PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After a week split between a home and away match, VU volleyball will take to the road this weekend for a New England swing.

Villanova (13-4, 4-2 BIG EAST) starts off the action with a Friday 5 p.m. match at Providence before heading to the Constitution State on Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest at Connecticut.

A WIN AND A LOSS
It was an up-and-down slate last week for the 'Cats as VU picked up an important win at Georgetown on Thursday but was quickly dispatched by No. 13 Creighton on Saturday to close the week. Villanova won the battle of 3-1 foes in the midweek matchup, taking down the Hoyas in four sets after double-doubles from three players in addition to a season-high kills output (12) from Ava Mehrten. Saturday was a different story as Creighton showed why they're the nation's No. 13 program, sweeping the 'Cats at Jake Nevin Field House. A few bright spots emerged for Villanova though as Alyssa Nelson reached 1,000 career assists on the evening despite only being a sophomore and splitting time in a 6-2 offense, and freshman middle Reagan McGivern tied a team-high with seven kills on .417 hitting in her first ever top 25 matchup.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN    
The Wildcats will take to the highways this week to head up to New England for a pair of BIG EAST bouts. Each time members of this year's roster have made this road trip, Villanova's split the outcomes as VU has won at Providence and fallen at Connecticut in both 2024 and 2023. This year, the 'Cats have been better on the road than at home, owning a 6-1 mark in away matches. Friday's bout brings Villanova to Rhode Island for a familiar foe in the Friars who the 'Cats hold a 29-21 edge over with wins in six of the last seven matchups. VU will wrap the weekend at the one year-old UConn Volleyball Center and face an opponent who the 'Cats own a 24-16 advantage over all-time and upset in last year's postseason, ending Connecticut's hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth with a five-set outlasting in Omaha.

MILESTONE WATCH    
A pair of Villanovans are on the verge of significant career milestones. Junior hitter Abby Harrell sits at 992 career kills, putting her just eight terminations away from becoming the 21st Wildcat ever (and sixth in the last 10 years) to join the 1K kill club. If Harrell continues at the pace she went through her first two years, she'd reach 1,486 kills for fifth place all-time at Villanova, though a career-high 400-kill season in 2025 is well within reach for the Washington native. Josh Steinbach is also on the doorstep of a big milestone as the 19th-year head coach is at 299 victories and needs one more to become the 74th active Division I head coach to reach 300 in a career. Already the winningest coach in Villanova history by a large margin, Steinbach would be the second active BIG EAST coach to reach the 300 bench mark, joining 32nd-year St. John's HC Joanne Persico.

PEEKING AT PROVIDENCE

• The Friars come into the contest at 10-9 overall but just 1-5 in conference play, owning a five-set win over Seton Hall but being swept by each of Marquette, DePaul, Butler and Xavier in addition to a four-set L versus St. John's.
• PC is led by Sophia Adkins' 254 kills on the year which ranks fifth in the BIG EAST while three Friars sit in the league's top 10 for aces and defensively Providence has the conference's top block (Lyric Berry, 93) and digs output (Hadley Pride, 380).
• Providence has appeared on the opposite sideline as Villanova 50 times historically and the 'Cats own a 29-21 edge, including wins in the last three.

HEAR ABOUT THE HUSKIES

• Connecticut maintains a 14-4 mark in 2025, losing to only Yale in the non-conference but owning a 3-3 record in league play with losses to DePaul, Marquette and Xavier.
• Emma Werkmeister leads the team in both kills (248) and aces (41, top in BIG EAST) while Doga Kutlu and McKenna Brand are top five in the league for assists and digs respectively. UConn is the conference leader in aces and second for hitting percentage.
• The Huskies have also been a frequent Wildcat opponent with VU holding a 24-16 record in the series, most recently upsetting UConn in last year's BIG EAST Tournament.

Each matchup will feature stats courtesy of StatBroadcast and streaming will be available on Friars Live Friday and ESPN+ on Saturday.