Gitschier shines in 1st career start

Freshman Brandon Gitschier made his 1st career start at libero for Georgetown against Morningside on Friday. The Louisville native played well beyond his years with 11 digs, leading a Tigers defense that held Morningside to a .093 hit percentage in a Georgetown sweep (14, 23, 17).

The defense showed early as Georgetown forced Morningside into 9 first set attack errors and held the Mustangs to only 8 kills. After falling behind 2-0, Georgetown went on a blistering 9-1 run. Morningside never again got within 5 during the set as the Tigers rolled to a 25-14 opening win.

Set 2 tightened up in a major way. Morningside found momentum on offense, while Georgetown maintained its strength. Neither team ever led by more than 3 in the set. Trailing 23-22, Sean Bohler delivered an ace on serve, tying the set and forcing a Morningside timeout. Out of the break, Finn Heinemann delivered one of his 29 assists to Tyler Chavez, giving the Tigers set point and another Mustangs timeout. With Bohler still on serve, the defense finished the set. A combo block from Heinemann and Tyree Wesley gave the Tigers the 25-23 win, to go up 2-0 in the match.

Set 3 was Tigers dominance. The offense came roaring to life with 15 kills and only 3 errors. The Tigers only deficit was at 1-0 and while Morningside showed fight early in the set, Georgetown slowly but surely asserted its dominance, gradually pulling away for a 25-17 win to sweep the proceedings.

Georgetown's offense was evenly distributed by setter Finn Heinemann. He delivered the 29 assists to 7 different Tigers. Reece Brown led the way with 7, while Tyler Chavez, Thomas Dunkley, and Tyree Wesley all had 6 kills each. Brandon Gitschier added an assist and service ace along with 11 digs.