The Georgetown University women’s volleyball team (7-2) recorded three straight victories against Indiana University (IU) Indianapolis (4-6), Rider University (1-8) and George Washington University (GWU, 7-3) at the D.C. Showdown in McDonough Arena Sept. 13 and 14.
Georgetown’s first match, against the IU Indianapolis Jaguars on Sept. 13, started slow. The Hoyas struggled to garner momentum and individual errors muddled their performance. Georgetown had 9 attack errors in the first set, dropping the set but rebounding decisively in the second, recording 0 errors and maintaining an impressive hitting percentage of .500 to win the set, 25-20.
Throughout the next two sets, the Jaguars put the Hoyas’ defense to the test. At the end of the third set, Georgetown was up 24-20 before the Hoyas’ individual errors allowed the Jaguars to reel off 3 straight points. In the end, freshman outside hitter Dionna Mitchell closed out the set with a kill and sealed the 25-23 set victory.
The fourth set went much like the third, with each team going on short scoring runs. Though IU Indianapolis came a point away from claiming the set, with the score at 20-24, the Hoyas dug deep and instead forced attack errors and service errors from the Jaguars. Mitchell served an ace to make the score 25-24 before freshman setter Juleigh Urbina and senior outside hitter Giselle Williams recorded kills on the last two plays to win the set 27-25 and the match 3-1.
The Hoyas displayed excellent defense, holding the Jaguars to a hitting percentage of a mere .095 in the third set and .105 in the fourth set. Senior libero Karis Park ended the game with 19 digs; Mitchell tallied 14, while junior middle blocker Vaughan Anoa’i recorded a game-high 8 blocks. Still, Georgetown and IU Indianapolis concluded the match with surprisingly similar statistics, including a total of 50 kills for both teams.
The next match of the day for Georgetown proved to be more straightforward. In the first set, Georgetown forced error after error from the Rider Broncs. On the offensive side of the ball, the Hoyas recorded 15 kills with a .303 hitting percentage. Georgetown quickly ran away with the set, winning 25-17.
Similarly, the Hoyas started the second set strong, going on an 11-5 run, and never looked back. Sophomore middle blocker Kamryn Lee-Caracci proved to be lethal at the net, with an efficient .500 hitting percentage. Lee-Caracci scored the final 3 points of the set for the Hoyas, all assisted by sophomore setter Emily Wen. In the second set, Georgetown recorded 19 total kills and won 25-19.
The third set followed the same pattern, as Georgetown started the match up 18-8. The Hoyas ultimately held the Broncs to only 14 points. Mitchell and Williams each had 13 kills in the match, and Urbina recorded a season-high 15 assists.
After the first day of matches, the Hoyas looked to continue their momentum.
“I think all of us really were intent on bringing the energy, especially after dropping the first set of the day,” Anoa’i told Georgetown Athletics. “Like I’ve said before, we want to be setting the standard and the expectation for what Georgetown volleyball looks like.”
The following day, Georgetown faced GWU in an anticipated crosstown matchup. The Hoyas lost the first set 21-25 but bounced back quickly, with the second set becoming a close battle.
In the last 6 points of the second set, Williams and Lee-Caracci stepped up and recorded 2 and 3 kills, respectively, allowing the Hoyas to steal a 26-24 victory from the Revolutionaries.
The third set proved to be an excellent showing from the Hoyas. Georgetown dominated the entire set, boasting a hitting percentage of .458 and forcing a -.114 hitting percentage from GWU. The Hoyas ended the set with an outstanding 25-8 victory.
Georgetown carried this energy into the next set, trading blows with GWU until they finally pulled away after blocks from Anoa’i and Lee-Caracci to win the set 27-25 and the match 3-1. The Hoyas dominated the stats chart throughout, with 69 kills to GWU’s 53 and 8 blocks to GWU’s 3.
To cap off the successful weekend, Mitchell was named the All-Tournament MVP after posting a season-high 22 kills against GW, while Park was named to the All-Tournament Team, leading the team with 17 digs in the final match.
“A great win against a great opponent in the District. It’s always good to get the local ones, but still some things we can look at to continue to improve upon moving forward,” Head Coach AJ Bonetti told Georgetown Athletics. “Excited for the team with the weekend we had.”
The Hoyas will look to maintain their momentum at the Greensboro Invitational from Sept. 20 to Sept. 21 where they will face Marshall University (6-4), University of North Carolina Greensboro (4-5) and Tennessee Tech (9-0).