INDIANAPOLIS – After wrapping up its non-conference schedule with the Villanova Classic last weekend inside Jake Nevin Fieldhouse, Villanova volleyball opens its BIG EAST conference slate this weekend.
The Wildcats (7-4, 0-0 BIG EAST) begin conference play Friday evening at 7 p.m. EDT against Butler before traveling to Ohio on Saturday to take on Xavier, who ended VU's season last year in the BIG EAST semifinals, at 4 p.m. EDT.
Villanova is 11-8 in BIG EAST lid lifters under head coach
Josh Steinbach, including a 3-2 win over St. John's last season. It will be the first time in program history the 'Cats have faced Butler in the BIG EAST opener.
NON-CONFERENCE NOTEBOOK
Villanova concluded the non-conference part of its 2026 schedule last weekend when it hosted UMBC and Princeton for the Villanova Classic. Friday's home opener vs. the Retrievers ended in a five-set dub for VU in a true back-and-forth affair. Saturday's matchup with the Tigers resulted in a straight-sets sweep for Villanova to close out the home-opening weekend. Through the first four weeks of the season, the 'Cats have amassed four five-set victories, a four-set triumph, and a pair of sweeps.
WILDCAT WEAPONS
The Wildcat offense has been nothing short of superb to start the season. As a team, VU ranks 80th nationally in kills (573), 88th in kills per set (13.02), and 106th in hitting percentage (.232). It's been a total team effort for the offense so far in 2026, as six different players have over 50 kills.
Campbell McKinnon leads the way heading into BIG EAST play as she currently leads the team with 128 kills. Supporting her efforts in the kills department are
Cat Young (88),
Taylor Lewis (86),
Chloe Kelly (81),
Abby Harrell (79), and
Reagan McGivern (65). Together, they've helped Villanova out-kill opponents 573 to 543 while holding opponents to 12.3 kills per set. In Coach Steinbach's 6-2 system, the 'Cats have used three different setters through the first 11 games. Among them are
Alyssa Nelson,
Selah O'Connor, and
Ava Harris. Combined, they've allowed Villanova to be firmly within the top 100 nationally in both team assists (543) and assists per set (12.34). The setter trio has assisted Wildcat hitters 488 times, directing the attack.
BULLDOG BREAKDOWN
- Under fourth-year head coach Kyle Shondell, Butler has begun the season with an overall record of 6-6. The Bulldogs come into Friday's contest after hosting the Butler Invitational last weekend, where they were defeated by Duke and LIU.
- Butler was predicted to finish ninth in the BIG EAST this season, after finishing 12-17 last year.
- The Bulldogs are led by Middle Tennessee transfer Raegan Durbin (87 kills), Sarah Kempf (173 assists), Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Elise Ward (10 aces), Jersey Loyer (194 digs), and Carly Slusser (53 blocks).
X MARKS THE SPOT
- Xavier holds a 7-4 record this season thus far under 12th-year head coach Christy Pfeffenberger after splitting a pair of matches against fellow in-state rivals Cincinnati and Akron last weekend.
- The Musketeers were picked to finish in the top half of the league this year at fourth, coming off a 26-5 season that saw them reach the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Championship, where they were defeated by Michigan.
- XU is led by Charlotte Moriarty (133 kills, 16 aces), Kelsey Niesen (190 digs) and Preseason All-BIG East selections Macy Hatkevich (251 assists) and McKinley Boehm (39 blocks).
Streaming for the Butler match will be on
ESPN+ while the Xavier match will be streamed on
Xavier+. Both matchups 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).
