Nov. 1, 2013
WASHINGTON - The Georgetown women's volleyball team (9-13, 3-6 BIG EAST) kicks off a four-match home-stand with a matchup against Villanova Saturday night at 7 p.m. in McDonough Arena.
The Hoyas and Wildcats met back in September to open BIG EAST play, with Villanova coming away with a 3-1 victory. Two Hoyas, Dani White (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) and Alex Johnson (Tampa, Fla./Plant), corralled double-digit kills in the loss with White leading Georgetown with 12 while also adding three blocks. Johnson slammed 10 kills and added 13 digs. MacKenzie Simpson (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) led the way in the back row, scooping 15 digs, while Caitlin Brauneis (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) lifted 34 assists.
Last weekend, the Hoyas split a pair of road matches last weekend at DePaul and Marquette. The Blue and Gray defeated DePaul in Chicago 3-1 behind three players hitting higher than .350 for the match. Sophomore Lauren Saar (Richland, Mich./Plainwell) registered her 14th double-double of the season against DePaul, reaching 20 kills for the second time this season. Georgetown then traveled to Milwaukee and dropped a 3-0 decision at Marquette, which came into the match ranked 16th in the latest national RPI.
Saar continues to lead Georgetown's attack with a 3.24 kills per set average, ranking her eighth in the BIG EAST. White and Johnson are also putting up big offensive numbers, averaging 2.74 and 2.51 kills per set, respectively. White also has a team-high 93 total blocks. Brauneis averages 9.86 assists per set and is also third on the Hoyas in digs (219) and total blocks (38). Simpson is tops on the team with 312 digs, with an average of 3.63 digs per set.
Villanova enters Saturday's matchup with an overall record of 12-10 and a 4-5 mark in the conference. The Wildcats are currently fifth in the BIG EAST standings. After a stretch that saw Villanova lose five of six matches, the Wildcats defeated DePaul in straight sets this past Sunday. Laura Carpenter leads Villanova offensively, averaging 3.78 kills per set and Emma Pettit is the Wildcats' primary setter with 10.89 assists per set, which is good for second in the BIG EAST. Defensively, Mariah Henly is also second in the conference with an average of 5.06 digs per set.
The Hoyas will play three matches at McDonough Arena next weekend, starting with Xavier at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8. Contests with Creighton on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Butler on Sunday at 4 p.m. close out Georgetown's home schedule for 2013. The Blue and Gray will celebrate its three seniors with a Senior Day ceremony on before the Creighton match.
