Georgetown volleyball (9-5, 1-2 BIG EAST) faced their third BIG EAST opponent of the 2026 season on Friday, Oct. 2 when they played the University of Connecticut Huskies (7-9, 0-3 BIG EAST) at McDonough Arena. Both teams entered looking to secure their first conference win of the season, but in the end, it was the Hoyas who emerged victorious.
Alumni, fellow student athletes, family, and fans filtered into the arena, ready to open homecoming weekend with a Hoya win. Both teams brought energy to the floor before the lineups and despite a missed first serve from junior setter Juleigh Urbina, Georgetown reclaimed the energy and recovered on the very next point. UConn kept the score close at first, but kills by senior outside hitter Grace Albaugh, junior outside hitter Dionna Mitchell, and junior middle blocker Berkeley Ploder gave the Hoyas a three point lead, 8-5.
Following another Mitchell kill in the ensuing minutes and a UConn attack error, the Huskies took a timeout, down 7-11. Mitchell served following the break, and despite a recovery by UConn for a ball an inch away from the score-keeping table, the Hoyas’ sophomore outside hitter Katherine McGregor put yet another point away. Her spike sparked a five-point run, bringing the Hoyas up 15-9.
The players continued to spill outside of the lines, chasing balls just out of reach. Yet another definitive attack from Mitchell prompted a second UConn timeout, 18-10. A four-point Hoya run brought them to 22-15, after which a Mitchell kill and attack error by UConn’s sophomore outside hitter Maja Daca put Georgetown at set point. UConn fought back, though, and after a Husky breakaway, Daca’s ace serve pulled them up to 20-24. Fortunately, off an assist from Urbina, McGregor slammed down a kill that the UConn blockers knocked out of bounds. The Hoyas took game one 25-20.
With the start of game two, UConn once again took the first point of the game, and despite diving efforts by Urbina and Mitchell well past the baseline, UConn took the second one too.
The Huskies pulled ahead incrementally, but not for long. A clean kill by senior middle blocker Kamryn Lee-Caracci brought the Hoyas within one, and her subsequent block with Mitchell tied the game 6-6. Still, a Husky attack error and a Hoya service error kept it tied. Finally, a long rally complete with spikes, digs, and blocks pushed UConn into their first timeout of the game, down 9-11.
After the break, the Huskies celebrated a successful attack that set them at 13-14, after which a high, arcing kill by their freshman outside hitter Sydney Borowy tied the game. An Albaugh smash, junior setter Natalie Nguyen’s service ace, and an attack error by UConn’s sophomore middle blocker Jordyn Hughes set the Hoyas up by three. UConn needed another timeout after a Nguyen attack, 20-16. Once the players stepped back on the court, the set rounded out with a mixed bag of service errors and Georgetown kills, after which the Hoyas switched sides of the court with two games securely under their belt, 25-19.
Entering the third game, the Hoyas rallied to take the first point. The teams remained within one point of each other until a UConn service error, another Lee-Caracci attack, and a UConn attack error set the Hoyas ahead 10-7. While the Hoyas did not pull away directly from that point, UConn’s chants quieted down…until the Hoyas called a timeout following an ace by Husky freshman opposite hitter Helena Einarsdottir, 18-16.
The Huskies made it to 20 points first, and the Hoyas kept them in a heated back-and-forth. At 22-23, Lee-Caracci notched a kill to even it out once again. Following an attack error from the Huskies, Lee-Caracci closed out the match with a final smash.
The Hoyas kept a clean sheet, taking the match three games to none, and winning their first BIG EAST battle of the season. Mitchell led Georgetown with 11 kills, and Ploder and Lee-Caracci followed in kills while leading in blocks. Urbina and Nguyen each contributed double-digit assists (19 and 15, respectively), and graduate student libero Bella McGirr and Mitchell got down for nine digs apiece. The team did not allow their competitive spirit to flag at any point in the match, even on the brink of victory. The Hoyas look to bring that same energy when they continue their homestand at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, against the Providence Friars.
