MALIBU, CALIF. – Villanova volleyball concluded its first weekend of the season Sunday afternoon in a five-set thriller, besting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (25-21, 20-25, 28-30, 25-20, 15-9). It was the second win on the California swing for the 'Cats as they begin the 2026 season on a promising note.
Chloe Kelly picked up where she left off yesterday and showed out once again in just her second collegiate match by notching a career-high 20 kills to go with a .417 hitting percentage.
Cat Young continued her strong start to the season as well as she also set a career-high with 19 kills.
Ava Harris and
Lola Buck-Taylor continued the theme of the day by setting new career highs with 36 assists and 15 digs, respectively, to lead the Wildcats in those categories.
Taylor Lewis,
Campbell McKinnon, and
Reagan McGivern each had three blocks apiece in what proved to be a historic day for the 'Cats. McKinnon and Young were named all-tournament for their strong play throughout the weekend.
For most of the opening set of the match, it was a seesaw affair as neither team was able to build a substantial lead. After a 4-0 scoring run propped the Wildcats up 11-7, South Dakota took a timeout to try and halt the momentum. Coming out of the timeout, the 'Cats continued to push, increasing their lead to five at 14-9 before the Jackrabbits began to battle back. Both teams exchanged points in the final moments, but in the end it was the Wildcats who were victorious 25-21 thanks to a set-ending kill from Young.
The second set saw South Dakota State begin to flex its muscles as it built a six-point lead, which forced Coach Steinbach into a timeout. VU clawed back after the timeout as it was able to narrow the deficit to four. The Jackrabbits eventually tightened up as they took five of the final nine points of the second to seal a 25-20 set win.
The middle frame was an absolute marathon that pushed both squads past the 25-point mark and into extra points. Villanova built early momentum behind a service ace from
Marikate Ritterbusch early in the set and continuous pressure from Young and Kelly, forcing a South Dakota State timeout at 19-16. However, the Jackrabbits mounted a 3-0 run out of the break to tie the set at 19 apiece, which would ultimately spark a dramatic back-and-forth exchange between the two sides down the stretch. Neither team was willing to give an inch, but Villanova earned the first set point at 24-23 thanks to a McKinnon kill. SDSU would respond, scoring two straight points to push the 'Cats to the brink of defeat before a service error from the Jackrabbits would allow VU to tie the set before an attack error brought up set point for the 'Cats. Over the final six points, the Wildcat defense survived three set points, including a clutch kill from Young to knot the middle set at 27 before a bad set tied it again at 28-28. South Dakota State finally managed back-to-back kills from Sylvie Zgonc to claim the marathon frame 30-28.
The Wildcats responded emphatically in the fourth set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead capped by back-to-back service aces from Harris to force an early South Dakota State timeout. The 'Cats refused to let up out of the stoppage, extending their advantage to 13-8 following an
Alyssa Nelson ace and a pair of McGivern plays at the net, including a block assist and a kill, prompting SDSU to burn its second timeout of the penultimate set. Though Villanova's lead was cut to as little as three, McKinnon and Kelly dialed up two clutch kills followed by a service ace from Kelly to stretch the margin to 20-15. The Jackrabbits would again trim the deficit to three before VU secured four of the final six points to lock up the fourth set and extend the match to a winner-take-all fifth-and-final set.
Using the momentum built in the previous set, Villanova dominated the final set, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead following a McGivern kill, an SDSU attack error, and a block assist combination from Lewis and McKinnon that forced an immediate timeout. The 'Cats pushed the opening run to 5-0 out of the break and never looked back, extending the advantage to 12-6 behind a pair of McGivern kills and an ace from Young. With match point firmly in reach, McKinnon delivered back-to-back kills to cap off her impressive weekend, securing the 15-9 set win and capping off the thrilling 3-2 victory.
Head coach Josh Steinbach on the team's weekend performance and stepping up through adversity: "Good to get two wins in a really good tournament, especially without Abby and then losing Marly," Steinbach said. "I'm really happy with how the rest of the team stepped up.
Cat Young was outstanding in our wins on Saturday and Sunday." Steinbach was also pleased with McKinnon's play throughout the weekend. "Campbell is playing on a different level right now. She's competing incredibly hard."
UP NEXT: Villanova volleyball hits the road once more next weekend, traveling to New York to participate in the Colgate Volleyball Classic. The Wildcats will open the weekend against the Princeton Tigers on September 4, with first serve set for 12:00 p.m.
