Box Score CINCINNATI, Oh.-After a 35-minute first set loss that went to 32 points, Villanova's Volleyball team stayed the course and won three-straight sets for a 3-1 match victory.  The Wildcats improve to 12-8 (4-4 BIG EAST) while Xavier drops to 10-9 (5-3 BIG EAST).

Riley Homer (17) and Rose Crist (15) headlined the attack with a combined 32 kills.

"Our outside hitters had a good night of scoring and really carried the load," Villanova Volleyball Head Coach Josh Steinbach said. "Riley is showing herself to be an elite outside hitter in the league."

The first set was a classic heavyweight bout between the two teams. Villanova would go on a run and Xavier would counter. The momentum was deadlocked with 16 ties and the constant back-and-forth was settled late in the set. With Villanova leading 29-28, the Musketeers went on a 4-1 run to win 32-30.

Villanova began to turn the corner in the second set with a strong start that led to a 15-6 lead. Butler continued to trim the deficit throughout the match to 20-18. Despite the late rally, Villanova finished the job with a 5-0 run.  

Once again, the third set was constant momentum shifts until late. Leading 18-16, the Wildcats scored two points off Xavier attack errors for a 20-16 lead. The Musketeers attempted to stall Villanova's attack but were unsuccessful in a 25-20 third set win for the Wildcats.

Leading 10-9, Villanova had a pivotal 4-0 run to stretch the lead to 14-9 in the fourth set. Villanova's attack continued to pour on and after back-to-back kills from Madeline Barber and Riley Homer, the Wildcats took the fourth set, 25-20, and the match.

 A major factor in Villanova's turnaround was the serving and defensive performance. The Wildcats tallied 12 service aces and five blocks Saturday night.

"We really battled on defense and the service line," Steinbach said. "Those haven't been our consistent areas of strength, so it was good that we got that boost today."

Inside the Box Score
Riley Homer delivered her seventeenth double-digit kill performance of the season Saturday.
Kathleen Johnson recorded a season-high nine kills.
Belle Morgan dished out a season-high 49 assists.
Elizabeth Feczko recorded a season-high 19 digs.
Averi Salvador tallied 22 digs and a season-high four aces.

Coach's Corner
Coach Steinbach on Feczko's performance
"I thought that Elizabeth Feczko had a great night defensively and really sparked us the whole night."
 
The Wildcats return to action Friday, October 22 at Providence with first serve starting  at 6:00 PM.