JACKS DROP FIVE-SET THRILLER TO VILLANOVA

Sunday, August 30

Malibu, Calif.

10 a.m. PT / noon CT

South Dakota State University

1-2,0-0Summit League

Villanova

2-1,0-0Big East

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Villanova	25	20	28	25	15	3
South Dakota St.	21	25	30	20	9	2

Two volleyball players in black uniforms attempt to block a ball during a match.

Photo by: Greg Bintz/Pepperdine Athletics

8/30/2026 2:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - The Jackrabbits found themselves on the losing end of a five-set effort against the receiving votes Villanova Wildcats on Sunday, 3-2.

Sylvie Zgonc led the way for the Jackrabbits with 22 kills, her second 20+ kill effort of the weekend. Hannah Klein added 18 of her own to set a new career high, besting her effort of 17 kills last year against Omaha (9/25/25). The Jacks struggled to contain Villanova's trio of Chloe Kelly, Cat Young and Campbell McKinnon, who each ended the match with 15+ kills, with Kelly leading the way with 20.

Rylee Martin got back to her usual standard, dropping 31 assists next to Brooke Larsen, who contributed 23 assists to go along with eight kills, another career high.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Set 1: Villanova came out swinging, jumping out to a 5-2 lead early in the set. The Wildcats were able to stifle any Jackrabbit runs, only allowing one or two points per run. A 3-0 run to push the lead to 11-8 was the turning point for the Wildcats, as the two teams traded points until the last few, with Villanova taking the set, 25-21.

Set 2: Claire Logeais and Brooke Larsen got involved early in the second set, sparking the Jackrabbits' offense with two kills each to get the score to 8-5. Nova started fighting back, reducing the deficit to 1, but a Joslyn Richardson ace and Marisa Michaelis kill extended the lead back to 11-8. The Jackrabbits would build their lead up to six on the back of kills by Zgonc and Martin, before Hannah Klein brought down the hammer with three scoring kills to put the lead up to 22-16. The Jackrabbits walled off the net for the final two, forcing an attacking error to take the set, 25-20, evening the score.

Set 3: Villanova built a three-point cushion early in the third set, but the Jacks answered back with a 3-0 run of their own to get the score to 9-9. The Wildcats were able to put together another 3-0 run to push the cushion out to three again, which led to a 15-12 lead for Villanova at the media timeout. But the Jackrabbits were able to claw back into the match with a 3-0 run that cut the deficit to one. A 3-0 run out of the Dan Georgalas-called timeout led to a time game at 19-all. The two teams traded points up until it was 28-28. Rylee Martin was able to connect with Zgonc twice on two consecutive kills as the Jacks took the third set, 30-28.

Set 4: South Dakota State opened Set 4 on its heels as Villanova strung together a 5-0 run to go up 6-1 and force an early timeout. SDSU rattled back with a two-kill run and a 3-0 run overall by Hannah Klein to get the score back to 7-6. A 5-0 Nova run pushed the lead back up to four for the Wildcats. SDSU chipped back to 15-12, yet Villanova maintained a four-point cushion down the stretch and closed the set 25-20.

Set 5: Villanova again came out hot with a 5-0 start. SDSU traded points and fought to stay within reach, narrowing to 10-6 and later 12-7, but the early deficit proved too steep. Back-to-back kills from Zgonc made it 13-9, but Villanova finished the frame 15-9 to take the match.

NOTES:

Brooke Larsen and Hannah Klein both hit their career highs in kills with 8 and 18, respectively.
Larsen and Logeais share the team leads in blocks after the tournament with 10 apiece.

-GoJacks.com-