WASHINGTON – Coming off its sixth-straight win and a perfect mark in BIG EAST play, the Georgetown University volleyball team hits the road for a Midwest road trip in BIG EAST action this weekend. The Hoyas take on No. 20 Marquette on Friday in Milwaukee before battling DePaul on Saturday in Chicago.
Friday's match against the nationally-ranked Golden Eagles is set for an 8 p.m. EST first serve while Saturday's contest against the Blue Demons begins at 7 p.m. EST. Links to live stats and video for both matches are available at www.GUHoyas.com.
Georgetown (10-5, 3-0 BIG EAST) is coming off a 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-18) sweep over BIG EAST foe Seton Hall on Wednesday. Three Hoyas posted double-digit kills with
Iva Vujosevic (Bar, Montenegro / Niko Rolovic) and
Symone Speech (Oak Park, Ill. / Oak Park-River Forest) 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.
Alyssa Sinnette (Pearland, Texas / Dawson) joined the duo in double-figure kills with 11.
Margo Pivonka (Broadview Heights, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit) paced the offense with 30 assists while
Jessica Cusi (Pacifica, Calif. / Lick-Wilmerding) added nine.
Defensively,
Kenzie Higareda (Woodbridge, Va. / Forest Park) led all players with 14 digs while Vujosevic chipped in seven. Speech led the Hoyas with three blocks in the match while
Margo Snipe (Washington, D.C. / Ridgewood [N.J.]) and
Lara Adekunle (Naperville, Ill. / Metea Valley) both chipped in a pair.
On the season, three different Hoyas average at least three kills per set, led by Vujosevic with 3.76 kps while Speech and Sinnette add 3.22 and 3.10 kps, respectively. Pivonka paces the offense with 9.15 assists per set.
Higareda anchors the back row with 4.57 digs per set. Vujosevic and Cusi add 2.67 and 2.62 dps, respectively. At the net, Speech has been credited with 54 blocks on the season for a 1.06 average and
Brennan Wilhite (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. / Cathedral Catholic) adds 0.53 bps.
Marquette (10-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) is coming off a 3-0 loss to No. 10 Creighton on Saturday. Allie Barber leads the Golden Eagles with 4.51 kills per set and his hitting at a solid .336. Anna Haak, Jenna Rosenthal and Hope Werch all chip in at least two kills a frame. The MU offense runs through the duo of Lauren Speckman and Sara Rose with 7.22 and 4.77 assists per set, respectively.
Defensively, Martha Konovodoff leads Marquette with 4.94 digs per set while Haak adds 3.04 dps. At the net, Rosenthal has 44 blocks on the season for an 0.94 average while Elizabeth Orf adds 0.57 bps.
Friday's match will be the 20th all-time meeting between Georgetown and Marquette with the Golden Eagles holding a 15-4 series advantage. The last Hoya win in the rivalry came in 2010 with a five-set victory on the Hilltop.
DePaul (2-11, 0-2 BIG EAST) hosts Villanova on Friday before welcoming the Hoyas to the Windy City on Saturday. The Blue Demons have lost nine-straight matches, including a pair of league losses to Providence and Creighton over the weekend.
Emma Price leads DePaul with 2.33 kills per set while Claire Anderson add an even two kills a frame. Natalie Hayward and Kalie Dolan run the offense, averaging 5.16 and 4.09 assists per set, respectively.
Defensively, Isabelle Banez averages 4.49 digs per set and Isabell De La Rosa is the top threat at the net with an 0.48 average.
Georgetown and DePaul have played 25 times in program history with the Hoyas owning a 14-9 advantage. The two squads split last year's meetings with each team holding serve at home.
Following the weekend, Georgetown returns to America's Heartland for BIG EAST matches against Butler and Xavier. The Hoyas face the Bulldogs on Friday, October 5 at 6 p.m. before taking on the Musketeers on Saturday, October 6 at 6 p.m.
