The Georgetown University women’s volleyball team split their games last weekend, losing to Big East leader Notre Dame but rebounding for a victory against the Syracuse Orangewomen.

The Hoyas opened the weekend on Saturday, challenging the Fighting Irish in McDonough Gymnasium. Notre Dame’s height advantage and solid all-around play helped them shut down much of Georgetown’s offense as the Hoyas were held to a 0.078 hitting percentage. The Irish swept Georgetown 3-0 (30-26, 31-29, 30-21).

“We played a very good team, and we didn’t come out that strong. We had problems passing and receiving and this hurt our offense,” Georgetown Head Coach Li Liu said.

Senior outside hitter and captain Lauren Warner contributed 11 kills, four digs and three block assists, while sophomore middle blocker Sara Albert again led Georgetown’s defense providing four kills and a match-high six blocks.

Junior setter Jen Ward tallied 27 assists, four digs and two blocks, and sophomore outside hitter Julie Grauert posted a match-high of 10 digs.

Despite the disappointment of Saturday’s loss, the Hoyas regrouped the next day, playing host to Syracuse. After a slow start and rocky first game, the Hoyas cruised to a 3-1 conference win (29-31, 30-18, 30-12, 30-28).

Warren delivered another outstanding game, providing the Hoyas with her 13th double-double of the 2002 season, leading them with a match-high 22 kills and 15 digs. Albert posed a double-double as well, tallying 14 kills and 10 blocks and hitting a stunning match-high 0.824. Ward recorded a match-high of 43 assists with 11 digs and two kills.

The underclassmen had another solid showing while senior middle blocker Anna Kleinsorge remains sidelined. Freshman outside hitter Rachel Nelson added her fourth double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs. Freshman outside hitter Ashley Lancaster posted five kills, five blocks and three assists, while Grauert contributed 13 digs and two assists in the libero position. Freshman outside hitter Natasha Nguyen complemented the Hoyas with nine kills, four digs, three service aces, and a 0.471 hitting percentage.

While Georgetown continues to improve with each game, the team’s biggest weakness seems to be consistency. “We can’t wait until game time [to improve] . everyday in practice is time to make our team better,” Liu said. “The more consistent we are in practice, the more consistent we will be in games.”

The Hoyas have the weekend off, which could benefit the team. “We are a little tired right now . the weekend off is good for the girls to catch up and get some rest. We’ll be ready to go after the weekend,” Liu said.

The Hoyas face American University at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at American. The following weekend the Hoyas continue their road trip, facing two Big East opponents, St. John’s on Oct. 25 in New York and Connecticut on Oct. 26.