitting percentage. She also tallied three of the Wildcats' 10 aces to Providence's one. Taylor Lewis followed closely behind at .455% with seven terminations and two blocks. Ozzie Ozonoh led the match with three blocks.

Alyssa Nelson and Taylor Jakubowski each added double-digit assists with 20 and 10, respectively.

"Every win is a good win when it comes in BIG EAST play," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "It feels great to clinch a spot in the [BIG EAST] tournament at home and get some of our seniors in tonight. I thought the group played hard and played well. [We are] really excited to get back out there tomorrow against UConn to get us ready for the BIG EAST Tournament."

Rose Crist, Ellery Gray and Sophia Stalcup each appeared in their second match of the season tonight. Crist totaled five kills and a block after entering in the third set, helping the Wildcats close the match out. Gray recorded six assists plus two aces and Stalcup tallied a kill.

The Wildcats started off the first set going back and forth with the Friars until going on a 5-0 run to establish a 9-4 lead. They would then rip off two more 5-0 runs, one at 9-6 and another at 20-15, to emerge victorious. After Providence led 2-1 during this set, the Wildcats took the lead and never let the Friars lead again for the rest of the match.  

Villanova and Providence kept it close during the second frame, but the 'Cats never let the opposition take the lead. They were able to break out into four separate three point runs and finish with a ten-point win. Stalcup was able to set up the set point by recording her first kill since September 21 against Rhode Island.

To close out the match, Villanova went on an 8-0 run to start the third set before the Friars called timeout. The Wildcats continued their third-stanza dominance by going on a 6-0 run to lead 19-6. Harrell finished out the match with two kills to eclipse the 10-termination mark. VU hit .593% in the closing set, improving on their percentages from the first two sets.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Cats will remain on the Main Line for the final regular season contest of 2024 tomorrow against UConn at 7:00 p.m. in the Jake Nevin Field House for Senior Night, then head to Omaha next week for the BIG EAST Tournament hosted by Creighton University.