The Georgetown University volleyball team (9-15, 3-8 Big East) will travel to face the Big East-leading Creighton University Bluejays (17-7, 10-1 Big East) on Saturday. The game will undoubtedly represent a stern test for the Hoyas. Creighton will enter the game riding a five-game winning streak and leads the conference in kills and assists per set, thanks to its strong, attacking style of play.

However, the Hoyas are coming off of a very positive weekend that included a thrilling 3-2 win over DePaul last Friday night and a close loss to Marquette (17-6, 8-3 Big East), another Big East contender, on Sunday afternoon. Freshman outside hitter Terese Cannon, who leads the Hoyas and ranks ninth in the Big East with 3.13 kills per set, expressed confidence in her team’s ability to compete with even the best teams in the conference.

“We know what we’re capable of doing, and we know that we can play with anyone in the conference right now,” Cannon said.

The Hoyas will have to move forward through some adversity, as senior libero MacKenzie Simpson’s status is currently unclear after she suffered an arm injury in the loss to Marquette. Simpson was named to this week’s Big East Honor Roll in recognition of her outstanding performances over the weekend. She recorded a career-high 36 digs in the win over DePaul, easily eclipsing her previous high of 26, and added four more digs against Marquette before exiting due to her injury. For the season, Simpson ranks fourth in the Big East with 4.46 digs per set, and if she is unable to play, it would undoubtedly represent a serious loss for the Hoyas.

Head Coach Arlisa Williams declined to comment on the specifics of Simpson’s injury, but acknowledged that the team would have to make significant adjustments if one of their co-captains is sidelined.

“She’s definitely a key player, but if Mackenzie’s not available to play, we have several other players on our team who can play that defensive position, and we’ll just keep working them into the rotation,” Williams said.

Junior defensive specialist Emily Gisolfi donned the special libero jersey for the third set of the Marquette match after Simpson exited, but it remains to be seen exactly how Williams will adjust her rotation moving forward. Still, the team will continue to work hard and look to improve regardless.

“I think everyone’s going to have to step up a little bit, and just work a little harder to control the things they can control, in order to try to make up for her if she’s not there this weekend,” Cannon said.

Junior outside hitter Lauren Saar, Georgetown’s other co-captain, echoed those sentiments after the Marquette match.

“We’re going to come together as a team. We can’t replace anyone, but everyone else can step up their job just a little bit, and do a little bit more. That’s the mentality that we’re going to have,” Saar said.

Creighton is led by 6’4” senior middle blocker Kelli Browning, who leads the Big East with a 38.8% attack percentage and ranks second in the conference with 1.41 blocks per set. Williams was extremely complimentary of Browning’s ability, and acknowledged that she will be a primary focus of the Georgetown game plan.

“They have a middle blocker who’s extremely effective, Kelli Browning, she’s one of the best blockers in the country and hits at a high hitting efficiency, so we’re really focused on how we can slow her down,” Williams said.

The Bluejays have won 11 of their previous 12 games, and will be looking to defend their home court in D.J. Sokol Arena, where they have yet to lose in conference play this season. They will undoubtedly represent a difficult opponent for the Hoyas, but the team will enter the game looking to embrace the challenge and continue to improve upon their early-season results.

“We’re really excited to go and see what we can do against Creighton,” Cannon said.

Saturday’s match in Omaha, Neb., will start at 6 p.m.