Good Morning, Nova Nation 2/9: King 'Cats

'Cats Pull Off Thrilling Upset Of #7 Penn State In Season Opener

February 09, 2026

The Official Newsletter of Villanova Athletics

Good Morning, Nova Nation. Now THAT’S how you start a season!

What all do we have in today’s edition? Check it out below!

🥍 King ‘Cats
🏀 Saturday Sweepin’
👟 Lightning Martell
🔷 And much more!

Tommy’s Tavern + Tap is proud to be an Official Partner of Villanova Athletics!

🔼 King ‘Cats. What a way to start the 2026 season for the Villanova men’s lacrosse team.

An overtime goal from Dan Martin off an assist from Luke Raymond led the ‘Cats to an openning day upset of #7 Penn State, 14-13, on Saturday afternoon in State College. It’s Villanova’s first top-10 victory last February against #9 Yale.

🔼 The Hometown Kid. Playing back in his home city of Washington, D.C., freshman sensation Acaden Lewis put on quite a show for the Villanova men’s hoops team.

Lewis carried the ‘Cats with a career night in a 80-73 victory over Hoyas, which included a pair of dagger 3-pointers in the final minutes to seal the game.

The hometown kid finished with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including six assists. Duke Brennan recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds for the ‘Cats.

🔼 Not In Our House. The Villanova women’s hoops team started fast and never looked back as the ‘Cats cruised to a 67-55 win over Georgetown on Saturday, marking their 10th home victory of the season.

Jasmine Bascoe continued her torrid stretch with a team-high 19 points, while Denae Carter added 11 points and six assists. Kennedy Henry and Kelsey Joens poured in 10 points each to round out the double-figure scorers for Villanova.

The ‘Cats now sit at 19-5 overall and 12-3 in the BIG EAST.

🔼 Lightning McQueen Martell. Move over Lightning McQueen, we’ve got another speedster in town.

On Saturday at the Penn Classic, graduate student Lizzie Martell ran one of the fastest indoor 800 meter races in school history posting a time of 2:03.58 and leaped into the top 16 on this year's Division I performance list.

🔼 Pickin’ Up A Pair. The Villanova men’s tennis team put a few notches in the win column over the weekend.

Playing a pair of indoor matches in Bryn Mawr, the ‘Cats rolled past Howard (5-2) on Friday and Wagner (4-3) on Saturday to earn their first two wins of the spring season.

🔼 Give ‘Em Two. It was a winning weekend for the Villanova women’s tennis team as well with the ‘Cats picking up a pair of road victories.

Saturday night, Villanova battled their way to a 4-3 win over BIG EAST foe, Seton Hall, before heading to Lehigh on Sunday morning to complete the weekend sweep with a 5-2 win at Lehigh.

What’s Ahead is brought to you by our friends at Visit Delco, the #1 source for information on all there is to see and do in Delaware County, PA. Find fantastic places to stay, incredible food and drink, and music and art—and you may even find a few surprises.

Monday, February 9
🎨 The Lunar Project at the Main Line Art Center
🥍 Women’s Lacrosse vs. Towson @ 2pm

Tuesday, February 10
⛳️ Fore! The Planet Indoor Mini Golf at Linvilla Orchards
🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Marquette @ 7:30pm l TNT & truTV

Wednesday, February 11
🍻 Quizzo at Ship Bottom Brewery (Swarthmore)
🏀 Women’s Basketball at Xavier @ 6:30pm

Friday, February 13
🍷 Grace Winery Tasting Room Open
🥎 Softball vs. #19 Virginia Tech @ 10am (Charlotte, N.C.)
🥎 Softball at Charlotte @ 3pm
⚾️ Baseball at Florida International @ 6pm
👟 Women’s Track & Field at Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.)
👟 Men’s Track & Field at David Hemery Valentine Invitational (Boston, Mass.)
👟 Women’s Track & Field at Husky Classic (Seattle, Wash.)
👟 Track & Field at Indoor Pre-Nationals (Virginia Beach, Va.)

Saturday, February 14
⛸️ Glice Skating at Linvilla Orchards
🤽 Women’s Water Polo vs. Occidental College @ 10am (Lewisburg, Pa.)
🥎 Softball vs. #19 Virginia Tech @ 10am (Charlotte, N.C.)
🥍 Women’s Lacrosse at Navy @ 11am
🥍 Men’s Lacrosse vs. Saint Joseph’s @ 12pm
🎾 Men’s Tennis at Navy @ 12pm
🎾 Women’s Tennis at Bucknell @ 12pm
🥎 Softball vs. Michigan State @ 12:30pm (Charlotte, N.C.)
🏀 Men’s Basketball at Creighton @ 2:30pm l FOX
⚾️ Baseball at Florida International @ 3pm
🤽 Women’s Water Polo vs. Saint Francis @ 4:40pm (Lewisburg, Pa.)
👟 Women’s Track & Field at Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.)
👟 Men’s Track & Field at David Hemery Valentine Invitational (Boston, Mass.)
👟 Women’s Track & Field at Husky Classic (Seattle, Wash.)
👟 Track & Field at Indoor Pre-Nationals (Virginia Beach, Va.)

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