Sept. 2, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Georgetown University women's volleyball team suffered its third loss of the season at the hands of the University of Virginia on Friday night at the Jefferson Cup Tournament at Memorial Gym. The Hoyas fell 3-0 (30-20, 30-24, 32-30). Virginia posted a .344 hitting percentage to improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Hoyas fall to 1-3 overall.
Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Buffum (San Jose, Calif./Lynbrook) and freshman Jessica Hardy (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa) led the Hoyas with 11 kills apiece. Hardy also added a match-high 12 digs to record her first double-double performance of her collegiate career. Buffum registered five digs and a solid .435 hitting percentage (11 kills, 3 errors, 21 attempts).
Virginia jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the first game. The Cavaliers continued their hot hitting (.389) to win the first stanza by a score of 30-20. Virginia took game two, 30-24, by recording a .314 hitting percentage to Georgetown's .111, however, the third game was a much closer affair. The Hoyas battled to a 30-30 tie, but a ball-handing effort gave Virginia a 31-30 advantage, followed by a UVa block assist to seal a 32-30 victory to seal the match.
Sophomore Caitlin Boland (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) and junior Kate Fisher (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo) split setting duties with Boland tallying 17 assists, eight digs and Fisher 16 assists and seven digs. Sophomore middle blocker Katherine Niesen (Gainesville, Fla./Eastside) stepped up with nine kills and four blocks, while senior Annie Connor (Los Altos, Calif./St. Francis) notched six kills and three blocks. Junior Katie Nulty (Santa Barbara, Calif./Laguna Blanca) chipped in eight digs on the evening.
As a team, Virginia hit .344 in the match with 55 kills and just 13 attack errors. The Hoyas posted a .211 hitting percentage with 44 kills and 21 errors. UVa held a 12-7 advantage in team blocks and a 6-4 edge in service aces. Georgetown out-dug Virginia 44-39.
UVa's freshman outside hitter Lauren Dickson led all players with 12 kills in the match, while senior Emily Kirkwood handed out 48 assists.
In other Jefferson Cup action, East Carolina (2-2) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to post a 3-2 (24-30, 27-30, 30-23, 30-24, 17-15 win over Wright State (1-4).
The Jefferson Cup concludes Saturday (Sept. 2) with four matches at Memorial Gym. East Carolina and Georgetown meet at 11:00 a.m., followed by Virginia and Wright State at 1:00 p.m. Georgetown and Wright State square off at 5:00 p.m. and Virginia and East Carolina close out the tournament with a 7:00 p.m. match.
