The Hoyas captured another victory last weekend, opening Big East play with a 3-2 win over the Providence Friars before losing their eight-game winning streak in a 3-1 loss at Creighton.
After a 3-0 sweep against hometown rival Howard University (5-11, 2-0 Mid-Eastern) on Sept. 22, the Georgetown women’s volleyball team (11-5, 1-1 Big East) hit the road last Friday, traveling to Providence, R.I, to face the Friars, (5-10, 0-2 Big East) kicking off their conference schedule for the season. They defeated the Friars in a five-set thriller, falling 24-26 and 20-25 in the first two sets, but came back to win the final three sets 25-17, 25-20 and 15-8.
This game marked the second consecutive Big East season opener win for Head Coach Toby Rens and advanced the team’s win streak to eight consecutive wins. The last time Georgetown won their Big East opener two years in a row was 2000 to 2001, and this time marked their first eight-game win streak in 20 years.
The team was led by senior Iva Vujosevic, who garnered 14 kills as an outside hitter, earning herself a spot on this week’s Big East honor roll. Vujosevic, who transferred along with Coach Rens from Maryland Eastern Shore last season, has maintained a steady presence on the team as a top hitter with 187 kills this season alone.
Sophomore Elissa Barbosa closely followed Vujosevic with 13 kills, as well as an impressive 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Barbosa has contributed 126 kills and 128 digs so far.
On Sunday, Sept. 29, the Hoyas traveled to Omaha, Neb., to face the No. 14 Creighton Blue Jays (9-3, 2-0 Big East). They dropped their first Big East game of the season in a 1-3 set defeat, evening their conference record to 1-1. This match was also the first road loss for the Hoyas this season.
Vujosevic led the team once again with a match-high 15 kills, and sophomore defensive specialist Jessica Cusi thrived for the Hoyas on defense with an impressive 14 digs. Junior Margo Pivonka also led the team on defense and offense with 27 assists and 12 digs, her first double-double of the season.
Creighton defeated Georgetown more easily in the first two sets, winning 25-14 and 25-18, but they fought back intensely to prevail in the third set 25-20. Unfortunately, it was not enough to finish out a victory, as Creighton won the fourth set 25-18. As their first game of the season against a ranked opponent, the Hoyas struggled but still managed to post impressive numbers on an individual level despite their loss.
Overall, the team has shown impressive strides this season and has only continued to improve following a 0-3 performance at the Bulldog Invite in early September. The team’s recent success should raise optimism of capturing more victories as the team gets further into Big East competition.
The Hoyas will be returning to McDonough Gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5, to face Big East opponents Butler University and Xavier University.
