WASHINGTON – Georgetown University's volleyball team begins the second half of its BIG EAST schedule this weekend with a pair of road matches at Seton Hall and St. John's. The Hoyas finished the first half of the conference slate in third place with a 6-3 league record.
Friday's tilt against Seton Hall is set for a 7 p.m. first serve in South Orange, New Jersey while Saturday's showdown against St. John's is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. in Queens, New York. Links to live stats and video for both matches will be available at www. GUHoyas.com. Saturday's battle with the Red Storm will also be broadcast on ESPN3.
Georgetown is coming off a 1-1 weekend, wrapping up the opening half of league action at home against No. 10 Creighton and Providence. The Hoyas dropped a 3-0 decision to the Bluejays before rebounding for a 3-1 victory over the Friars.
Alyssa Sinnette (Pearland, Texas / Dawson) led the Hoyas over the weekend with 3.00 kills per set while
Iva Vujosevic (Bar, Montenegro / Niko Rolovic / UMES) and
Symone Speech (Oak Park, Ill. / Oak Park-River Forest) both added 2.71 kps. Kenzie Kigareda (Woodbridge, Va. / Forest Park) anchored the back row with 3.71 digs per set and Speech added an even 1.00 blocks per set at the net.
On the season, Vujosevic, Speech and Sinnette all average at least three kills a set, posting 3.5, 3.11 and 3.04 kps, respectively.
Margo Pivonka (Broadview Heights, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit) paces the offense with 9.05 assists per set.
Defensively, Higareda anchors the back row with 4.76 digs per set. Vujosevic adds 2.62 dps while
Jessica Cusi (Pacifica, Calif. / Lick-Wilmerding) adds 2.54 a frame. At the net, Speech has been credited with 76 blocks on the season for a 1.07 average and
Brennan Wilhite (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. / Cathedral Catholic) adds 0.489 bps.
Seton Hall (7-15, 2-7 BIG EAST) is 2-1 in its last three contests after snapping a seven-match losing streak. Abby Thelan leads the Pirates with 3.64 kills per set while Caitlin Koska adds 2.83 a frame. The offense runs through Sophia Coffey and Maggie Cvelbar with 6.64 and 4.97 assists per set, respectively. Defensively, Eden Dolezal averages 3.93 digs per set while three other SHU players add at least two digs a stanza. At the net, Haylee Gasser and Amanda Rachwal are the top threats for the Pirates and both average just over 0.70 blocks per set.
Georgetown swept Seton Hall, 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-18), on the Hilltop in the first meeting this season. Three Hoyas posted double-digit kills with Vujosevic and Speech leading the way with 13 each. Speech hit an eye-popping .765 in the match on 17 swings without an attack error while Vujosevic hit at a stellar .455 clip from the outside. Sinnette joined the duo in double-figure kills with 11. Defensively, Higareda led all players with 14 digs. Thelan led Seton Hall with 14 kills while Elizabeth Sottung had 11 digs.
St. John's (16-8, 5-4 BIG EAST) hosts Villanova on Friday before welcoming the Blue & Gray to the Big Apple on Saturday. Efrosini Alexakou leads the Red Storm with 3.31 kills per set while Rachele Rastelli and Kayley Wood add 2.75 and 2.66 kps, respectively. Erica Di Maulo paces the offense with 9.85 assists per set. Defensively, Amanda Sanabia averages 5.16 digs per set while Hanna Wagner averages an even 1.00 blocks per set at the front row.
Georgetown defeated the Johnnies, 3-2 (25-21, 17-25, 25-17, 20-25, 16-14), in a five-set thriller to open BIG EAST play earlier this season as Vujosevic and Speech led the Hoyas with a pair of double-doubles. Vujosevic posted a match-high 16 kills to go with 13 digs while Speech tallied 14 kills with 10 blocks. The pair combined for seven service aces, with Speech notching four and Vujosevic adding three. Pivonka had a solid all-around match for the Blue & Gray, leading all players with 45 assists to go with eight blocks, four kills and four digs. Alexakou led St. John's with 15 kills and 11 digs for a double-double while Wood added 10 kills. Sanabia recorded a match-high 17 digs in the loss.
Following the weekend, Georgetown returns to the friendly confines of McDonough Arena for a BIG EAST rematch against Villanova on Friday, Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.
