VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova volleyball completed a dominant weekend on Saturday night as it took down the UConn Huskies in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-19). Building on Friday's win over Providence, the Wildcats used strong net defense and a balanced attack to sweep their opening BIG EAST home weekend inside Jake Nevin Fieldhouse.
For the second consecutive match,
Campbell McKinnon paced the offense for Villanova (9-6, 2-2 BIG EAST), tallying match-highs with 13 kills alongside three service aces.
Alyssa Nelson directed the attack with a match-best 27 assists.
Mina Diggs (12 digs) and
Annika Veurink recorded a new career-high with six blocks to round out the statistical leaders for the 'Cats.
Cat Young delivered a complete all-around effort (7 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks) and
Taylor Lewis chipped in six kills to fuel a well-rounded Wildcat attack.
The opening frame saw Villanova establish control early, grabbing an early 4-1 advantage thanks to back-to-back kills from McKinnon and Lewis alongside a McKinnon service ace. UConn responded to tie the match at 5 apiece, but VU quickly reclaimed the lead behind consecutive kills from Lewis and strong net play from Veurink, whose block pushed the 'Cats lead to 11-7. The Huskies began to chip away at the Wildcat lead, trimming the deficit to 15-14, but a
Reagan McGivern kill forced UConn's first timeout of the frame at 17-14. Out of the break, Diggs set up an
Abby Harrell kill before back-to-back eliminations from Lewis and Young forced the Huskies to use their final timeout of the set at 20-16. A McGivern service ace brought up set point for Villanova at 24-18, and after UConn staved off two set points, a McKinnon block sealed a 25-20 opening-set victory for the 'Cats.
UConn jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second set, eventually extending its cushion to 9-4 and forcing an early Villanova timeout. The Wildcats were able to respond out of the stoppage, pulling level at 11-11 before taking control midway through the middle frame with a 6-0 scoring run. Highlighted by kills from McKinnon and Young, VU pushed ahead 17-12, forcing another UConn timeout. The Huskies made a late push down the stretch to pull within 23-19 following a successful challenge, but Young halted the momentum with back-to-back kills off dishes from
Alyssa Nelson to secure the 25-19 set victory and propel Villanova's match lead to 2-0.
Villanova picked up right where it left off to open the third set, jumping out to a quick 3-0 start before increasing its advantage to 8-4, prompting a UConn timeout. The Wildcats continued to surge out of the break, using a
Cat Young kill and a block from Young and
Reagan McGivern to extend the lead to six at 11-5. VU maintained control down the stretch, building a 20-14 advantage after back-to-back kills from McGivern and Young, which forced what would be UConn's final timeout of the match. The Huskies attempted to stay within reach, but McKinnon put away a Nelson set to bring up match point for the 'Cats. A combined block from Young and
Annika Veurink clinched a 25-19 set victory and Villanova's second-straight sweep.
UP NEXT: Villanova will travel to the Midwest next weekend to take on the DePaul Blue Demons in the Windy City on Friday before heading to Milwaukee on Saturday to face Marquette.
