The Georgetown University women’s volleyball team closed out its season on the road this past weekend, first battling the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers then taking on Seton Hall. They split the games and finished the 2002 season with a 17-13 overall record and a 7-6 Big East record.
Rutgers played host to the Hoyas on Saturday, Nov. 16. Though the entire match was close, Rutgers finally swept Georgetown 3-0 (30-27, 30-27, 30-26). Georgetown looked as if they might pull out a rally in the final game, but a Hoya error gave the Scarlet Knights the momentum to complete the victory.
The Hoyas played their final game of the season at Seton Hall on Sunday, Nov. 17. In a complete reversal of the day before, they stomped the Pirates 3-0 (30-19, 30-25, 30-23).
In the final game of her Georgetown career, senior outside hitter and captain Lauren Warner led the Hoyas one last time. She posted seven digs and a match-high 19 kills. Senior middle blocker Anna Kleinsorge, also playing in her last game, contributed eight kills, four block assists, three digs, and a 0.429 hitting percentage.
Sophomore middle blocker Sara Albert played an outstanding game, contributing five blocks and 14 kills, giving her a remarkable match-high 0.813 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Margaret Vernon connected with four blocks and a match-high 30 assists, and sophomore outside hitter Julie Grauert led the match with 10 digs.
The underclassmen continued to have success as freshman outside hitter Rachel Nelson recorded nine kills, seven digs, and two blocks. Freshman outside hitter Natasha Nguyen chipped in three aces, eight digs, and four assists.
Georgetown, which finished 10-2 in the Big East last season, hoped to clinch a spot in the Big East championship. However the Hoyas failed to finish in the top four of the conference. Although this is a disappointment for the Hoyas, the team still accomplished a winning record and several players finished with outstanding seasons.
As of Nov. 18, Albert leads the Big East in hitting percentage with 0.411, while Nguyen leads the conference with 88 service aces. Warner finished with 486 kills to lead the Big East and also was seventh in service aces with 39.
In addition, Kleinsorge is third in hitting percentage at 0.383, and junior setter Jen Ward is 10th in assists with 881, or 10.49 assists per game. Albert finished with 139 total blocks (1.36 per game) to finish fourth in blocks. In the latest NCAA rankings, Nguyen is fifth in aces with 0.83 per game, and Albert is ninth in hitting percentage.
While the Hoyas will play next year without Warner and Kleinsorge, two current juniors, Jen Ward and Molly Healy, have plenty of collegiate experience under their belts to compensate for the loss of their teammates. The team also shows considerable promise with its underclassmen, who stepped up their play throughout the season as the team was plagued with several untimely injuries and forced to play outside its accustomed positions. The Hoyas will regroup in the off-season and will come back strong next fall.
