Nov. 9, 2013
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
WASHINGTON - The Georgetown volleyball team (10-15, 4-8 BIG EAST) came out flying on Saturday night, taking the first set in deciding fashion. But it was not enough as a the Hoyas fell to tall Creighton team. 3-1 (18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21) in a BIG EAST match at McDonough Arena. Creighton (18-6, 9-3 BIG EAST), which had 19 blocks as a team on Saturday, came into the match tied for second in the conference and has been in and out of the national rankings this season.
Prior to the match, the Hoyas celebrated its three seniors - Annalee Abell (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay), Brooke Bachesta (Sammamish, Wash./Eastside Catholic) and Whitney Jencks (Arlington, S.D./Arlington) - in a Senior Day ceremony.
Three Hoyas had double-double efforts, led by Alex Johnson (Tampa, Fla./Plant) who finished with 12 kills and 17 digs. Lauren Saar (Richland, Mich./Plainwell) had 11 kills and 14 digs and Caitlin Brauneis (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) contributed 47 assists and 10 digs. Ashlie Williams (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) finished with 11 kills, her fourth consecutive match with at least 10 kills, and a team-high four total blocks. Dani White (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) was also in double figures with 10 kills, while also adding three blocks, all of the solo variety. MacKenzie Simpson (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) tied for the match-high with 24 digs while Emily Gisolfi (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) chipped in 10 digs.
The Hoyas came out and scored the first four points of the opening set, en route to jumping out to a 6-1 lead. Johnson had a kill and a service ace in the run and White also added a kill while Creighton committed three errors. After the Blue Jays pulled to within three, Georgetown rattled off seven straight points to extend its lead to double digits at 14-4. Williams started the run with a kill and teamed with Abell for a block. Williams added two more kills in the streak and Abell had one while Brauneis contributed an ace. A kill from Saar gave the Hoyas their biggest lead of the set at 20-9 and, following a run by Creighton, Johnson finished the set with a kill. Williams led the offense with four kills while Simpson had seven kills and Johnson added six.
White singlehandedly gave the Hoyas a 3-0 lead to start the second set, starting things off with a kill before providing back-to-back solo blocks. Creighton came back to tie the score at four and, after the two teams traded several side-outs, used a 4-1 run to take a 13-10 lead. Georgetown fought back to pull within one at 19-18, on a kill by Saar, but the Blue Jays responded right away with a 5-2 run to give the visitor set point at 24-20. Kills from Williams and Saar gave the Hoyas life, but a Creighton kill tied the match at one set apiece. Saar led all players with seven kills in the second set and Simpson again had seven digs while Johnson again had six.
It was Creighton's turn to jump out in front in the third set as the Blue Jays scored the first three points. The Hoyas, behind kills from four different players and service aces by White and Saar, came back to tie the score at eight. Creighton responded however, scoring five of the next seven points to take a 13-10 lead. Two kills from White and aces by Gisolfi and Johnson brought Georgetown to within one at 14-13, but the Blue Jays answered with a 6-1 run to open a 20-14 lead. After a timeout, Williams slammed down a kill to start an 8-1 run that eliminated the deficit and put the Hoyas ahead 22-21. Abell led the charge with two kills while Johnson added one and White had a kill and provided the go-ahead point with her third solo block. Creighton came out of a timeout, however, and scored the final four points to take the third set 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead in the match. Williams had four kills in the third set while White, Johnson and Abell all had three. Simpson led the defense again with five digs.
Georgetown came out in the fourth set, scoring the first three points on two Creighton errors and a double block from Williams and Saar. The Hoyas held a lead until the Blue Jays tied the score at eight, but a kill from White gave the Blue and Gray the lead right back. A kill from Williams and another ace by Brauneis gave the Hoyas a 13-9 lead to force a Creighton timeout. Out of the break, the Blue Jays scored five of six points to tie the score at 14-14, but again Georgetown went right back on top, this time on a kill from Johnson. Creighton answered with three straight points to take its first lead of the set at 17-15 and force a Georgetown timeout. A kill by White and two Creighton errors tied the score back up at 18, but again the Blue Jays scored three consecutive points to open a 21-18 lead. The Hoyas answered with three straight points of their own to knot things back up. Saar started the mini run with a kill and then teamed up with Williams for a block before Johnson tied the score with a kill. However, out of timeout, Creighton scored four consecutive points to win the set and clinch the match. White and Johnson each had three kills in the set while Simpson had five digs defensively.
"In the first set, we executed our game plan and ran multiple points on almost every single server, which was huge for us and put them out of system," head coach Arlisa Williams said. "Creighton stepped up their passing game after that and they were in system a whole lot more and they are a very talented blocking team, as the numbers show. We have to be consistent from beginning to end and take care of the little things."
The Hoyas wrap up their 2013 home schedule on Sunday with a 4 p.m. match versus Butler in McDonough Arena. Georgetown will finish the regular season with three straight matches on the road.
