Final Stats

WASHINGTON - Georgetown University's volleyball team defeated The Citadel, 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-19) in the opening match of the 2017 Service Academy Challenge, played at The Pentagon on Friday afternoon. The Hoyas improved to 3-1 on the season with the straight-set victory while the Bulldogs slip to 1-3 on the year.

"We played a hardworking Citadel team," Head Coach Arlisa Williams said after the match. "We showed grit when it mattered to finish off a team that had a lot of fight."

In what has become a familiar situation for the Blue & Gray this season, junior middle blocker Symone Speech (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest) led the team in kills, while classmates Paige McKnight (Atlanta, Ga./Dunwoody) and Kenzie Higareda (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park) led the team in assists and digs, respectively.

In a tight first set, Georgetown relied on the high energy that junior Olivia King (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) brought off the bench. King's dynamic presence helped push the Hoyas to the 25-23 win in the first set.

With the momentum in favor of the Hoyas, the second set saw GU take an early lead behind the serve of freshman Margo Pivonka (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit). Georgetown would not relinquish the lead as it took the second set, 25-21.

Georgetown clinched the match behind the momentum-shifting play of sophomore Margo Snipe (Washington, D.C./Ridgewood). The third set saw some key blocks from Snipe to move the Hoyas past The Citadel, 25-19 in the final set.

Georgetown returns to action on Saturday as it closes out the Service Academy Challenge against Columbia and Army West Point at Fort Myer. First serve against the Lions is set for 10:30 a.m. while the finale against the Black Knights will start at 3:30 p.m.