WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University volleyball team kicks off BIG EAST conference action this week, starting on the road in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Hoyas will take on the Wildcats on Friday, September 27, at 7 p.m. in Jake Nevin Field House. On Sunday, they return to McDonough Arena to host St. John's at 1 p.m. Last season, Georgetown finished with a 5-13 record in BIG EAST play.

Follow Along

• Live stats and video can be found at GUHoyas.com.
• Stay connected with the team on social media: follow @HoyaVolleyball on X and Instagram.

About the Hoyas

• Georgetown enters the second year under Head Coach AJ Bonetti. The Hoyas finished the Greensboro Invitational 0-3 this weekend and currently hold an overall record of 7-5 headed into the first week of conference play.
• Freshman Dionna Mitchell has emerged as an offensive leader, recording an impressive 162 kills on the season with an average of 3.77 kills per set. Mitchell is a two-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
• Giselle Williams has had a strong start to the season, contributing 117 kills, which ranks second on the team, with an average of 3.25 kills per set.
• Senior Mary Grace Goyena returns for her final season after leading the team in kills last year with 361, the highest by a Hoya since 2019. Goyena has recorded 66 kills this season and she has averaged 2.75 kills per set.
• Senior Karis Park returns as the Hoya libero for the 2024 season, after leading the team with 4.06 digs per set last year and earning a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week award during her junior year. Park leads the team in digs with 174 averaging 4.05 per set, and service aces with 11.
• Sophomore setter Emily Wen played in all 115 sets during her debut season, recording a total of 1,101 assists. Wen averaged 9.57 assists per set, ranking fourth in the BIG EAST this past season, the highest among BIG EAST freshmen, and 11th nationally among freshmen. The sophomore currently leads the Hoyas in assists with 327 credited to her and 8.18 assists/set.
• On defense, Vaughan Anoa'i leads the team with 50 blocks, followed by Kamryn Lee-Caracci with 34. Anoa'i has been averaging 1.28 blocks per set. Lee-Caracci led the team last season with 0.94 blocks per set, ranking second among BIG EAST freshmen.
• Two returning Hoyas, Wen and Lee-Caracci, were recognized with BIG EAST All-Freshman honors last season.
• Georgetown welcomed five newcomers to the team this season: Taylor Mercado, Mitchell, Natalie Nguyen, Berkeley Ploder, and Juleigh Urbina.
• Georgetown was ranked No. 10 in the BIG EAST preseason coaches poll, receiving 27 votes.

Scouting Villanova

• Friday's match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
• Georgetown is currently 33-36 against the Wildcats. Last season, the Hoyas were bested in both matchups against Villanova.
• The Hoyas are 4-12 on the road against Villanova
• The Wildcats currently stand at 7-4 this season. 
• Abby Harrell leads the Wildcat offense with 127 kills on the season with a 3.26 k/s average while Campbell McKinnon has been the best player at the net with 42 total blocks.
• Villanova concluded the 2023 season with an overall record of 17-13, including a 8-10 mark in conference play.

Scouting St. John's

• Sunday's match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. 
• The Hoyas are 10-27 against St. John's. In their most recent meeting on October 20, 2023, Georgetown fell in straight sets, 3-0.
• The Red Storm are currently 11-3 this season. They will face Seton Hall on Friday, September 27 to kick off BIG EAST play before heading to The Hilltop.
• St. John's wrapped up the 2023 season with an overall record of 24-11, including a 13-5 performance in conference play. The Red Storm fell to the top-seeded Creighton in the BIG EAST Championship.

Up Next

The Hoyas are on the road at UConn on Friday, October 4 at 6 p.m. and Providence on Saturday, October 5 at 3:00 p.m. A link to live stats will be available on GUHoyas.com.