The Georgetown volleyball team (6-9, 0-2 Big East) continued its poor run of form to begin Big East conference play this weekend, losing to both St. John’s and Connecticut. The Hoyas, who began the season 6-1, have now dropped eight straight matches.

“We played inconsistently well [this weekend],” Head Coach Arlisa Williams said. “There were moments when we played like a team and worked really hard. Unfortunately, we just weren’t consistent enough.”

To begin conference play and the two-game road trip, Georgetown traveled to New York where it faced St. John’s (15-3, 2-0 Big East) on Friday night, losing in three straight sets: 23-25, 19-25, 21-25.

The Blue and Gray raced out to a 12-7 lead in the first set and held narrow advantages in each of the following sets. But the Red Storm regained the momentum each time with powerful surges, including an 8-1 run in the second set that nullified a three-point Georgetown advantage.

“We let them get the jump on us, and we made too many errors to win the match,” Williams said.

Junior setter Haley Lowrance led the way for the Hoyas, recording 26 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Alex Johnson added 11 kills, but her 11 errors were also tops among all players.

Georgetown regrouped to face Connecticut (11-6, 2-0 Big East) Sunday, and, despite playing a more competitive match, Georgetown could not return to the winning column, losing 17-25, 25-13, 21-25, 20-25.

“Our passing and outside hitting improved against UConn,” Williams said. “We did a better job of taking care of our side of the net.”

After dropping the first set, the Hoyas dominated the second frame, led by a strong performance by junior outside hitter Brooke Bachesta, who finished the game with 14 kills and only 5 errors.

But the Blue and Gray were unable to keep playing at the same level for the rest of the match, losing two competitive sets, in part because of unforced errors. While the Hoyas ended the match with one more kill than UConn, they committed eight more errors as a team.

One bright spot amid the loss, however, was Johnson, who turned in a spirited effort with a game-high 19 kills and 18 digs. The sophomore now sits third in the Big East with 224 kills.

Despite another losing weekend, Williams insisted that the team is improving each game and has not yet reached its potential.

“All the pieces are there, and that’s the frustrating part. We just need to focus on each game, being a little bit better than we were the last time we took the floor,” Williams said. “Surprisingly, our morale is still good. These players want to win so badly, and they just want to get back in the gym and figure out how to improve.”

The schedule for the reeling Hoyas does not ease up during the coming three-game home stand, as they face streaking Seton Hall (13-1, 2-0) Friday at 7 p.m. As the schedule toughens, Williams said that the team and coaching staff will renew its focus on preparation.

“We need to get better, fast,” Williams said. “At times, we’ve played pretty darn well. We want to sustain that level of play, and we need to come to practice every day with that mindset. I think it’s doable, but it won’t be easy.”