After an undefeated weekend at the William & Mary Tournament, the Georgetown women’s volleyball team swept their three matches last weekend against Morgan State, Binghamton and Florida International University in the Hoya Invitational. This two-day tournament in Washington, D.C., brought great success for the Hoyas, with strong performances with lots of kills and assists from seniors and freshmen.
The success of Georgetown at the Hoya Invitational brought the season record to 10-4. On Friday, Morgan State (6-7) proved a tough opponent, with the Hoyas winning the first two sets but losing the third set to a tie break before grabbing the win after a close fourth set eventually taken by Georgetown, 25-20. Senior outside hitter Iva Vujosevic finished the game as the top Georgetown scorer, with 16.5 points, 12 kills and four aces.
Sophomore outside hitter Elissa Barbosa gave the Hoyas a lead late in the first set, serving to freshman setter Emma Plutnicki, as Plutnicki finished the game with 30 assists. These two underclassmen demonstrated great potential after finishing as two of the top-five scorers for the game, and they continue to demonstrate what have been some of their most reliable skills so far this season.
Victorious, the Hoyas headed into the evening to play Binghamton (0-12). Georgetown took an early lead with freshman right side Peyton Wilhite and freshman libero Kendall Flaharty serving throughout the Hoyas’ strong start. The Hoyas continued their strong all-around performance, finishing the game 25-8, with sophomore defensive specialist Jessica Cusi serving and kills by Vujosevic, Barbosa and Wilhite to cement the weekend’s second victory.
The second set brought some trouble for the Hoyas. Despite Georgetown’s strong start, Binghamton took the lead toward the end of the set before holding Georgetown off in the set 27 to 25, out-killing the Hoyas 14-9 in the process. Hungry for another win, Georgetown did not have as strong of a start as it needed in the third set, but the team was able to come back from a 12-5 Binghamton lead. With Plutnicki’s 14 assists and Vujosevic’s four kills, the Hoyas were able to secure a win. The last set proved easier than the rest; Georgetown took the game 25-11, resulting in a 3-1 victory over Binghamton.
The spotlight performances from the younger players on the roster continued into their next game Saturday afternoon against FIU. In this last game of the Hoya Invitational, Georgetown had complete control. In their most successful match of the tournament, the Hoyas won 3-0 after securing an early lead in all three sets to win 25-15, 25-16 and 25-17.
Barbosa led the team with 12 kills and an ace and scored 13.5 points. Freshman middle blocker Makayla Serrett made four blocks while Plutnicki had 29 assists, seven digs, two blocks and an ace. With each and every game, the underclassmen demonstrated their skills and the promise they bring to the team for the rest of the season as the team inevitably improves their chemistry to incorporate the freshmen into the mix.
Vujosevic had a successful performance last weekend in her second season at Georgetown, and she was named the MVP of the tournament. Consistently in the top three of the team for kills, aces and digs, she recorded 48 points across the three games, making her the lead scorer for the team. Vujosevic also was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll on Tuesday, marking the third time she has been named to the honor roll in the past four weeks.
The Hoyas look forward to playing two more games this coming weekend. The team will travel to Providence, R.I., on Friday to play the Providence Friars and to Omaha, Neb., on Sunday to play Creighton University.
