Oct. 22, 2006
Box Score
Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (27-30, 30-16, 31-29, 30-12) decision to BIG EAST Conference opponent Villanova today at McDonough Arena in the last of a four-game home stint. The Hoyas drop to 7-14 overall with a 1-7 mark in league action while the Wildcats level their record at 12-12, improving to 5-4 in conference play.
The first game saw the Hoyas come from behind, trailing by as much as 15-10. A 13-6 run in favor of GU, the majority behind the serve of sophomore Caitlin Boland (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy), would give Georgetown the 23-21 lead. Critical kills from senior captain Annie Connor (Los Altos, Calif./St. Francis), junior Kate Nulty (Santa Barbara, Calif./Laguna Blanca) and a key block from Boland would give the Hoyas the game point. A kill from senior Jessica George (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) would give the Hoyas game one by a score of 30-27.
Game two would see a 24-5 run for the Wildcats, giving them a 27-11 lead. Trailing, 29-12, the Hoyas put together four points from Connor kills and a key tip from junior Kate Fisher (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo) but it would not be enough as a kill from Villanova's Adrian Semrau would put away game two, 30-16, and even the match at one game apiece.
In game three, the Hoyas would pull ahead 20-16 off block assists from freshman Kiersten McKoy (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd) and George. However, a 13-7 run for Villanova would give the Wildcats the 29-27 lead, but a back-to-back kill and service ace from sophomore Jessica Buffum (San Jose, Calif./Lynbrook) would even the score at 29 as Villanova called a timeout. The timeout would prove beneficial as the Wildcats won the next two points, taking game three by a score of 31-29.
A quick 7-0 lead would give Villanova the edge and set the tone in game four. Another five point run would give the Wildcats a 19-5 lead, a deficit the Hoyas would not recover from. Although Connor and Nulty would deliver two kills apiece, it would not be enough as Villanova took the final game 30-12, and the match, 3-1.
Connor led the team with 14 kills and maintained a .458 attack percentage. Buffum recorded 10 kills and eight digs while Nulty had an impressive seven kills and 11 digs. McKoy led the team with seven blocks (one solo, six assists). The teams were even in total team blocks, with nine apiece.
"This week, we will be looking at video to see the effort level of the team," Head Coach Arlisa Hagan said. "There were times that we had such high levels but the team really needs to stay consistent with the effort. Looking ahead to our game against St. John's, we are going to concentrate on taking care of the ball on our side. We cannot control what they do - we can only control our passing, digging, blocking and attacking."
The Hoyas will hit the road for a pair of BIG EAST Conference games next weekend. On Friday, October 27, GU travels to St. John's for an 8 p.m. match. On Sunday, October 29, Connecticut will host Georgetown, the match is slated for 2 p.m.
