Final Stats

WASHINGTON - The Georgetown volleyball team got 17 kills and 17 digs from Alex Johnson (Tampa, Fla./Plant), but fell short in a 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 25-16) loss to Xavier on Friday night in a BIG EAST matchup at McDonough Arena.

Johnson led the Hoyas in both categories while Dani White (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) and Terese Cannon (Pittsford, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy) were both in double figures with 12 kills apiece. Caitlin Brauneis (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) finished with a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs. MacKenzie Simpson (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) had 14 digs and Emily Gisolfi (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) added 11.

Georgetown (6-9, 0-2 BIG EAST) took a 4-1 lead to start the first set. Johnson started the run with a kill and teamed with White for a block. Xavier (8-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) came back to tie the score at eight, but another kill by Johnson gave GU a 9-8 advantage. The Musketeers scored four-consecutive points to take a 12-9 lead, but the Hoyas fought back, tying the score at 13 on back-to-back kills from Cannon. A 3-0 run by Xavier broke a 15-15 tie and gave the visitors an 18-15 lead. A solo block by White cut the deficit to 22-20, but the Musketeers scored three of the final four points to win the opening set, 25-21.

The second set was back-and-forth until a 7-0 run by the Blue & Gray turned a 13-12 deficit into a 19-13 advantage. White and Brauneis led the charge with two kills each and Cannon and Johnson each added one. Xavier cut the lead to 21-19, but kills by Cannon and Johnson extended the Hoya lead to 23-19. Two more kills from Johnson closed out the set, 25-22 in favor of Georgetown, evening the match at one.

GU jumped out to a 7-2 lead quickly in the third set, behind three kills from Johnson, two by White and a service ace by Gisolfi. Following a timeout, the Musketeers answered with five-straight points to tie things up at seven. With the score still knotted at 16, a 4-0 run gave Xavier a 20-16 lead. A dual block by Brauneis and White cut the gap to 20-18, but a 5-2 run by the Musketeers closed the set.

The fourth set was even at 10 before Xavier embarked on a 6-2 run to take a 16-12 lead. A kill by Elizabeth Riggins (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita) pulled the Hoyas within three, 17-14, but that is as close as they would get as Xavier won the frame 25-16 to win the match.

"Xavier is a very talented team," Georgetown Head Coach Arlisa Williams said. "We executed at times at a very high level, but then at times we were inconsistent. We are playing good volleyball and we are going to hit our stride and get off this roller coaster."

The Hoyas conclude their three-match homestand on Sunday against Butler. First serve is schedule for 2 p.m. in McDonough Arena.