SOUTH BEND, IND. – It's time for another season of volleyball as the Villanova program will kick off the 2025 calendar at the Catholic Challenge, hosted this weekend by Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion. 

Villanova will take on Santa Clara in a neutral site bout on Saturday afternoon before closing out the tournament against the host Fighting Irish at 1:00 p.m. Sunday.

SEASON OPENERS UNDER STEINBACH    
It'll be the 19th season of Villanova volleyball under head coach Josh Steinbach and the second straight year of a debut at the Catholic Challenge. Since Steinbach's arrival on the Main Line in 2007, the Wildcats have gone 13-5 in season openers including nine wins in the last 11 lidlifters. This will be the 19th different arena that Steinbach and the Wildcats have started a season in, playing in a new tournament every year outside of home appearances in 2012 and 2021 (though those were in different stadiums). The 'Cats have opened their seasons under Steinbach in 10 separate states: four times in Pennsylvania, thrice in Virginia, twice in each of Maryland, Michigan and California and once in five other states, but never in Indiana so 2025 will be another first. It's the third iteration of the Catholic Challenge, but the second straight year that Villanova will begin its campaign against Notre Dame and Santa Clara. In the first season's version hosted at Jake Nevin Field House, each team captured a win as VU downed Santa Clara, SCU took down ND and the Irish swept the Wildcats. Villanova dropped both outings in Santa Clara last year and is out for revenge in the 2025 meetings.

PRESEASON POLL PRIMER    
After back-to-back seasons culminating in BIG EAST postseason berths, Villanova is again projected to finish in the top half of the league as the Wildcats placed fifth in the 2025 BIG EAST preseason poll released on Thursday. As a unit, the 'Cats received 63 points to end up as the projected fifth place finisher in the 11-team league, picked just outside of the BIG EAST Tournament field which has reverted back to four entrants. The Wildcats had a pair of players named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team in junior six-rotation hitter Abby Harrell and sophomore middle blocker Campbell McKinnon, who were each also recognized by the conference at the end of last season. 

FRESH FACES    
Although the Wildcats still have a number of contributors back from last season, they'll need to replace four key members of the rotation. Included in the competition for those replacements are six newcomers: four freshman and two transfers who are looking to make their presence felt in year one on the Main Line. A pair of first years will compete for playing time in the back row: Mina Diggs and Marikate Ritterbusch. Diggs was a USAV national runner-up who Steinbach claims "will be able to compete in our league on arrival," while Ritterbusch was a key component in 111 team wins as a high schooler. Ava Harris and Iona transfer Emma Vu are the options for the second setter job to pair with starting sophomore Alyssa Nelson, Harris being a promising freshman who competed in the USNT Development program while Vu accumulated 800 assists in three years with the Gaels. The final freshman Reagan McGivern is projected as a starting middle after a scholastic career culminating in a UA Next All-America Camp, and Cal transfer Ava Mehrten is in line for a contributing right side position following 186 points in four years at Berkeley.

SCOUTING SANTA CLARA

• The Broncos went 11-16 last year and missed out on the postseason despite the season-opening victory over Villanova. 
• Seventh-year head coach Erin Lindsey's squad was projected to finish ninth in the WCC preseason poll while middle blocker Grace Flanagan earned a preseason team mention. Santa Clara adds four newcomers: two freshmen and one transfer each from TCU (Bryn Shankle) and Sonoma State (Hailey Newell). 
• The 'Cats are just 1-2 all-time opposite the Broncos, taking down SCU in the 2023 meeting at Jake Nevin Field House but falling in last year's bout in California.

A FEEL FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH

• Notre Dame ended 2024 with a 12-17 overall mark, winning five ACC affairs but failing to reach the conference tournament.
• Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Gaerte, a high school teammate of VU's Harris, earned preseason honors in the league as head coach Salima Rockwell's squad placed 12 out of the 18 teams in the ACC preseason poll.
• Villanova holds just a 5-21 record against their former BIG EAST foe, with the most recent Wildcat win in the series coming at Notre Dame in 2011.

No streaming will be available for either contest but statistics for both can be found on StatBroadcast.