Box Score

VILLANOVA, Pa. - The Villanova volleyball team lost their first BIG EAST match of the season, falling to the Georgetown Hoyas 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 on Saturday night.

The Wildcats (10-5, 1-1 BIG EAST) battled with the Hoyas (5-10, 1-1 BIG EAST) in each set, forcing 19 total ties, but late runs by the Hoyas gave Georgetown the advantage in each set.

Regan Lough (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) had her second-straight 20-dig performance, totaling 22 digs in tonight's match. Allison Fitzgerald (St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) added 13 digs for the Villanova defense.

Offensively, Allie Loitz (Bonita, Calif./Bonita Vista) tallied 11 kills to lead the Wildcats. Emma Decker (LaGrange, Ill./Nazareth Academy) supplied 34 assists in the match.

The Hoyas were led by Symone Speech, Liv King, and Alyssa Sinnette, who all reached double-figures in kills in the match. Georgetown limited Villanova's offense to hit .155 in the match and three Hoyas had at least 10 digs.

With the first set tied at 9-9, Georgetown broke out with a 6-1 run to take a 16-10 lead and force a Villanova timeout. The Hoyas expanded their advantage to 21-13 after a several kills and a couple of Wildcat errors. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 22-17, but could not comeback as the Hoyas took set one 25-19.

The second frame was very competitive between the two squads featuring 13 ties and four lead changes. Villanova hit a match-high .262 and five Wildcats had multiple kills in the set. Both teams started dead even through 22 points as Villanova and Georgetown were tied at 11 points apiece. The Hoyas would go on a small 3-0 run. After a Villanova timeout, the `Cats clawed back to tie the set at 17, after kills from Darcy Wolf (Allentown, Pa./Central Catholic) and Decker. The Wildcats tied the match at 18-18, 19-19, 20-20, but a late 5-1 run gave the Hoyas a 2-0 lead, taking the second set 25-21.

Georgetown kept the momentum in the third stanza, starting the set on a 4-0 run. Villanova responded after a timeout, fighting back to cut the lead to 7-6 after several Hoya errors and a kill from Claire Crutchfield (Falls Church, Va./Bishop O'Connell). Both teams would trade small runs, but an overall 10-6 run gave Georgetown a 17-13 lead. Villanova fought back with a 5-3 run of their own to cut the Hoya lead to just two at 20-18. A Remy Fairchild (Southlake Texas/Southlake Carroll) kill slashed the Georgetown lead to just one at 22-21, but the Wildcats' hopes of extending the match an extra set fell short as the Hoyas were able to close the match on a 3-0 run to take the set 25-21, and the match 3-0.

The loss snapped a Villanova 13-match winning streak at Jake Nevin Field House. The last time Villanova lost on its home court was a 3-0 loss to Marquette, 680 days ago on November 15, 2014.

The Wildcats will look to start a new winning-streak at Nevin Field House on Tuesday when the Wildcats take on St. John's at 7 p.m.