Villanova volleyball swept Providence and UConn at home Oct. 2-3 and carries a 9-6 record into a BIG EAST road trip at DePaul on Friday, Oct. 9.

The Wildcats (2-2 BIG EAST) beat the Friars 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-23) on Friday, Oct. 2, and beat UConn 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-19) on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Jake Nevin Fieldhouse, according to The Villanovan. Junior middle blocker Campbell McKinnon recorded 13 kills in each match. With senior outside hitter Abby Harrell out sick for the UConn match, junior Cat Young stepped in and finished with seven kills.

Head coach Josh Steinbach, in his 20th season leading the program, told The Villanovan on Oct. 7 that improved serving made the difference against UConn. "I thought we came out with a little bit of purpose from the service line, and we got UConn in a lot of trouble as we were serving," Steinbach said.

The two home sweeps erased an 0-2 start to conference play. Villanova lost in straight sets at Butler on Sept. 25 and fell in five sets at Xavier on Sept. 26. The Wildcats have yet to win a BIG EAST road match in 2026.

The road trip opens Friday at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Chicago, where DePaul (11-4, 3-1 BIG EAST) awaits. The Blue Demons opened conference play 3-0 before a four-set loss at Creighton. DePaul is led by Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Kendall Timme, who has 195 kills and 16 aces. Villanova owns a 19-10 all-time edge in the series, including a 10-5 mark in Chicago, but DePaul won the last meeting 3-1 on Oct. 24, 2025.

The trip continues Saturday, Oct. 10, at Marquette (8-6, 3-1 BIG EAST) inside the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. The Wildcats are 5-27 all-time against the Golden Eagles and 3-13 on the road, though they snapped a 14-match losing streak in the series with a 3-1 win on Oct. 25, 2025. Marquette, picked third in the BIG EAST preseason poll, reached the second round of the NCAA tournament last season before falling to Louisville in five sets. Outside hitter Carson Tyler leads the Golden Eagles with 239 kills and 29 aces.

McKinnon, a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection from Collierville, Tennessee, paces Villanova with 186 kills, a .378 hitting percentage and 58 blocks on the season. Setter Alyssa Nelson has distributed 390 assists while adding 133 digs and 16 aces, according to Villanova athletics.

Friday's match at DePaul starts at 8 p.m. Eastern. Saturday's match at Marquette begins at 6 p.m. Eastern. Both are available on ESPN+.