Sept. 15, 2011
WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University volleyball team looks to regain season momentum this weekend in their final preseason tournament against James Madison University.
The Hoyas are 5-5 on the season, coming off a tough defeat against the George Washington Colonials in the final game of the DC Challenge. The game was postponed due to the inclement weather from Hurricane Irene.
The teams Georgetown will face off against are the Appalachian State Mountaineers, the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, and the host James Madison Dukes.
Head Coach Arlisa Williams is ready to look beyond the DC Challenge and focus on the upcoming slew of opponents that will test the Hoyas one more time before concentrating on BIG EAST conference opponents.
"The James Madison tournament is a new animal to face, and we have a well-coached Appalachian State team that we'll be taking on. East Tennessee is historically scrappy and great defensively, and James Madison who sits atop the Colonial Athletic Association, so we're taking each one as one game at a time. We'll see how the tournament unfolds in the end."
Although the Dukes have the best record of all four participating teams, Georgetown goes into the tournament with the statistical advantage. The Hoyas top Madison, App State and East Tennessee State in kills (525-428), kills per set (14.2-12.6), total attacks (1307-1219), attack percentage (.219-.214), set assists (496-395), digs (548-543) and block assists (133-131).
East Tennessee State, however, comes into the tournament with more digs (579) and service aces (62).
Georgetown will play the Mountaineers Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. The Hoyas will then participate in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, first playing host James Madison at 12:30 p.m., and then finish out the tournament against the Buccaneers at 5 p.m.
The Coca-Cola Classic will be the official end of Georgetown's preseason, and the Hoyas will open regular season play with two road games, the first being Notre Dame September 24. The Hoyas will have their first home conference game against Pittsburgh on September 30 at 7 p.m.
