George Washington University
North Alabama
Volleyball Opens Home Slate with DC Showdown
9/7/2023 12:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
WASHINGTON – GW volleyball will return to the Smith Center for the first time in 2023, hosting North Alabama, Old Dominion and Georgetown across Friday and Saturday as part of the DC Showdown. The Revolutionaries welcome North Alabama on Friday at 1 p.m. and Old Dominion at 6 p.m. GW will close the three-match weekend, hosting crosstown foe Georgetown on Saturday at 3 p.m. All matches will be available to watch on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUTÂ
GW seeks its first win of 2023 this weekend after the Revolutionaries dropped three matches at the Eagle Invitational last weekend. GW put down a season-best 37 kills (for a three-set match) vs. Stetson, led by Liv Womble's season-best 10 kills. Salem Yohannes led the GW offense with eight kills in Saturday's match and seven kills vs. Georgia Southern. Defensively, Penelope Hiepler got the nod at libero in all three matches, finishing with 33 digs across the weekend and a season-best 13 vs. College of Charleston.
PRESENCE AT THE NET
After two weeks of play, Kelsey Watkins leads the A-10, averaging 1.5 blocks per set, totaling 15 on the young season. Watkins, a graduate transfer from Furman, recorded a career-best six solo blocks vs. Stetson. In addition to her career-high, Watkins added a season-best seven kills vs. the Hatters. Watkins also recorded three solo blocks vs. College of Charleston on Saturday. As a team, GW is fourth in the conference, averaging 2.00 blocks/set.
DC SHOWDOWN OPPONENTSÂ
North Alabama enters the weekend 3-3 on the season. The Lions are led offensively by graduate student Anna Katherine Griggs with 62 kills, and three other offensive threats have 50-plus kills on the season. Griggs has also added a team-leading 24 blocks.
Old Dominion is 4-3 this season and will visit Georgetown on Friday at 11 a.m., before heading to the Smith Center Friday evening. The Monarchs are coming off a narrow 3-2 loss to Virginia on Tuesday and are led offensively by Myah Conway and Bryanna Jones with 88 and 85 kills, respectively. First-year libero Kate Kilpatrick leads Old Dominion with 79 digs, averaging 2.82 digs/set. Â
Georgetown's Kamryn Lee-Caracci enters the weekend as the reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after helping the Hoyas to a 2-1 weekend, bringing them to 5-1 on the season. The first-year led Georgetown with a team-high 14 blocks across the weekend and put down 27 kills behind a .468 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Mary Grace Goyena leads Georgetown's attack with 75 kills, averaging 3.26/set.
