Sep 7, 2013
Box Score
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Though they took a 2-0 lead after two sets, the Hoyas dropped the final three sets as the Campbell Camels defeated Georgetown's women's volleyball team, 3-2 on Saturday. The Camels defeated the Hoyas by scores of 25-19, 28-26 and 15-10 after GU took the first two sets by a score of 25-21 in each.
"We came out super strong," Head Coach Arlisa Williams said. "We passed well and executed the gameplan flawlessly. I was impressed with our first and second sets today, but Campbell came out strong late and they kept fighting back and fighting back."
Lauren Saar and Dani White put together an impressive showing, each pulling off a double-double. Saar had 15 kills to go along with her season-high 29 digs, while White, who hit a match-high .414, added 14 kills and 10 digs to the Hoyas' cause. In all, six Hoyas tallied double-digit digs defensively, lead by Saar's 29 and MacKenzie Simpson's 26.
Caitlin Brauneis led all players with 50 assists on the day, the best performance of her young career. Defensively, the Hoyas recorded 20 blocks.
Both squads alternated between the opening frame's first 18 points until the Hoyas snatched two points in a row after Johnson landed a kill and Simpson served up an ace to put the Blue & Gray up 11-9. GU staved off any Campbell run to finish off the first, even though the Camels racked up five in a row to pull within three, 22-19. Dani White, however, finished the job with two kills to give the Hoyas a 25-21 win.
Johnson was key again for GU in the second set as the junior accounted for four of the Hoyas' first six scores to open the frame, including a pair of aces on the serving line. But again Campbell kept things close until Whitney Jencks led the Hoyas on a four-point stretch to make it 17-11. From there, Georgetown never looked back and Johnson ended the set with a powerful kill to give the Hoyas another 25-21 set victory.
The third set was a different story, however, as it was the Camels who came out on fire to start. The host school grabbed a quick 8-3 lead. The Hoyas got within two scores two more times, but the Camels prevented any GU run and eventually took the third frame, 25-19.
Both teams traded blows in the crucial fourth set, but it wasn't without miscues. Ten of 18 points in the thick of the frame came by way of errors, coming from either squad. White and Brauneis combined for a block of Jessica Groen to give the Hoyas a 15-14 lead, but the Camel kept on fighting as well. Each side traded leads five more times in the lengthy set, and finally after 44 total points, CU evened the match with a gritty 28-26 win to force a fifth and final set.
Campbell started off the race to 15 points with the most momentum, grabbing hold of a 7-2 lead after an important five-point run, which included three service aces from the Camels. Saar did well to land a kill and then Ashlie Williams and Annalee Abell combined for two consecutive blocks to pull the Hoyas within two at 8-6, giving the Blue & Gray a much-needed spark. But the Camels refused to relent and eventually claimedthe final two points of the set, 15-10, and with it the thrilling five-set match.
"We had match point twice, but we just couldn't capitalize," Williams stated. "We worked hard and had some fight in us today though. It's good experience, because if we're ever in a position like this again, we can look back to this match."
The loss drops the Hoyas to 3-4 on the season. Georgetown returns to the Hilltop for a crosstown showdown with George Washington as the Colonials look to pay a visit to McDonough Arena for the Hoyas' home opener at 7 p.m.
