Georgetown had another tough weekend in the Big East, dropping two 3-0 decisions at St. John’s and Connecticut.
After a shaky start in game one on Friday in Queens, N.Y., the Hoyas (7-16, 1-9 Big East) stayed with the first place Red Storm (25-1, 10-0 Big East) despite being heavy underdogs.
Georgetown dug itself a 22-10 hole in game one, and went on to lose 30-19. The Hoyas were plagued by eight errors, while they recorded only eight kills in the game.
“I think we did some things well, but St. John’s just overpowered the Hoyas in the match,” Georgetown Head Coach Arlisa Hagan said.
The next two games saw an improved effort from Georgetown, but they still lost both games 30-25.
The Red Storm controlled game two, but the Hoyas stuck around and trailed by only four after three straight kills. St. John’s pulled away to a win in the game and took a commanding 2-0 lead at halftime.
Georgetown fought point for point with St. John’s in game three, but with the score knotted at 18, the Hoyas could not withstand a Red Storm run that produced a 24-20 lead that quickly stretched to a 30-25 game win.
Senior middle blocker Annie Connor tallied 11 kills for Georgetown, and senior right-side hitter Jessica George added nine kills and hit a team-high .571.
St. John’s, who extended their winning streak to 15, was led by senior middle hitter Caitlin Rimgaila who notched 15 kills and a .345 hitting percentage.
Sunday against the Connecticut Huskies (16-9, 5-5 Big East), the Hoyas trailed 4-0 and 16-11 in game one before rallying to an 18-17 edge on the strength of two George kills. Connecticut then went on a four-point run to regain the lead and a five-point run to seal a 30-23 victory.
Georgetown controlled a slim 4-3 lead in game two, but Connecticut recorded 10 of the next 11 points to gain control of the game. The Huskies cruised to a 30-12 win and the Hoyas once again found themselves in a 2-0 hole going into the break.
Game three was much of the same, with Connecticut holding the lead throughout on its way to an easy 30-20 victory to seal the match.
George again led Georgetown with eight kills, and freshman middle blocker Kiersten McKoy hit a game-high .500. The Hoyas’ .073 hitting percentage was the lowest the team has posted in a Big East match this year.
Senior middle hitter Megan Silver and junior outside hitter Sade Chambers each recorded 11 kills for the Huskies.
“Jessica George played extremely well this weekend, and our freshman got experience. All five of them got to play over the weekend,” Hagan said.
The two weekend losses put Georgetown 14th in the 15-team Big East, and it is now eliminated from the conference tournament.
Of their remaining four games, three come against teams in the top six of the Big East – No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 4 Cincinnati, and No. 2 Louisville – and the other is against the last place DePaul Blue Demons.
With any post-season play out of the question, the Hoyas will focus on their work ethic and building for next year.
“I want Georgetown to be known as the work-hard program, giving 100 percent effort on every point,” Hagan said.
The Hoyas will only lose three players to graduation this year, Connor, George, and senior outside hitter Rachel Barton. Hagan said she would look to get more playing time and conference experience for her five freshman and three sophomores.
Georgetown is back in action this Friday when it takes on Notre Dame (13-10, 7-3 Big East) at 8 p.m. in McDonough Gymnasium. Both teams will look to snap three-match Big East losing streaks.