VILLANOVA, Pa. — The Santa Clara University volleyball team started Sunday's match with the same momentum that had carried it to a season-starting five-match winning streak, but host Villanova powered back and won three straight sets to win, 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-21), on the final day of the Catholic Challenge at Jake Nevin Field House.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Broncos (5-1) trailed only once in the first set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and carrying that to a 25-21 win and an early 1-0 match advantage. Santa Clara held the Wildcats (4-2) to only .135 hitting in the opening frame while collecting 21 team digs.
• SCU did the same thing in the second set, scoring the first four points and still leading 15-12 halfway through. But that's when the Wildcats turned it on. They flipped a script and went on a 13-4 run fueled by seven kills, two blocks and an ace to take the set, 25-19, and even the match at 1-1. Villanova hit .344 in the set.
• Villanova stayed in control the rest of the way, outside of the Broncos scoring the first point of set three and the first couple sets of set four. The Wildcats finished the match hitting no worse than .244 in the three sets they won after opening the night at a .135 clip.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 15: Sophia Tulino led the Broncos in kills for the second straight day with 15 kills. It was her fifth double-digit kills performance in six matches this season.
• 46: Nive Tuileta tied a season high with 46 assists. She's averaging 9.39 assists per set through the first two weeks of the year.

POST-MATCH COMMENTS
Head Coach Erin Lindsey

• "We didn't have the serving game we needed tonight. Credit to Villanova, they passed great and got themselves in system. Their middles were a lot to handle and we struggled to find an answer for Abby Harrell until the fourth set.
   
• "We will get back to it. I was proud of how we battled until the end even as we were struggling with our execution."

NEXT UP

• Santa Clara travels to Princeton, N.J., for a match against Princeton University on Tuesday. Fans can find all live coverage links on the Broncos' schedule page.