GU Keeps Hope Alive

This past weekend was critical for the Georgetown volleyball team in keeping hope for a Big East tournament berth alive. Coming off of a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the George Mason Patriots, the Hoyas knew they had to concentrate on getting a victory.

“We have to stay focused and win the next four games, especially because they are all against teams in the Big East,” Head Coach Li Liu said.

After a 3-1 victory (15-12, 13-15, 15-5, 15-6) over Providence and a 3-0 shutout (15-8, 15-5, 15-13) against Boston College, Georgetown moved Liu two steps closer to her goal. The Hoyas are now 14-8 overall, 4-2 in the Big East.

In Saturday’s game, the Hoyas split the first two games, but the Friars stayed close on their heels. But Georgetown exploded in its next two games, pounding Providence by 10 and nine point margins, respectively. The victory pushed the Friars down to the bottom of the Big East at 1-4.

Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Warner, middle blocker Anna Kleinsorge and senior middle blocker Meg Troller were all on their game, the latter two sporting hitting percentages over .500. Overall, Hoya hitting was solid, with a .302 average for the match including 58 kills. With eight errors, the highest in any of the games, the Hoyas improved and took a step towards another one of Liu’s goals for the team- to make no errors.

The Hoyas did a solid job blocking, with 11 blocks compared to the Friars’ mere three. The Hoyas accomplished all this in the fifth match they have played without senior captain Kiran Gill. Liu says the team feels her absence and hopes she can play as soon as possible, but Gill’s injury has given younger members of the squad a chance to start and show their abilities.

On Sunday, the Hoyas traveled to Massachusetts to complete their weekend rout at Boston College. The Eagles were defeated quickly in a three game shutout, with the Hoyas holding them to a mere .071 hitting percentage.

Kleinsorge and Warner again dominated the game, with Kliensorge tallying a career-high 21 kills, a .655 hitting percentage and a match-high four blocks. Warner turned in a comparable 14 kills and an ace during the match. This seemed to be the kind of consistency and teamwork the Hoyas and Liu were looking for after their last loss against George Mason. However, Liu believes they will need to carry this momentum into their next two Big East matches against Pittsburgh and West Virginia this weekend.

Georgetown will play in McDonough Gymnasium on Saturday at 5 p.m. against Pittsburgh and then West Virginia on Sunday at the same time