A road trip to a pair of Big East front-runners on the schedule gave the surprising Hoyas a chance to solidify their standing heading into the homestretch. They came up short, however, dropping a pair of 3-0 losses to league powers Louisville and Cincinnati to leave Georgetown in a tie for eighth place and fighting to make the Big East tournament.

The Hoyas (11-11, 5-5 Big East) were in Kentucky on Halloween night, trying to put some fear into Louisville (11-10, 7-3). The Hoyas, according to Head Coach Arlisa Williams, were “oversized and overplayed.”

The first set was evenly matched until 12-11. Then the Cardinals went on an 8-0 run to go up 20-11. The Hoyas found their touch and bounced back, cutting the lead to three, but the Cardinals remained focused and pulled out the set, 25-18.

Georgetown tried to adjust by switching matchups in an attempt to defend the Cardinals’ 6-foot-6 powerhouse outside hitter Jana Matiasovska. Williams thought the changes “may have worked; the hardest part is just defensively too many balls hit the ground.”

The second set mirrored the first. The Hoyas were leading 10-9, when the Cardinals mounted a 6-0 run to go ahead 15-10. This time Georgetown could not get back into the set, and Louisville won, 25-18.

In the third set, the Cardinal run came at the worst time – the end. Georgetown kept the score tight throughout the set and was within two at 17-19. But then the Louisville offense came alive with six consecutive points to cement the win.

Junior outside hitter Jessica Hardy was a strong presence on offense and defense, leading Georgetown with 12 kills and nine digs. Freshman setter Ashley Malone ended the match with 26 assists and five digs.

“They had the highest-jumping middle we have faced,” Williams said. “[I] was hoping we’d respond with our defense to their size, but that didn’t happen.”

On Sunday, Georgetown faced off against Cincinnati (22-5, 9-2). The Bearcats had not lost a home game this season and were not going to let their streak be broken easily. “We were more evenly matched with Cincinnati, but they outworked us. . It was all about effort,” Williams said.

The Hoyas started strong, taking an early 7-3 lead, forcing the Bearcats to call an early timeout. “We came out with a lot of energy,” Williams said.

Cincinnati took the first two points following the timeout and four of the next six to tie the score at 9-9. Hardy cut the Bearcat momentum short, getting a kill and serving four straight points for the Hoyas, to put them on top 13-9. Cincinnati fought back and took the lead at 17-16. The Hoyas stayed within two for several plays, but the Bearcats went on a five-point run to give themselves a game point at 24-18 and ultimately the set, 25-19.

Going into the second set, the Hoyas made an effective adjustment, leaving senior setter Caitlin Boland in for the entire set.

“[Caitlin] gives all-out effort all the time,” Williams said of the lineup change.

The set was a close one, with no team ever leading by more than two points. The Hoyas went ahead at 22-21, but Cincinnati won the next four points to take a 24-22 lead. Hardy fought off one of the game points with a kill, but the Bearcats converted on the second to capture a 25-23 second-set win.

In the third set, the teams were again even early on. But, after going ahead at 8-7, the Bearcats never lost the lead. A 9-3 run put them on top by seven. The Hoyas rallied and pulled themselves within four at 21-17, but they did not have much left after that as the Bearcats clinched the match with a 25-18 win.

Boland guided the Hoya offense with 26 assists. Senior middle blocker Kit Neisen was consistent and dynamic, ending the match with eleven kills and posting a .588 hitting percentage. Niesen committed only one error.

“We had a great showing from all our middles – Neisen and [sophomore Vanessa] Dorismond and [junior Kiersten] McKoy as well,” Williams said.

Freshman libero Tory Rezin led defensively with 12 digs. But errors hurt the Hoyas. The team total was 19, compared with 10 for the Bearcats. Furthermore, the Bearcats were not playing conservatively – they ended the match with six more kills. Defensively, the Bearcats registered more blocks and more digs than the Hoyas.

“Blocking is our Kryptonite,” Williams said. On a positive note, she said, “the team served great. . We got both opponents out of system; we just couldn’t convert on the out-of-system plays.”

The Hoyas will be back on the road next weekend to face off against Big East foes Connecticut (18-7, 7-3) on Saturday and St. John’s (18-7, 9-1) on Sunday.

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