Milwaukee – No. 3 seed Villanova was eliminated from the BIG EAST Tournament after falling in straight sets to the No. 2 seed Marquette in the BIG EAST semi-finals Friday afternoon in Milwaukee.
 
Villanova has now suffered the same fate in three straight seasons, falling in straight sets in the BIG EAST semis to Creighton in each of the two previous.
 
Villanova was led by the effort of Mallory Potts, picking up a team-best 12 kills on .524 hitting for the match. Emma Decker finished with 28 assists and Regan Lough led with 12 digs. The team continued have success blocking at the net, notching nine blocks on the afternoon.
 
Despite the blocking efforts, Villanova had a tough time containing the Marquette attack, as the Golden Eagles hit .354, led by 16 kills from Allie Barber, while Hannah Vanden Berg added 11.
 
Villanova got off to a slow start to the afternoon, quickly falling behind 3-0 in the first set. Clare Delaplane then got going on offense to keep the Wildcats close. The sophomore finished the first set with six kills. Villanova trailed by as many as five during the opening set, but cut it to 20-17 after a long rally featuring multiple big-time digs and ending with a block from Allie Olsonoski and Sanaä Barnes. The Wildcats cut the deficit to two at 24-22, but Marquette was able to close out the set 25-22 and go up 1-0.
 
Villanova started hot in the second set, able to go up 5-2 and held that lead all the way to 13-12 thanks to four blocks from the Villanova front line. The Golden Eagles took their first lead at 15-14 and poured it on as part of an 8-2 run that included four consecutive kills. Marquette put together another run late by scoring five of the final six points to take the set 25-18. Potts was strong in the second set with five kills on just eight attacks.
 
With their backs against the wall heading to the third set, Villanova fought hard to stay in the match. Lough opened up the set with an ace and another pair of blocks helped Villanova build an early lead. Marquette quickly retook the lead, but Villanova hung around. Two big kills from Potts and Olsonoski tied the set at 13-13 and it stayed tied through 16-16. The Golden Eagles again closed with a late run, this time scoring six of the final seven points to win 25-19 and finish off the straight-sets victory.
 
Now, Villanova is on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament. They will need some help to get in but are likely a bubble team. The field will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 1.