MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Villanova volleyball kicked off BIG EAST play on Friday night, suffering a defeat to the Marquette Golden Eagles in straight sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-11).

Abby Harrell led the way for Villanova (9-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) with nine kills and set a match-high with three service aces. Kiera Booth added seven terminations on a .400 hitting percentage, while Andrea Campos contributed 22 assists, a pair of aces and a solo block.

Senior outside hitter Angelle Diamond put up her first kill of the year, converting on her one swing of the night for a 1.000 hitting percentage.

"Marquette played well tonight," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "Hopefully we can rebound and be better tomorrow."

The Wildcats grabbed the first two points of the match, but a 7-0 Marquette run gave the Golden Eagles momentum they wouldn't surrender. After Villanova brought the score to an 11-10 deficit, MU established some distance and ended the first set on a 4-0 stretch to take the opener by seven.

It was all Golden Eagles to begin the second frame, taking seven of the first eight before continuing to a 13-3 edge. While the Wildcats strung together some points to make it a bit more even, Marquette captured the period 25-15.

Another MU stretch created a lead to begin the third stanza, with Villanova trailing by seven multiple times early in the frame. The Golden Eagles stormed to a heavy advantage, eventually taking the frame 25-11 to sweep the match.

UP NEXT: The 'Cats won't have much time to think about the loss, as they'll head south to Chicago to take on DePaul at 7 p.m. Eastern on Saturday evening.