VILLANOVA, Pa. – Following a split against Georgetown and Creighton last week, Villanova volleyball wraps up its four-match homestand inside Jake Nevin Fieldhouse this weekend, welcoming St. John's on Friday and Seton Hall on Saturday.
The Wildcats (10-9, 3-5 BIG EAST) host the Red Storm on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT before concluding the homestand Saturday night against the Pirates at 7 p.m. EDT.
A WIN AND A LOSS
It was an up-and-down week last week for Villanova as the 'Cats picked up an important win against Georgetown on Wednesday before falling in a hard-fought four-set battle against Creighton on Friday. The Wildcats took care of business in the midweek matchup, defeating the Hoyas in four sets (25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18) behind a team-leading 13 kills from
Taylor Lewis and an impressive 35-assist, 14-dig double-double from
Alyssa Nelson. Friday was a tough test against the Bluejays, resulting in a 3-1 setback (23-25, 23-25, 26-24, 16-25) despite an 18-kill performance from
Abby Harrell and a 48-assist, 11-dig double-double from Nelson. A few bright spots emerged for Villanova across the homestand, including
Annika Veurink setting a new career-high anchoring the net with eight blocks against Georgetown and
Campbell McKinnon pacing the interior with 14 kills and nine digs against Creighton.
WEATHERING THE (RED) STORM
- St. John's (15-6, 5-3 BIG EAST) makes the trip to Jake Nevin Fieldhouse on Friday, sitting near the top of the conference standings under the BIG EAST's longest-tenured head coach, Joanne Persico, in her 33rd season. The Red Storm enter the weekend looking to bounce back following a pair of home losses to Marquette and DePaul.
- The Red Storm are paced offensively by standout outside hitters Carola Tesoro (312 kills, 3.95/set) and Lejla Hadžiredžepovic (265 kills, 3.31/set), with setting directed by Amanda Caputi (393 assists, 6.34/set) and Maggie Carcillo (308 assists, 4.81/set). Rashanny Solano Smith patrols the back row with 449 digs (5.61/set), while middle blockers Teodora Stamenkovic (87.0 blocks, 1.13/set) and Chloe Bell (66.0 blocks, 0.84/set) anchor the net defense.
- Villanova holds an 18-14 advantage in the all-time series, including an 11-5 record at home, and looks to build on momentum following a five-set victory in their last meeting in September 2025.
TREASURE HUNT
- Seton Hall (8-12, 0-8 BIG EAST) comes to the Main Line this Saturday seeking its breakthrough victory in BIG EAST play under 5th-year head coach Shannon Thompson.
- The Pirate attack features a balanced trio led by Daria Safian (177 kills, 2.72/set), Alondra Villanueva (163 kills, 2.72/set), and freshman Samantha Shelton (159 kills, 2.30/set). Gwen Adler handles primary setting duties (479 assists, 6.56/set), while Emilee Fuller has added 181 assists (3.07/set) and a team-high 19 service aces (0.32/set). Rylee Nelson leads the back row with 216 digs (3.18/set), and Mia Clyburn leads the net defense totaling 47.0 total blocks (0.67/set).
- Villanova dominates the all-time series 22-12 (14-6 BIG EAST), boasting a 15-4 record at home and carrying a four-match winning streak against the Pirates dating back to 2022.
Streaming for both matches will be available on ESPN+ and will feature stats courtesy of
StatBroadcast.
Keep up with the Villanova University volleyball program through social media by following on X (@NovaVolleyball) and Instagram (@novavolleyball) and 'liking' on Facebook (/NovaVolleyball).
