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WASHINGTON - Despite a career-high 23 kills from Liv King (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion), the Georgetown University volleyball team dropped a tough, 3-2 (25-23, 26-28, 25-21, 20-25, 15-7), decision to Seton Hall in a BIG EAST Conference match on Sunday afternoon at McDonough Arena.

King led all players in the match with her 23 kills while hitting at a career-best .304 clip. Lauren Saar (Richland, Mich./Plainwell) and Alyssa Sinnette (Pearland, Texas/Dawson) each finished with 12 kills while Ashlie Williams (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) was also in double figures with 10. Williams also added three blocks, including two of the solo variety. Paige McKnight (Atlanta, Ga./Dunwoody) had a double-double with 54 assists and 13 digs while also adding six kills and Saar completed her own double-double effort with 14 digs. Kenzie Higareda (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park) led the defense with 18 digs.

The first set was tied 10-10 before Seton Hall (7-7, 1-1 BIG EAST) used a 5-2 run to open a 15-12 advantage, forcing a Georgetown (6-9, 0-2 BIG EAST) timeout. Out of the timeout, kills from Higareda and Sinnette helped tie the score at 15. With things still knotted at 20, the Pirates scored four of the next five points to take a 24-21 lead. The Hoyas saved two set points on a pair of Seton Hall errors, but the visitors took the set in the end, 25-23.

The second set was back-and-forth nearly the entire way until, with Seton Hall leading, 17-16, the score tied, 17-17, the Hoyas used a 4-1 run to take a late 22-18 lead. Williams had two kills and Sinnette contributed an ace in the run. The Pirates fought back to tie the score at 23, but King gave GU its first set point with a kill. Seton Hall fought off four three different set points until, on the fourth try, Williams slammed down a kill to give the Hoyas a 28-26 set victory, tying the match at one-set apiece.

Four-consecutive points by the Hoyas broke a 7-7 tie in the third set to give them an 11-7 lead. Symone Speech (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest) and McKnight started the run with a dual block and Higareda added back-to-back service aces. GU maintained its lead until Seton Hall used a 4-0 run of its own to tie the score at 18. Still tied at 21, after Williams and Sinnette each slammed down a kill, the Pirates scored the final four points to take the set, 25-21.

Georgetown jumped out quickly in the fourth set, taking an 11-4 lead behind a kill and ace from both Sinnette and Saar as well as individual kills from McKnight, Williams, King and Speech. Seton Hall closed to within one, 18-17, but back-to-back kills by King fueled a 4-0 run that gave the Hoyas a commanding 22-17 lead. With the lead at 23-20, kills from Sinnette and Williams gave GU the 25-20 set win to send the match to a deciding fifth set.

The two teams traded points to start the fifth frame as a block from Williams and Sinnette as well as kills from Saar and King gave the Hoyas one-point leads. A 5-1 run by Seton Hall gave the visitors a 7-4 lead and, after a kill by King cut GU's deficit to 7-5, the Pirates ended the match on an 8-2 run, taking the fifth set, 15-7.

The Blue & Gray will head out on the road for three-consecutive BIG EAST matches. Georgetown will play at Providence at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 2 before taking on St. John's the following day at 5 p.m. A match at Creighton, on Tuesday, October 6, will conclude the road trip before the Hoyas return to McDonough Arena on Friday, October 9 for a match with Marquette.