Dobrowolski's 29 assists lead sweep of Warner
In his first action of the season, junior setter Kacper Dobrowolski set a team high with 29 assists in Georgetown's 3-0 sweep of (RV) Warner University, sending the Tigers to a 3-0 record to start 2023.
The Tigers found themselves challenged early by a Warner team that operates without a libero on its roster, thus providing an atypical challenge for its opponents. The Royals raced out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set, trying to atone for a 4-set loss earlier in the day to Saint Xavier. They would maintain a lead until the midway point of the set. This was the point where Dobrowolski got his team going. Starting with an assist on a Reece Brown kill, the Poland native followed with 3 straight points on serve to level the set at 12. The Tigers would score 7 of the next 10, taking a 19-15 lead, and figuring out the unique Warner playing style. Warner would get no closer than 2 points the rest of the set as Dobrowolski capped a brilliant 1st set with another assist, the final to Liam Morrissey, giving the Tigers a 25-22 set 1 win.
Set 2 proved to be a familiar story. Warner charged out early, leading 5-3 at the start. Georgetown would answer with an 8-3 run to take an 11-8 lead, and thanks to another ace from LC Newton, the Tigers forced a Warner timeout with a 13-9 Georgetown advantage. Warner answered with 3 straight out of the timeout, cutting the deficit to 1. Georgetown countered with a 4-0 mini-run to pushed the lead out to 5 at 17-12. The points and serves would trade ends the rest of the way. Warner got as close as 3 but Georgetown finished off the set, with blocks from Dobrowolski and Tyree Wesley to win it, 25-19, and go up 2-0 in the match.
Georgetown proved its determination in set 3, looking to finish off the Royals once and for all. There was no lead for Warner to have in the 3rd as Georgetown stormed out to a 6-3 lead. While Warner did counter to tie the set at 6, they could not get over the hump. Four straight Tiger points made it 10-6. With the score 12-9 and Warner trying to hang in, Georgetown delivered another blow with another 4-0 run, making the score 16-9, forcing Warner into a timeout. The stoppage proved no problem for the Tigers. Georgetown scored 4 of the next 5 out of the timeout, taking a 20-10 lead, ending the Warner threat. With the lead, freshman Thomas Dunkley entered for his Georgetown debut and served out the final 3 points, picking up his first career ace in the process, and taking the Tigers to a 25-12 win in the set and a sweep of the match.
The Tigers offensive efficiency was stunning once more. 32 kills, only 6 errors, and a .473 hitting percentage proved too much for the undersized Royals. Krzysztof Kowalski had the right arm going strong with 10 kills and 3 aces, while Tyree Wesley and Liam Morrissey added 6 kills each.
The Tigers next begin Mid-South Conference play on February 1st with a trip to Cumberland. First serve is set for 7:00pm ET.