All good things eventually come to an end, and so it was for the seven-game winning streak that the Georgetown women’s volleyball team brought to New Jersey this past weekend.

“We were pumped up going in,” sophomore outside hitter Sara Manley said. “We felt like we were going to win both games.”

The Hoyas (10-7, 0-2 Big East) were red-hot as they began conference play against Seton Hall and Rutgers but were unable to turn that momentum into a victory in either match-up.

Seton Hall 3, Georgetown 2

On Saturday, the Hoyas fell in their conference opener to the Pirates (7-11, 1-1) in five sets (24-26, 17-25, 25-22, 28-26, 10-15) when a comeback effort fell short. There were silver linings to the defeat, as the Hoyas out-hit Seton Hall .156 to .154 and recorded a season-high 16 total blocks.

“There were definitely things we did well,” Manley said. “Our blocking was huge.”

Georgetown dropped the first two sets of the match but battled back to win the next two, including a rousing overtime triumph in the fourth. The Pirates had the last laugh, however, taking the final set 15-10 and handing the Blue and Gray their first loss in over two weeks.

The Hoyas had leads in the first set, including a 20-14 advantage courtesy of a 7-1 run on junior middle blocker [Vanessa Dorismond](https://www.thehoya.com/sports/dorismond-hits-books-stars-force-net/)’s serve, but the Pirates hung tough. They went on a run of their own, and tied the score at 23 before edging out the visitors, 26-24.

“We tend to start off strong in the first set,” Manley said. “But then we struggle when we hit that 20-point mark. It’s been a problem for us all year.”

Seton Hall maintained control in the second, using an early 5-1 run to open up a 15-10 lead. The Pirates would go on to win the set by eight points, 25-17, hitting a match-high .455 in the process.

The Hoyas were not intimidated by the two-set deficit, however, and they regained their composure and forced a fifth set after going down 0-2 for the third time this year.

Georgetown never trailed in the third, as Manley led the way with five kills. A 5-0 run gave the Hoyas a 20-12 lead at one point, and two Seton Hall attack errors at the end secured the set for Georgetown.

The fourth set was back-and-forth, highlighted by nine ties and four lead changes. The Hoyas found themselves down 20-15, but battled back, tying the Pirates at 23. The game went to overtime, and two consecutive attack errors cost Seton Hall for the second straight set.

In the final frame, it looked as if Georgetown would complete the comeback. The Hoyas led 8-6 but were undone by a 9-2 Seton Hall run as the Pirates scored the final five points of the match to win, 15-10.

“You can’t afford to go down at all in the fifth set, it just goes too quickly,” Manley said.

Rutgers 3, Georgetown 0

After a disappointing loss in South Orange, the Hoyas traveled to New Brunswick in hopes of leveling their Big East record. Unfortunately, the Scarlet Knights (7-8, 1-1) were unaccommodating, sweeping the match on Sunday in straight sets (24-26, 25-27, 19-25).

Dorismond contributed 11 kills in the losing effort, while sophomore setter Ashley Malone recorded 25 assists and four kills of her own.

The Hoyas once again looked great at the outset of the match, leading 8-1 in the first set. They maintained the lead for most of the set, but the Scarlet Knight tandem of freshman middle blocker Alex Jones and senior outside hitter Kyra Thompson shocked Georgetown late. The duo would combine for four straight points to give Rutgers the 26-24 win.

The frustration continued into the second set for the Hoyas. They jumped ahead 9-4, only to struggle through 12 ties and three lead changes. At 24-23, Georgetown had a chance to even the match but failed to capitalize. At 25-24, the Scarlet Knights stymied the Hoyas on their fourth set point of the day, and went on to claim the second set 27-25.

The Scarlet Knights owned the third set, opening with a four-point run and never looking back. Georgetown was unable to recover, falling behind 24-17 and eventually losing 25-19.

“That match is one we’d like to forget,” Manley said. “It was the kind of loss that makes you ask, `Did that really just happen?’ We have to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn’t [happen] ever again.”

The Hoyas return to McDonough Gymnasium on Tuesday evening with hopes of returning to the win column against the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams. “