VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova volleyball defended its home court on Wednesday night, extending its undefeated record at home to 5-0 with a four-set victory (25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18) over Georgetown inside Jake Nevin Fieldhouse to improve to 10-8 overall and 3-4 in BIG EAST play.
Taylor Lewis led the way for the Wildcats, matching her season high with a team-leading 13 kills, while
Campbell McKinnon (11 kills, four blocks) and
Chloe Kelly (nine kills, three blocks) supported Lewis in the Nova attack.
Alyssa Nelson, who posted a double-double (35 assists, 14 digs),
Mina Diggs (19 digs),
Annika Veurink (eight blocks), and
Marikate Ritterbusch (three aces) rounded out the statistical leaders for Villanova.
The opening set saw both teams battle through a tight frame that featured 11 ties and four lead changes. Georgetown managed to build an early 12-8 lead following an Alexis Anderson kill and a Bella McGirr service ace. The 'Cats responded with a 4-0 scoring run highlighted by a
Cat Young kill, a block from Nelson and Veurink, a Kelly kill, and a Hoya attack error to knot the set at 12 apiece. A Diggs service ace later gave VU a 15-14 edge heading into the media break before the sides traded points down the stretch up to a 19-19 deadlock. Lewis broke the tie with a kill and an ace on consecutive rallies to force a Hoya timeout at 21-19. Georgetown answered to knot the score at 21-21 and 22-22, but a McKinnon kill restored the lead before a Georgetown error brought Villanova to set point at 24-22. On the next rally, Kelly and Veurink teamed up for a block at the net to close out a 25-22 opening-set victory for the Wildcats.
Georgetown set the pace early in the second frame, using two Wildcat attack errors, a Lee-Caracci kill, and an Anderson ace to race out to a 4-0 advantage. Villanova fought back to within a point at 6-7 following back-to-back putaways from McKinnon and Lewis alongside a Hoya attack error before the visitors countered with a 5-1 run to re-establish a 12-7 cushion. The Wildcats would then put together a 4-0 surge thanks to a block from Veurink and Kelly alongside a Nelson ace and two Georgetown attack errors, trimming the deficit to one at 13-14. The Hoyas seized momentum back after the media break with a 6-1 push to pull ahead 20-14, but Nova continued to fight as back-to-back Ritterbusch service aces brought the 'Cats within three at 20-17. Lewis later added another ace to cut the lead to 23-20 before
Reagan McGivern staved off a set point with a late kill, but a final Lee-Caracci kill sealed the frame 25-21 for Georgetown to level the match at 1-1.
Georgetown seized the early momentum in the third frame, capitalizing on back-to-back Lee-Caracci aces to open up a 7-3 cushion and force a Wildcat timeout. Nova battled back with a 5-1 run capped by a Kelly putaway to level the set at 8 all. A McGivern kill put the 'Cats ahead 15-14 heading into the media break before a Veurink kill later pushed the advantage to 18-16 to force a Hoya timeout. The 'Cats broke the set open with a decisive 5-0 run highlighted by a combined block from McKinnon and Veurink to extend the Villanova lead to six at 23-17. A Hoya attack error brought up set point for Villanova at 24-19 before an Urbina service error closed out the 25-21 set win to give the Wildcats a 2-1 match lead.
The final set opened in tight fashion, featuring seven ties through the early action up to a 7-7 gridlock. Villanova created separation with a 4-1 run highlighted by a Kelly kill and a solo block from Veurink to force a Georgetown timeout at 11-8. Leading 15-10 at the media break, the Wildcats stretched their advantage to eight as Ritterbusch landed an ace before McKinnon notched a kill and Lewis stuffed an attack at the net for an 18-10 lead. After another McGivern kill made it 20-12, an Anderson kill brought Georgetown to 20-13 before Kelly responded with a putaway at 21-13 to force the last timeout of the set for the Hoyas. Georgetown attempted to stage a late comeback with a 5-0 push to close within 22-18, but Kelly halted the momentum with back-to-back kills. On the ensuing rally, Kelly and Veurink teamed up for a block to lock down the 25-18 set victory and seal the 3-1 match win.
UP NEXT: Villanova continues its four-game homestand on Friday night when Creighton comes to town. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT.
