VILLANOVA, Pa. – Following a split against Georgetown and Creighton last week, Villanova volleyball wraps up its four-match homestand inside Jake Nevin Fieldhouse this weekend, welcoming St. John's on Friday and Seton Hall on Saturday.
The Wildcats (10-9, 3-5 BIG EAST) host the Red Storm on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT before concluding the homestand Saturday night against the Pirates at 7 p.m. EDT.
A WIN AND A LOSS
It was an up-and-down week last week for Villanova as the 'Cats picked up an important win against Georgetown on Wednesday before falling in a hard-fought four-set battle against Creighton on Friday. The Wildcats took care of business in the midweek matchup, defeating the Hoyas in four sets (25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18) behind a team-leading 13 kills from
Taylor Lewis and an impressive 35-assist, 14-dig double-double from
Alyssa Nelson. Friday was a tough test against the Bluejays, resulting in a 3-1 setback (23-25, 23-25, 26-24, 16-25) despite an 18-kill performance from
Abby Harrell and a 48-assist, 11-dig double-double from Nelson. A few bright spots emerged for Villanova across the homestand, including
Annika Veurink anchoring the net with eight blocks against Georgetown and
Campbell McKinnon pacing the interior with 14 kills and nine digs against Creighton.
WEATHERING THE RED STORM
- St. John's (15-6, 5-3 BIG EAST) makes the trip to Jake Nevin Fieldhouse on Friday, sitting near the top of the conference standings under the BIG EAST's longest-tenured head coach, Joanne Persico, in her 33rd season. The Red Storm enter the weekend looking to bounce back following a pair of home losses to Marquette and DePaul.
- The Red Storm are paced offensively by standout outside hitters Carola Tesoro (312 kills, 3.95/set) and Lejla Hadžiredžepovic (265 kills, 3.31/set), with setting directed by Amanda Caputi (393 assists, 6.34/set) and Maggie Carcillo (308 assists, 4.81/set). Rashanny Solano Smith patrols the back row with 449 digs (5.61/set), while middle blockers Teodora Stamenkovic (87.0 blocks, 1.13/set) and Chloe Bell (66.0 blocks, 0.84/set) anchor the net defense.
- Villanova holds an 18-14 advantage in the all-time series, including an 11-5 record at home, and looks to build on momentum following a five-set victory in their last meeting in September 2025.
TREASURE HUNT
- Seton Hall (8-12, 0-8 BIG EAST) comes to the Main Line this Saturday seeking its breakthrough victory in BIG EAST play under 5th-year head coach Shannon Thompson.
- The Pirate attack features a balanced trio led by Daria Safian (177 kills, 2.72/set), Alondra Villanueva (163 kills, 2.72/set), and freshman Samantha Shelton (159 kills, 2.30/set). Gwen Adler handles primary setting duties (479 assists, 6.56/set), while Emilee Fuller has added 181 assists (3.07/set) and a team-high 19 service aces (0.32/set). Rylee Nelson leads the back row with 216 digs (3.18/set), and Mia Clyburn leads the net defense totaling 47.0 total blocks (0.67/set).
- Villanova dominates the all-time series 22-12 (14-6 BIG EAST), boasting a 15-4 record at home and carrying a four-match winning streak against the Pirates dating back to 2022.
Streaming for both matches will be available on ESPN+ and will feature stats courtesy of
StatBroadcast.
Keep up with the Villanova University volleyball program through social media by following on X (@NovaVolleyball) and Instagram (@novavolleyball) and 'liking' on Facebook (/NovaVolleyball).
