Oct. 7, 2011
Box Score | Steinbach Post Match
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A late rally was not enough on Friday evening as the Villanova volleyball team (12-6, 4-1 BIG EAST) fell 3-1 (21-25, 20-25, 25-20, 26-28) at Syracuse.
The Wildcats are now 12-6 overall and move to 4-1 in the conference after the loss. Syracuse improved to 13-6 overall with a 3-1 BIG EAST record.
Junior Morgan Petkovich led the Wildcats with 16 kills, while senior Maggie Mergen tallied 12 kills.
Senior Courtney Oertli returned to the lineup after an injury and gave out 28 assists to her teammates. Freshman Allie DiBernardo chipped in 19 assists.
Senior Kim Maroon collected a season-best 36 digs.
In the first set, sophomore Allison Williams connected on a kill as Syracuse led 12-10, but after being tied at 15-15 the Orange scored three unanswered and Villanova called a timeout trailing 18-15. Mergen served for three points and the Wildcats tied the score at 20-20, but Syracuse used a 5-1 run to close the set with a win.
After being tied 8-8 in the second frame, the Orange scored three unanswered point to go ahead, 11-8 and Villanova took a timeout. Petkovich found the floor for a kill after the break, but an 8-2 run from Syracuse had the Wildcats trailing 20-12. Junior CeCe Twitty and Mergen each connected on kills, but Villanova still trailed 23-17 as the Orange called timeout. The Wildcats came closer after another kill from Twitty and one from junior Krista Andersen, but Syracuse closed out the set 25-20.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 6-2 advantage in the third set, but the Orange came to within one point, 13-12 after two errors by Villanova. After Syracuse used a timeout Mergen and Petkovich each smashed kills and the `Cats led 23-19 after Twitty connected for a kill. Twitty slammed a kill for set point and an error from the Orange gave Villanova a 25-20 victory.
The fourth frame was close early on, but Villanova took a 16-12 lead after a kill from Petkovich and an ace from Oertli. Andersen and Mergen laid down kills and Syracuse called timeout trailing 21-17. The Orange scored three quick points following the break and trailed just one point, 21-20 as the Wildcats called timeout. Back-to-back kills from Syracuse gave them set point at 24-23, but Villanova used a timeout and scored with a kill from Petkovich. Andersen found the floor for a kill and set point at 26-25, but the Orange scored to stay alive before earning a 28-26 victory to win the match.
Villanova will travel to Marquette on Sunday, Oct. 9. The match is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET.
