The Georgetown Hoyas defeated the GW volleyball team 3-1 Wednesday night at the Smith Center, handing the Colonials (14-4) their third consecutive loss to their cross-town rivals. Where GW stepped up its play in Ohio last weekend – in the outside hitter position – the Colonials were unable to put the ball down in key situations costing critical points and side-outs.
They haven’t beaten Georgetown and that’s the same thing with Temple, GW head coach Jojit Coronel said. And they have to get over that hump.
Not even the appearances of GW’s all-time kills leader Svetlana Vtyurina and last year’s kills leader Gabriela Mojska could get GW over that hump. It was a game that saw last week’s Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Tracee Brown find herself on the bench during a fourth game that GW needed to win.
Well, Tracee was struggling and so was Renee (Arnold), Coronel said. But Renee did some good things,
Arnold led GW with 16 kills and was helped by seniors Suzana Manole (15 kills) and Julie Jahnke (14 kills). Brown had 14 kills but also committed a team-high eight errors.
It’s won at the antenna and if we can’t put a ball away we’re going to lose it, Coronel said.
Georgetown, which is coached by former GW great Liu Li, was led by Vtyurina’s kid sister, Yulia. Yulia Vtyurina pounded 19 kills and added five block assists in the Hoyas’ 15-13, 9-15, 15-13, 15-9 road win.
In the fourth and final game, the Colonials fought hard to hold an 8-7 lead halfway through the game. But the Hoyas, led by Lauren Warner (20 kills, 25 digs), won eight of the final nine points to give Georgetown the victory. The damaging blow to the Colonials came on an emphatic block of GW’s Julie Jahnke by Vtyurina.
The Colonials trailed Georgetown late in the third game 13-11, but back-to-back GW kills tied the game and seemed to give the home team the momentum. Two costly attack errors by GW’s outside hitters, however, gave the Hoyas the final two points and the game.
GW pounded 20 kills and took advantage of Georgetown’s weakest offensive performance in the second game. GW led 11-3 at one point and withstood a late rally by the Hoyas. The first game was a tough loss for the Colonials, who had 21 kills and only three errors in 43 total attempts (.419). GW trailed by small margins throughout the game and could not overtake Georgetown despite trailing by just one point (13-12) late in the opener.
Its just pressure situations, Coronel said. If there’s pressure they have to create it so its good pressure. We’ve got seniors on the team who have to be able to play in big games.
The Colonials play their next match on the road at Duquesne Friday night. GW is on a six-game Atlantic 10 winning streak.
Notes – GW’s Abby Ernst did not dress for Wednesday’s game against Georgetown. The 6-2 sophomore has a slight back injury according to Coronel.
Athletic Director Jack Kvancz announced this week that interim coach Jojit Coronel has been named head coach. Coronel’s team is off to its best start in seven seasons.
