9/30/2003
Washington, DC ? The Georgetown women?s volleyball team earned a much-needed victory on Tuesday, September 30, in McDonough Gym. The Hoyas defeated the Fightin? Blue Hens of the University of Delaware by a score of 3-1 (30-25, 22-30, 30-22, 31-29) in a hard-fought match. The win improved GU?s record to 5-11 (0-2 BIG EAST) on season, while Delaware moves to 5-8.
It was a true group effort on the Hoyas? part in earning the victory. Sophomore outside hitters Ashley Lancaster (Huntsville, Ala./Huntsville) and Rachel Nelson (Sacramento, Calif./St. Francis) both turned in double-doubles on the evening. Lancaster tallied a team-high 19 kills as well as 10 digs, while Nelson stepped up with tied a match-high in digs with 14 in addition to 18 kills. Junior middle blocker Sara Albert (Davis, Calif./Davis) was a huge presence on defense for GU, posting a match-high seven blocks, including three solos. Albert also notched 12 kills on a match-high hitting percentage of .391 (12 kills with just three errors in 23 attempts.
Senior setter Jen Ward (Huntington Beach, Calif./Mater Dei) was credited with a team-high 47 assists. Ward also chipped in 10 digs, four blocks and a kill. Junior libero Julie Grauert (Lake Oswego, Ore./Jesuit) contributed nine kills to the winning effort, while freshmen middle blockers Basak Karamehmet (Maslak Istanbul, Turkey/Rahmi Koc) and Annie Connor (Los Altos, Calif./St. Francis) ended the night with three and two kills, respectively. Karamehmet added five digs and Connor two. Senior defensive specialist Molly Healy (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) came off the bench to supply five digs.
Junior middle hitter Valerie Murphy led Delaware with a match-high 23 kills. She also registered five blocks and four digs and hit .383 for the match. The Blue Hens just edged the Hoyas in hitting percentage, .209 to .204, for the match. The Hoyas held a 7-3 advantage in service aces.
The first game was a back-and-forth affair. With the score tied at 24-24, the Hoyas tallied four-straight points. GU was able to put the game away on an Albert kill and a Delaware hitting error. The Blue Hens came out fighting in game two, taking a 5-0 lead before the Hoyas could get on the scoreboard. The Hoyas fought back to tie the score at 13-13. Unfortunately, poor hitting (-.121 for the game), caught up with GU and Delaware came away with a 30-22 win. Georgetown regained its composure in the third game, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on terrific blocking by Albert and an ace by Connor. The Hoyas were in command of the entire game, at one point reeling off six-straight points to make the score 19-7. Georgetown would go on to win 30-22. Game four started in much the same way as game three, with the Hoyas taking a 4-0 lead. Delaware fought back and the lead switched back and forth. With the game tied at 29-29, Lancaster stepped up with two big kills to put the match away in favor of the Hoyas.
Georgetown will host two BIG EAST matches over the upcoming weekend. The West Virginia Mountaineers pay a visit to McDonough on Saturday, October 4, for a 2:00 p.m. match. Then, on Sunday, October 5, Georgetown meets the Panthers of Pittsburgh, also at 2:00 p.m.
