CINCINNATI – Villanova volleyball dropped a hard-fought five-set battle to the Xavier Musketeers (11-25, 30-28, 25-21, 22-25, 15-11) on Saturday afternoon to close out its first BIG EAST road trip of the season.
Campbell McKinnon led the 'Cats offense, posting a career-best performance with 23 kills while adding two aces.
Alyssa Nelson (32 assists),
Mina Diggs (19 digs), and
Annika Veurink and
Reagan McGivern recorded three blocks each to round out the statistical leaders.
Xavier seized control right out of the gate in the opening frame, jumping out to a 9-2 lead to force an early Villanova timeout. The Wildcats struggled to find rhythm offensively while the hosts dictated the pace, eventually stretching their cushion to 22-9 following a 5-0 run. Xavier cruised from there, taking the first set 25-11.
The Wildcats flipped the script in the second frame, using early kills from
Annika Veurink and
Abby Harrell to build a comfortable 15-8 advantage by the media timeout. The Musketeers responded later in the set, using a 10-2 scoring run to take a late 23-21 lead, forcing VU to burn both of its timeouts. The 'Cats fought back with a 3-0 burst of their own, utilizing consecutive kills from
Taylor Lewis and Harrell before a massive block from Lewis and Veurink gave Villanova set point at 24-23. The teams traded blows well beyond extra points until a
Reagan McGivern kill and a crucial Musketeer attack error finally sealed the marathon set for Villanova at 30-28, evening the match at 1-1.
The third set was a tightly contested, back-and-forth affair with neither side able to build much separation. Villanova took a narrow 15-13 edge into the media timeout. The Musketeers hung around, eventually claiming a late 19-18 lead. The 'Cats responded to the XU momentum with a 3-0 run, pulling ahead 21-19. Despite a successful Xavier challenge that briefly cut the lead to one, the Wildcats were able to slam the door down the stretch as back-to-back kills from Lewis and Harrell brought up set point before a Diggs ace clinched a 25-21 set victory for Villanova.
The fourth set was tightly contested early as the teams remained tied at 13 midway through. Xavier used a 4-0 scoring run to build a 17-13 advantage and force a Villanova timeout. The 'Cats answered with three straight points to cut the deficit to one, but the Musketeers quickly extended their lead back out to 20-16. The Wildcats rallied late to cut the deficit to one at 23-22, fueled by a Lewis kill and service ace, followed by a crucial block from Harrell and McGivern. However, XU held on after a timeout to close the period 25-22 on back-to-back kills from Margo Kemp, tying the match at two sets apiece.
In the deciding set, Villanova built an early 6-3 lead after a McKinnon service ace forced a Xavier timeout. The Musketeers later tied the frame at 7-all after a successful coach's challenge reversed a point. Xavier then took an 11-9 lead, prompting a Wildcats timeout after an unsuccessful VU challenge. The hosts maintained their edge down the stretch, taking the final set 15-11 on back-to-back kills to secure the 3-2 victory.
UP NEXT: Villanova returns home to the Jake Nevin Fieldhouse next weekend to host a pair of New England foes in the Providence Friars on Friday and the UConn Huskies on Saturday.
