WASHINGTON – The opening match of the American Tournament resulted in a sweep for Villanova Volleyball, taking down the host Eagles in straight sets (25-23, 25-23, 28-26). It's the second straight victory for the Wildcats after they defeated American's fellow conference foe, Colgate. Thursday's win marks Villanova's first sweep of the 2026 campaign.
Taylor Lewis led the 'Cats with 13 kills on the night while swinging at a match-best .458 clip.
Abby Harrell and
Campbell McKinnon also provided multi-kill performances with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
Alyssa Nelson (26 assists) and
Ava Harris (14 assists) paved the way in the distribution department, turning in a combined 40-assist effort. Additionally,
Reagan McGivern, McKinnon, and
Cat Young each had 3 blocks. Harris and Young tied for the team lead with a service ace apiece.
Mina Diggs also tied her career high with 13 digs previously set vs. Wichita State last September.
Despite what the final score might suggest, the contest was fairly competitive throughout its duration. Villanova opened the match by building a 9-3 advantage, forcing the Eagles into a timeout thanks to
Abby Harrell's three kills in the first set's first eight points. From there, the hosts went on an 8-1 run out of the timeout to go ahead 11-10. However, three straight attack errors by American allowed the Wildcats to restore their advantage at 16-12. Villanova held the lead until late in the set, when the Eagles tied the frame at 21, 22, and 23. Back-to-back kills from Lewis and Harrell ultimately sealed the opening set for the 'Cats.
It was another hot start to the middle set as VU was in the driver's seat early, building a 9-6 lead thanks to a 5-0 scoring run by way of Lewis, Harrell, and Kelly kills as well as two American attack errors both from Elise Sterling. The 'Cats did not concede the lead for the rest of the second stanza and were able to secure a second consecutive 25-23 set victory after Lewis delivered the set-ending kill.
The hosts would begin to flex their muscles in the third set, building an early 8-3 lead, prompting Coach Steinbach to burn his first timeout. Villanova responded out of the break as they went on a 4-0 scoring run to close the gap to two following two more AU attack errors. The Eagles' largest leads of the day came in the match's final set at 16-10 and 18-12, but the Wildcats fought back to narrow the deficit to just two once more, prompting an Eagles timeout. The two sides went back and forth in the match's closing moments as neither team was able to build a seismic lead down the stretch. Lewis and Harrell combined to go back-to-back one last time with the match's final two kills and deliver a sweep for Villanova.
UP NEXT: Villanova will conclude the American Tournament tomorrow at 4 p.m. EDT when it takes on the Iowa State Cyclones.
