Volleyball season ends with loss in MSC Quarters

After splitting the regular season series with Cumberland, Georgetown entered the rubber match in the MSC Quarterfinals with the confidence of coming out with a win to keep the season going. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be on this day as the Tigers struggled against the Phoenix all match long, en route to a 3-0 loss to bring the 2024 season to a close.

In Set 1, Georgetown jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead thanks to a kill and block from Makena Walker. Cumberland countered with 4 straight points to take a lead it would ultimately never relinquish. A Faith Miller ace brought Georgetown within 1 at 10-9, but Cumberland rolled off the next 3, forcing Georgetown into a timeout trailing 13-9. The Tigers got the first 2 points back out of the timeout, but Cumberland followed with the same. An Ana Darr kill brought the Tigers within 15-12, but the Phoenix scored the next 3 to take a commanding 18-12 edge. The Tigers stuck with it and thanks to strong serving from Gareth Bruce, Georgetown went on a 4-1 run to get within 3 at 19-16. From there, Cumberland scored 6 of the last 7 for a 25-17 win.

Set 2 proved rough for the Tigers from the start. Georgetown got the 1^st point on a tandem block from Ana Darr and Makena Walker. From there, Cumberland exploded on a 10-1 run to break the set wide open. Gareth Bruce delivered back-to-back kills to stop the momentum. Georgetown cut the margin to 5 at 12-7, but Cumberland answered with 3 straight to keep the Tigers at bay. Georgetown got as close as 7 at 18-11, but the Phoenix rolled off the last 7 of the set for the convincing 14-point win to go up 2-0 in the match.

Set 3 proved a near mirror image of the 2^nd. Georgetown took an early 2-1 lead, but a combination of Tiger errors and strong Phoenix serves culminated in a 10-0 run to give CU an 11-2 lead. Georgetown got 3 of the next 4 to cut the deficit to 12-5, but errors kept Cumberland in command. The Tigers called a timeout down 20-7 in the hope of a final charge back into the set. The move paid briefly paid off as Georgetown fought back within 10 at 22-12 and made Cumberland take a timeout. The momentum ended there for the Tigers as Cumberland scored the final 3 points to close out the set, 25-12, and end Georgetown's season.

Faith Miller led the Tigers with a double-double of 11 assists and 10 digs. The front line struggled against the Phoenix defense. Gareth Bruce led the Tigers in kills but with just 5 on the day. The Tigers head into the offseason with a number of key players expected back for the 2025 season.