This past weekend, the Georgetown Volleyball team finished off the Active Ankle Tournament in Gainesville, Fla. with a satisfying 2-1 record. Although they lost their first match to Florida in three sets, the team quickly rebounded with two wins against Western Michigan and Iona.
Florida, ranked fifth in the nation, proved to be more than just a team competition. Family rivalry between Georgetown’s own Caitlin Brauneis and the Gator’s Taylor Brauneis spiced up the match. “Before and after, of course, we exchanged glances,” said freshman setter Caitlin Brauneis. “But during the game, we were pretty serious.”
The team remained focused throughout the match, breaking down the game into smaller pieces. Junior MacKenzie Simpson had a strong performance with ten digs throughout the game. “MacKenzie took charge in the back row,” said Head Coach Arlisa Williams. “She made some pretty impressive digs.” Unfortunately, the Hoyas couldn’t beat the Gators, losing in three (25-14, 25-14, 25-10).
In their next matchup, the Hoyas faced Western Michigan and quickly fell behind two sets. At halftime, the team rallied to devise a comeback. Coach Williams said, “We talked about the need to serve aggressively, and our team went out and got them out of system.”
With the help of service runs from sophomore defensive specialist Emily Gisolfi and junior middle blocker Dani White, the Hoyas were able to seal the third set. “I tried to pick out the girl in the five zone,” White said. “She was looking nervous, I was looking nervous. But it was who was going to crack first.” Georgetown came back strong, winning the hotly-contested third set 27-25.
Bent on continuing their winning streak, the Hoyas won the fourth set 25-20 with an ace by Gisolfi. In the final set, both senior outside hitter Brooke Bachesta and freshman right side hitter Shannon Ellis proved to be crucial assets with their respective back-to-back kills. Georgetown celebrated a great victory, with a final score of 15-10.
In their third matchup, the Hoyas faced Iona, who showed some spark in the second set after the Hoyas took the first, exploiting Georgetown’s fatigue from the Michigan game. The Gaels won the second set 25-18. “That match was a mental game,” White said. “We knew that we could beat them, it was just how efficiently we could do it.” The Hoyas refocused their efforts and pulled out with two consecutive wins in the third and fourth sets, 25-21 and 25-18.
The team will travel to the Gold & Blue Tournament in Morgantown, W.V. this weekend to face West Virginia and the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
