Charlottesville, Va. - Krista Anderson completed a double-double with 18 kills and 17 digs to lead Villanova to a 3-2 win over UAlbany on the first day of the Marriot Cavalier Invitational, hosted by Virginia, on Friday evening. The Wildcats won the match with hard fought sets of 25-21, 21-25, 25-19, 23-25 and 15-9.

            The score was tight for the start of the first set, with UAlbany getting up 17-14 on a Villanova attack error. The Wildcats roared back, scoring eight of the next nine points to get ahead 21-18 on a UAlbany error. Amy Gulyas and Elysse Studzinski recorded back-to-back kills and capitalized on another Great Dane error to get to set point before Maggie Mergan smacked a kill to give the Wildcats the win.

            Villanova built up an early 10-7 lead in the second set on a Maria Nolan kill. UAlbany pounded back and tied the game at 14-14 before taking a one-point lead on consecutive kills by Teresa Coppiellie and Kalyn Mostert. Brooke Stanley and Casey Wright combined for a block of Gulyas to put the Great Danes up 18-16. UAlbany continued to roll towards set point, as Abbey Wexel set up the win with a service ace. Villanova would not fold, getting a kill from Anderson to keep the set alive. Hillary White took an assist from Stanley and smashed a kill to tie the match at 1-1.

            UAlbany took the early lead in set three, forcing Villanova to take a timeout with the score set at 12-8 in favor of the Great Danes. The Wildcats regrouped and tied the match at 13-13 on a UAlbany attack error. The teams exchanged points, resulting in three more ties, before Villanova exploded for the final five points of the set behind the service game of Kim Maroon.

            Set four was more of the same, with both teams battling to take an advantage in the early going. UAlbany finally took control with a service rally from Stanley that gave the Great Danes a 17-12 advantage on two straight kills by Mostert. Villanova rallied back as the set progressed, pulling within 22-21 on an Anderson kill. UAlbany held on, however, getting kills from Dunja Prgomet and White. Prgomet then combined with Traci Vandegrift for a block on Studzinski to send the match to a deciding set.

            Villanova took control in the fifth, getting five quick points from Maroon's strong serve, including two aces to kick off the set. The UAlbany offense never took hold, as the Wildcats got up 10-3 on a Great Dane attack error. UAlbany attempted to rally with back-to-back kills by Prgomet, but kills from Studzinski and Mergen sealed the win for Villanova.

            Gulyas also finished with a double-double for Villanova, recording 12 kills and 12 digs. Mergen totaled 16 kills for the Wildcats, while setter Courtney Oertli finished with a team-high 54 assists to go along with 17 digs. Studzinski was the fourth Villanova player in double-figure kills with 13.

            White led UAlbany with 17 kills and 13 digs, while Mostert also recorded a double-double with 15 digs and 13 kills. Stanley had 48 assists to go along with eight digs and six kills, while libero Laurie Gonzalez led the Great Danes defensively with 19 digs.

            UAlbany (4-7) continues play at the Marriot Cavalier Invitational on Saturday, facing off against Virginia Tech at 10:30 a.m. and Virginia at 7 p.m.

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Villanova (8-3) def. UAlbany (4-7), 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-9)

Villanova 3, UAlbany 2 (Sep 18, 2009)

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