MILWAUKEE – Villanova volleyball fell in a competitive four-set battle on the road against Marquette (18-25, 15-25, 25-19, 22-25) on Saturday evening at the Al McGuire Center, dropping to 9-8 overall and 2-4 in BIG EAST play.
Campbell McKinnon led the way for the Wildcats with a team-high 15 kills, while
Annika Veurink added a new career-high 10 kills and
Taylor Lewis chipped in eight of her own.
Alyssa Nelson, who posted a double-double (42 assists, 11 digs),
Mina Diggs (15 digs), and
Reagan McGivern (three blocks) rounded out the statistical leaders for Villanova.
Marquette was able to grab momentum in the opening set, capitalizing on three Villanova attack errors to pull ahead 7-1 and force an early Wildcat timeout. Nova worked to chip away at the deficit as they put together a 3-0 scoring run capped by a Diggs service ace to pull within four. Later in the set, kills from Young and McGivern brought the 'Cats back within three at 16-13 to force a Marquette timeout. The Golden Eagles responded with a 3-0 run out of the break to rebuild their cushion and eventually brought up set point at 24-17. McGivern staved off set point, dropping in a kill before Marquette secured the 25-18 set victory off a Carson Tyler kill.
Villanova opened the second set on a strong note, taking advantage of consecutive Marquette attack errors to claim a quick 2-0 lead. However, the Golden Eagles answered with a 5-0 run spurred by a Wildcat service error, two Wildcat attack errors, a Tyler ace, and a Julia Stanev kill. The 'Cats stayed within striking distance in the middle of the set, pulling back within four at 18-14 after a Nelson kill. Marquette then took full control, extending its advantage to seven at 21-14 to force a Villanova timeout. The Golden Eagles kept their foot on the gas, closing out the set on a 4-1 run to capture a 25-15 set win.
The Wildcats turned the tide in the third frame, capitalizing on early Marquette errors and three McKinnon kills to take a 5-2 lead, forcing a Golden Eagle timeout. After Marquette closed the gap to 8-7, the Wildcats responded with a 4-0 run behind kills from Veurink, Lewis, and McKinnon to extend their advantage to 12-7 and force another Marquette timeout. The hosts answered with a 4-0 run of their own to trim the deficit to one at 12-11. Nova would respond with a 5-1 surge highlighted by a pair of Lewis kills and a McGivern block to re-establish control. Another Veurink kill, and two aces from Diggs and Nelson later pushed the Wildcat cushion to 23-17 before a Marquette error brought up set point at 24-17. Marquette was able to save two set points before a Tyler service error sealed the 25-19 victory for Villanova to bring the match to 2-1.
The final set was a tightly contested start with neither side able to build a substantial lead. Marquette would eventually break the frame open with a 5-0 scoring run to build an 18-12 cushion. The 'Cats responded with a 5-0 run of their own as a McKinnon kill, a block from McKinnon and McGivern, two Marquette errors, and a second McKinnon putaway trimmed the Golden Eagles' lead to one at 18-17. Marquette pushed back with three straight points to make it 21-17 before later bringing up match point at 24-19. The Wildcats saved three match points behind kills from McGivern and
Michelle Eburuoh, alongside a Marquette setting error to pull within two at 24-22, but a Villanova attack error on the next rally sealed the frame 25-22 and the match 3-1 for Marquette.
UP NEXT: Villanova returns home on Wednesday to host the Georgetown Hoyas in a midweek showdown at 7 p.m. EDT.
