VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Villanova volleyball team wraps up its 2024 non-league slate this weekend, hosting the Wildcat Challenge as a trio of teams come to the Jake Nevin Field House. The 'Cats will take on Temple at 4:30 p.m. on Friday ahead of the VU basketball Hoops Mania event, then will oppose either Marist or Rhode Island Saturday depending on Friday's results.

FABULOUS FRESHMEN    
Perhaps the biggest key to VU's success this season and beyond is a six-member class of first years, many of which have already staked their claims as critical to Villanova's 2024 roster. In the two most recent contests, five out of Villanova's eight starters came from the freshman class. Two first-years have started in all nine matches: middle Campbell McKinnon leads VU in blocks and averages 2.35 kills per set on a .378 hitting percentage and setter Alyssa Nelson has totaled a team-best 182 assists and 12 service aces. Cat Young has played in each of the last 29 sets as a six-rotation hitter and primary passer, Taylor Lewis wrested the starting right side spot away from two veterans and Lola Buck-Taylor has played in 23 sets with an increased role as VU has leaned into the two-libero rule.

COMPETITIVE IN CONNECTICUT
It was a loaded field at the Yale Invitational this weekend with three of the competitors being the reigning champions of their conference. Yale went undefeated to win the Ivy League last year, Colgate has won three straight Patriot Leagues and Fairfield won the MAAC in 2023, but that didn't stop the Wildcats from coming within one set of a weekend sweep. VU took the Bulldogs to the brink on Friday, having a lead of two sets to one but ultimately unable to be the first road victor in New Haven since 2021. The 'Cats dominated Colgate on Saturday, then regrouped after a first set loss to take down the Stags.

TAKING A LOOK AT TEMPLE
- A Philadelphia Big 5 rival of the Wildcats, Temple comes to the Jake Nevin Field House with a 5-5 mark, sweeping the Cherry and White Invitational but dropping five straight from that point before rebounding with a pair of wins last weekend.
- The reigning AAC Offensive Player of the Year tops the scouting report for the Owls as Taylor Davenport leads the nation with 173 kills after a preseason all-league nod. Sophomore setter Lexi Yoza has also totaled a team-best 248 assists and 82 digs.
- As a team, the Owls rank in the nation's top 50 for total blocks (86, 33rd) and team assists (427, 47th) with top 100 marks in kills (63rd), opponent hitting percentage (64th) and service aces (92nd).

READING INTO THE RED FOXES
- The Red Foxes enter the weekend at 0-8, winless so far in every set of 2024. It was a 14-16 record last season with a MAAC quarterfinals appearance after 12 wins in conference play.
- Projected to finish sixth in the league this year, Marist lost AVCA All-American and MAAC Player of the Year Sasha van der Merwe to the transfer portal in the offseason.
- Marist welcomed six freshmen in its recruiting class in addition to a pair of transfers: graduate setter Jamison White from New Hampshire and hitter Sara Dasic from Indian River State College.
- First-year Taylor Miller leads the Red Foxes with 47 kills on the year, White is the team's leader in digs (40) and assists (134), while senior middle Alyssa White has more than double the next best blocker.

REVIEWING THE RAMS
- Rhode Island makes its first trip to the Main Line since the 1990s with a 4-6 record. The Rams went winless at the UNF Invitational to start the year but have won three of their last four at home despite a most recent loss to Stony Brook.
- Head coach Ryan Sullivan and his staff are in their first year in Kingston with the former UNH assistant being named head coach in July after the resignation of Angel Agu in late May. Under Sullivan, the Rams rank 10th nationally for service aces and 24th in total blocks.
- Like the Wildcats, URI is a young group as freshman middle Havyn Rolle is the squad's top point producer with 88 kills and 40 blocks with 2023 A10 all-rookie hitter Madi Disu owning 72 kills and 16 service aces. First year Dakota Henry leads with 107 digs while totaling 13 service aces.

Each of this weekend's bouts will be streamed on FloSports with all of the live stats published on StatBroadcast.