One thing was clear after the Georgetown Volleyball Classic last weekend: the tournament belonged to Georgetown. The Hoyas swept their opponents, the University of Pennsylvania, Long Island and Valparaiso universities, en route to taking the title.
The successes were a perfect complement to the Fairfield Inn Jefferson Cup the weekend before. They also helped assuage the pain of Georgetown’s close loss to the University of Maryland in their home opener earlier this week and boost the team’s record to a respectable 7-3.
The Hoyas made short work of Long Island in their first match of the tournament on Friday night, clearing their adversaries off the court after three games (30-16, 30-22, 30-28). The Hoyas hit fairly consistently with a .271 hitting percentage.
Tournament MVP senior outside hitter Lauren Warner racked up 12 kills, and freshman outside hitter Ashley Lancaster gained 10 kills as she made her debut on the starting lineup. Freshman outside hitter Natasha Nguyen hit a career-high nine aces, including an amazing six consecutive aces to close out the second game.
Despite winning fairly handily, the team still scared the crowd when they almost lost a close third game. The Hoyas led late in the third game before their defense showed signs of faltering. They nearly let LIU back into the game but regained their concentration to eke out the win.
“When you’re playing a team that is frankly not that good, you get into the mindset that you’re going to win anyway,” Nguyen said. “You lose your focus out there, and that allows the other team to get back into the match.”
The team opened up the second day of play with a five-set struggle against Valparaiso. The Hoyas rebounded from a 2-1 deficit to take the last two games easily and win the match 26-30, 30-19, 23-30, 30-18 and 15-9. Errors certainly hurt the team; they hit 14 service errors to just 10 aces and 23 regular errors.
Sophomore middle blocker and All-Tournament Team member Sara Albert led the team in hitting percentage with a .417. She also amassed 11 kills, three solo blocks and four assisted blocks throughout the match. Warner muscled in 25 kills, a career high, while junior setter Jennifer Ward collected 57 sets.
Later that day Georgetown wrapped up its tournament against the University of Pennsylvania Quakers, who started their season at the Georgetown tournament. While the Quakers kept the score close in each game, the Hoyas controlled the match and dispatched their competitors after three games (30-28, 30-24, 30-26).
Freshman outside hitter Rachel Nelson displayed a burst of the talent that landed her a spot on the All-Tournament Team. By the end of the match, Nelson had piled up 12 kills in 26 attempts and finished with a .426 hitting percentage, high above the team average of .231. Senior middle blocker Anna Kleinsorge also hit well, concluding with a .588 hitting percentage. Nguyen unleashed eight aces, but also hit five service errors as well, and the team hit 14 aces to a near-equal 13 errors.
While Georgetown took the title, Valparaiso ended with a 2-1 record, UPenn finished at 1-2, and Long Island left without a single victory and a 0-3 record for the tournament.
While the sweep may appear impressive, Head Coach Li Liu was slightly disappointed. “Our competition was not that difficult. We cannot play like a weak team against other weak teams and a strong team against other strong teams. We have to start playing like a strong team all the time,” she said.
Liu said she believes that the team needs to work hard over the next week in order to prepare themselves for next weekend’s challenge. The Hoyas travel south to North Carolina to take on powerhouses Duke University and the University of North Carolina at their invitational.
While the Hoyas may have struggled a bit in the last week, hopes remain high, according to Liu. “I’m always optimistic about the team. The players have all worked hard, and they’ll continue to practice. They’re a strong team and they’ll show it.”