VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova volleyball suffered its first home loss of the season on Friday night, falling in four sets (23-25, 23-25, 26-24, 16-25) to Creighton inside Jake Nevin Fieldhouse. The Wildcats (10-9, 3-5 BIG EAST) battled through tight opening frames and extended the match with a third-set victory before the Bluejays pulled away in the fourth.
Abby Harrell led the way for the Wildcats with a team-high 18 kills, while
Campbell McKinnon (14 kills, two aces, two blocks, nine digs) and
Taylor Lewis (10 kills) supported Harrell in the Nova attack.
Alyssa Nelson, who posted a double-double (48 assists, 11 digs),
Mina Diggs (15 digs), and
Annika Veurink (two blocks) rounded out the statistical leaders for Villanova.
The opening set saw the teams trade early punches before Villanova established an 8-4 advantage behind three early putaways from Harrell and a block from McKinnon and
Reagan McGivern. Creighton answered with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 8-8, but a successful VU challenge sparked a 5-1 response from the 'Cats, highlighted by kills from McGivern, Harrell, and McKinnon, to rebuild a 13-9 cushion. The Bluejays fought back to level the frame at 13-13 following consecutive Peyton Carlson aces, setting up a tight middle stretch that saw Creighton pull ahead 18-16 before a Harrell kill and a Bluejay error tied it at 18 all. After Creighton edged ahead 20-18 to prompt a Wildcat timeout, Villanova repeatedly answered, drawing even at 21-21, 22-22, and 23-23 behind late putaways from McKinnon and Harrell. However, an Ashlyn Paymal kill brought up set point for the visitors at 24-23 before a Bluejay block closed out a tight 25-23 opening set for Creighton.
Villanova jumped out to an early 5-2 advantage in the second frame behind a McKinnon service ace, putaways from McGivern and Harrell, and a Veurink solo block. Creighton quickly shifted momentum with a 7-1 run, utilizing a Saige Damrow service ace and a Nora Wurtz kill to take a 9-6 lead and force a Wildcat timeout. Nova remained within striking distance throughout the middle stretch, trading points as Veurink, Lewis, Harrell, and McKinnon produced kills to keep the deficit close at 15-12 heading into the media break. Back-to-back Sydney Breissinger service aces and a Eloise Brandewie putaway helped the visitors pull ahead 23-17. The 'Cats made a late push reeling off six of the next seven points fueled by two McKinnon putaways, two Harrell kills, and a Harrell ace to bring the Wildcats within one at 24-23. However, an Ayden Ames kill on the next rally halted the run, securing another 25-23 set win for Creighton as they took a 2-0 match lead.
The Wildcats took an early 4-2 lead in the third frame behind a Harrell putaway and consecutive kills from Lewis. Creighton managed to build a 13-10 cushion after a Breissinger ace, but the Wildcats responded as Harrell and McKinnon delivered back-to-back putaways to stay within striking distance at 15-13 at the media timeout. After the Bluejays extended their lead to 18-15 to force a Wildcat timeout, McGivern stopped the visitor's run with a kill before consecutive Lewis kills trimmed the deficit to one at 20-19, forcing Creighton into a timeout. The two sides traded blows late and were deadlocked at 23 before CU brought up match point at 24-23, but a Bluejay service error kept VU alive. Harrell followed with a clutch kill to give the Wildcats set point at 25-24 before a Creighton attack error closed out a thrilling 26-24 victory for the 'Cats to extend the match.
Creighton seized control immediately in the fourth frame, storming out to a 5-0 advantage fueled by a Wurtz ace and two Paymal putaways before expanding the lead to 7-1 to prompt an early Villanova timeout. The Wildcats responded as a combined block from McKinnon and Veurink, alongside service aces from Young and Lewis, trimmed the deficit to 8-5. However, the Bluejays would find themselves back in the driver's seat as they were able to build a six-point 15-9 advantage at the match's final media timeout. Veurink and Lewis kept Nova within five at 16-11, dropping in a kill apiece before Creighton once again regained control thanks to a 4-0 scoring run to blow the final frame open at 20-11. McKinnon, Harrell, and Lewis were able to briefly keep the 'Cats alive before the Bluejays would ultimately cap off a 25-16 set victory off the back of a Brandewie swing, wrapping up the four-set win for the visitors.
UP NEXT: Villanova continues its homestand next Friday when the St. John's Red Storm come to the Main Line. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT.
