The Georgetown University women’s volleyball team fell to American University this past Tuesday. The Eagles triumphed over the Hoyas in a 3-2 decision, extending their winning streak to eight games.
The Hoyas dropped the first two games 27-30 and 21-30, but they refused to go quietly. Georgetown turned things around and won the third game 30-20, hitting .321 and holding the Eagles to a mere -0.023 hitting percentage. They also held off a late Eagles’ rally in the fourth game, prevailing 30-28.
Unfortunately, the momentum from the third and fourth games was halted by a 6-0 run from the Eagles at the start of the final game. Georgetown could not rebound from the deficit and was defeated 9-15 in game five.
“We had problems putting the ball away,” Head Coach Li Liu said. After a slow start, we started to play better after the second game. We could’ve beaten American, but we missed the opportunities and it’s really hard to rally after a 6-0 deficit.”
Senior outside hitter Lauren Warner led the team with her 14th double-double of the 2002 season, ending the night with 15 kills, 17 digs and five blocks.
“Coming back from being down two games was a huge thing, and it showed our determination . even though things don’t always go our way we work really hard and don’t give up in tough game situations,” Werner said.
Freshman outside hitter Natasha Nguyen joined Warner with her fifth double-double of the year, contributing 12 kills, 15 digs and a match-high three service aces. Sophomore middle blocker Sara Albert turned in another consistent performance, hitting a match-high 0.400 while donating 11 kills and six blocks to the Hoya cause.
In her first game back since a sidelining injury, senior middle blocker Anna Kleinsorge posted 11 kills and a match-high seven blocks. Sophomore setter Margaret Vernon started in place of injured junior setter Jen Ward and recorded 45 assists, 10 digs, three blocks and two kills.
The loss dropped the Hoyas to an overall record of 13-9 (4-2 Big East) as they approach two important Big East matches this weekend. Despite the team’s periodically inconsistent play, the Hoyas have battled strongly against numerous setbacks.
Kleinsorge’s injury sidelined her for several weeks, no doubt affecting the team dynamics on the court and forcing several players outside of their normal positions. Freshman outside hitter Rachel Nelson also recently came back from an injury, while Ward sat out the American game because of an injury. Despite their demanding schedule during the past month, the Hoyas keep fighting and expect to travel with a strong and healthy team this weekend. “We’ve been treating every team as better than us so that we’re always prepared to play. Both St. John’s and UConn are good, and our team understands we need to be in the top four of our conference.” Liu said.
In the next week, the Hoyas hit the road for two Big East matches, stopping in New York to face St. John’s on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. GU then takes on the University of Connecticut on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.
