CINCINNATI, Ohio – Villanova volleyball suffered a loss on Friday evening, falling in straight sets (16-25, 22-25, 20-25) to the Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center. 

Abby Harrell paced the match with 11 kills for Villanova (16-6, 7-4 BIG EAST) while Campbell McKinnon (six blocks, two aces), Ava Harris (13 assists) and Lola Buck-Taylor (nine digs) led the 'Cats in other categories.

Xavier stormed out to 7-0 and 11-2 leads in the first to force both VU timeouts before the media. The Wildcats battled back to close the deficit, but the Musketeers finished it off as a 25-16 win for the home side.

The second was far more even as it featured runs from both teams, 11 ties and seven lead changes. Villanova's 17-14 advantage was followed by a pair of 4-0 Xavier stretches to give X the frame, winning it 25-22. 

Set three saw a hot VU start with edges of 6-3 and 10-7, but once again the Musketeers swung momentum their way with a 6-2 string. Xavier finished out the match with four straight points, completing the sweep with a 25-20 victory.