VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova volleyball concluded its home-opening weekend on Saturday night in dominant fashion, sweeping the Princeton Tigers in straight sets (25-21, 25-17, 25-18). Saturday's match marks the second straight win for the 'Cats as they look to carry the momentum built at home this weekend heading into the start of BIG EAST Conference play next weekend.
The Wildcats hit an outstanding .326 as a team while
Taylor Lewis had nine kills in total.
Campbell McKinnon continued her early-season supremacy, contributing seven kills while
Abby Harrell put in another solid outing, also tallying seven kills and tying for a team-best 10 digs. Fresh off crossing the 1,500-assist threshold vs. UMBC,
Alyssa Nelson once again anchored the Villanova offense with 21 assists while dropping in five service aces. She also played a significant role on the defensive side, adding 10 digs.
Reagan McGivern rounded out the match leaders for VU, recording four blocks.
The opening set was a tightly contested battle of back-and-forth runs, with neither side able to extend a lead beyond two points for most of the frame. After Princeton took a narrow 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout, VU was able to remain in striking distance in the deciding moments of the set. A key 3-0 scoring run highlighted by a McGivern kill, a Tiger attack error, and a Lewis kill gave the 'Cats a three-point advantage late. Villanova kept control towards the end thanks to a huge block from McGivern and
Cat Young before Lewis delivered her fourth and fifth kills of the opening set to lock up the 25-21 set victory.
Princeton gained early momentum in the second set, using back-to-back service aces from Ava Harrington and a later one from Erin McNair to go up 7-4. The Wildcats began to chip away at the deficit, surging ahead 11-10 behind a 4-0 run anchored by a Princeton service error, a Young kill, a McKinnon kill, and a Tiger attack error on a joint block by McKinnon and Young to force the visitors into a timeout. From there, the two sides went back and forth until McGivern came up with a crucial set-changing block to put the 'Cats up 16-14 just after the media timeout. Nelson then took control at the service line, sparking a 5-0 run with two aces and a kill of her own alongside kills from Lewis and Harrell. Harrell tacked on an ace of her own down the stretch before Young skied above the net to wrap up a convincing 25-17 set win and push Villanova's lead to 2-0.
Villanova took control of the third set early, establishing an 8-3 lead capped by a Young service ace and a Harrell block. The Wildcats extended their advantage with a commanding 5-0 run powered by back-to-back Harrell kills, a Nelson ace, a Tiger attack error, and another Nelson ace. The 'Cats continued to press their advantage through the middle of the frame, stretching the margin to nine at 20-11 on a Harrell put-away off a feed from Young. Despite a late 3-0 push from Princeton at set point, McKinnon shut the door with a final strike off a Nelson set to secure a 25-18 victory and finish off the straight-sets sweep.
UP NEXT: Villanova will hit the road once more next weekend as it opens conference play. The 'Cats will take on the Butler Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. EDT and conclude the road trip on Saturday, Sept. 26 when they face the Xavier Musketeers at 4 p.m. EDT.
