The Georgetown women’s volleyball team (5-4) came home last Friday determined to dominate in their house, and they did exactly that. The team placed first in the two-day Georgetown Classic Tournament held at McDonough Gymnasium, when they defeated Coastal Carolina (2-7) three games to one on Saturday night.
The Hoyas broke an 11-match home losing streak with their first win in the tournament on Friday night. The girls played Campbell (3-7), sweeping them away 3-0. The team continued to rack up the victories with a 3-0 win Saturday afternoon against Howard (1-6), followed by the final Saturday night triumph.
“It’s great to come home and play well at home,” Head Coach Arlisa Hagan said of her team’s tournament performance.
The Hoyas came out strong in their initial Saturday night match against Coastal Carolina. A kill by freshman outside hitter Jessica Hardy, a service ace by junior outside hitter Katie Nulty and a Coastal Carolina attack error put the Hoyas in the lead from the start. A serving spree by junior setter Katie Fisher allowed the girls to pull ahead even further to a 12-1 score. Kills from the Hoyas and attack errors from Coastal Carolina brought the match to a 30-10 victory for the home team.
A score that stayed fairly even into the first half of the Hoyas’ second game prompted the Chanticleers to put up a fight. But as the game played out, the Hoyas stepped up and finished it 30-23.
In their third match, the Hoyas did not give in even though Coastal Carolina gave the Hoyas their best as they took the game 30-24. On the contrary, the girls came back strong in their final game, taking the lead right away and keeping it throughout the game. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Buffman, senior middle blocker Annie Connor and Hardy racked up the points to take the final game 30-16 and the match 3-1.
Three Hoya players won individual awards on top of the team’s tournament championship. Connor and sophomore middle blocker Katherine Niesen’s performances earned them spots on the Georgetown Classic All-Tournament Team. Buffum took home honors as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, as well as Big East Volleyball Player of the Week.
“Jessica Buffum has led our last three matches with kills, and she was passing well tonight,” Coach Hagan commented on her MVP sophomore.
Hardy and Connor both played a strong defensive game as well. Connor led the team with six blocks and had a .308 hitting percentage.
The teamwork and persistence the girls displayed during the tournament will be key to their success against future competition. This weekend the girls look forward to continuing their winning streak out west at the Stanford Invitational.
