Balanced Offense Leads to Five-Set Win Over Villanova

Saturday, November 7

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 P.M.

Xavier University

15-10, 11-3BIG EAST

Villanova

21-7, 11-4BIG EAST

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Villanova	25	20	20	25	10	2
Xavier	23	25	25	23	15	3

Balanced Offense Leads to Five-Set Win Over Villanova

11.07.15 | Volleyball

Box Score

Xavier volleyball solidified a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament with the win

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier volleyball had five players post 10 or more kills on Saturday night as the Musketeers defeated Villanova in five sets (23-25, 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 15-10). Xavier won its fifth straight BIG EAST match and locked up a spot in the four-team conference tournament.

The Musketeers improved to 15-10 (11-3 BIG EAST), while the Wildcats moved to 21-7 (11-4 BIG EAST). Xavier also moved to 5-1 in the all-time series with Villanova.

For the second time in as many matches, Sofia Peterson led the offense as the redshirt-junior had 16 kills. Kristen Massa had 12, while Lauren Frilling and Makayla Agin added 11. Brooke Betts added nine kills on the night.

Mackenzi Humm had a team-high 29 assists and McKena Estes had 28. Xavier hit .230 in the match and limited the Wildcats to a .190 hitting percentage.

Defensively, Abbey Bessler had a team-high 23 digs, while Meredith Klare chipped in 15. Xavier had nine team blocks paced by Frilling's team-high five block assists and one solo block.

The opening stanza featured 11 ties and three lead changes with neither team leading by more than three points. Trailing 24-22, Peterson recorded a kill to get Xavier within one and force a Villanova timeout. The Wildcats held on for the 25-23 win following a kill by Claire Crutchfield.

The second set had 10 ties with the final tie at 19. Xavier broke the tie with a 6-1 to capture the frame, 25-20. Massa had six kills in the set, while Peterson had four - including Xavier's final two points.

With the third set knotted at 17 - the 15th tie of the set - the Musketeers used another late run to pull away from the Wildcats. Xavier ended the set on an 8-3 run for the 25-20 victory. Frilling hit .750 in the frame with a team-high six kills.

Xavier jumped out to an 11-5 lead in set four and never trailed until the closing points of the set. Tied at 22, Villanova took its first lead on an Amanda Pedersen-Henry kill. The Wildcats scored the final two points of the set to even the match at two with a 25-23 victory.
The Musketeers posted a match-high .364 hitting percentage in the final set. Xavier led from start to finish in the fifth set, capturing the stanza, 15-10.

Allie Loitz led the Wildcats with 15 kills and 18 digs. Emma Pettit dished out a match-high 46 assists.

Xavier returns to action on Nov. 13 at Creighton with first serve slated for 8 p.m. EST. The match will be aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network.