Oct. 7, 2006
Box Score
Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown volleyball team fell, 0-3 (29-31, 22-30, 23-30), at BIG EAST Conference opponent Pittsburgh today. The Hoyas drop to 5-11, 0-4 in BIG EAST action while the Panthers improve to 14-6, 3-2 BE.
The first game saw a highly competitive Hoya squad as freshman Kiersten McKoy (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd) led the team with a .250 attack percentage with three kills and three total blocks (two solo, one assist). Sophomore Jessica Buffum (San Jose, Calif./Lynbrook) recorded five kills in the first game with one service ace.
Trailing 10-7, the Hoyas started a four-point run to tie the score at 10 with a kill by junior Katie Nulty (Santa Barbara, Calif./Laguna Blanca). The Blue and Gray pulled ahead 14-13 from a back-to-back kill and block from McKoy and a kill from Buffum. Georgetown took a significant lead when they went on a seven-point run to lead 22-16. It started with block assists from senior Jessica George (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) and McKoy. McKoy also notched two kills and an additional block in the run. Leading by two (24-23) the Hoyas won five of the next seven points for the 29-26 lead off three kills from Buffum and two from senior Annie Connor (Los Altos, Calif./St. Francis). The Panthers would win the next five points for the 31-29 victory.
In the second game, sophomore Katherine Niesen (Gainesville, Fla./Eastside) recorded four kills, one dig and one block assist while leading the team with a .800 attack percentage. The Hoyas won three of four points to pull ahead 7-5 off a kill from McKoy, a kill from Niesen and block assists from Connor and Niesen. Trailing by one, the Georgetown tied the game at 16 from another Niesen kill. However, two four-point runs for Pittsburgh would prove to be too much for the Hoyas and game two went to the Panthers, 30-22.
Trailing by four (18-14), the Hoyas cut the deficit to two off kills from freshman Courtney Cohen (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley) and Buffum. Pittsburgh would win eight of the next 11 points to pull ahead, 28-19. The Hoyas would pull within six (29-23) but a kill from Pitt's Kim Kern, her eighth of the day, would win game three and the match for the Panthers.
Sophomore Caitlin Boland (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) ended the day with three kills, 31 assists, 10 digs and three blocks (one solo, two assists) while maintaining a .200 attack percentage. Cohen led the team with a .667 attack percentage and McKoy led the squad with five blocks (three solo, two assists). Niesen had two block assists while Hardy recorded nine digs.
"We played extremely well in game," Georgetown University Head Coach Arlisa Hagan said. "We did things well throughout the entire match. I feel Caitlin set a great match for us but we just couldn't string together enough points to close out the games. Niesen came in for games two and three and did a nice job and Hardy had a good day with nine digs. WE passed well, and we locked well but Pittsburgh came out a little slow in the beginning and once they picked it up, they outplayed us."
The Hoyas return to action tomorrow, October 8 when they play at West Virginia. The match is slated for 2 p.m.
