Will Georgetown University have what it takes to stay in the top-ranked Masters of California after two tough five-set wins in the NAIA National Championship men's volleyball match Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa? Some people wondered.
So it was no Derby Day-worthy that Georgetown ran like a thoroughbred and took home the trophy and red flag with a dominant 3-0 victory, winning the program's first national title in only its fourth year as a varsity team. Met.
“It feels great,” said tournament MVP Krzysztof Kowalski. “I feel like we all deserve to be here for four years. Last year we were unlucky and we had some illness in the team. We're ready again this year. We're going through our tactics every night before every game. We prepared very well and the whole team worked hard to achieve this. I'm happy to be here and have this opportunity.”
Georgetown won the game by a combined score of 25-22, 25-18, 25-20, and Tiger players took to the court to cheer while first-year head coach Jim Dwyer remained on the bench in disbelief. I woke you up.
Andrew Palmer previously led the Tigers to back-to-back tournament appearances and a top-10 ranking throughout the 2023 season.
The Tigers (28-6) ended their journey to the title with 10 straight wins, including seven straight.
“We brought the whole team from the bench to the starters,” Kowalski said of his team. “Everyone was active. Everyone was into it. Everyone was on the court with us. We felt their support. In that moment, we were a family. We always say '1, 2, 3 family' (when we break the huddle), but in that tournament we became a family.”
Kowalski led the offense with 15 kills, a .444 hitting percentage and four digs. Miguel Ariza Vega had five kills and eight blocks, and Kakper Dobrowolski had 29 assists with six digs, two kills, and two aces.
CJ Bride (12 digs), Ryan Gunn (9 kills), Tyree Wesley (4 blocks), Michal Bak and serve specialist LC Newton also made important contributions.
“The tactics there were great,” Kowalski said. “We blocked the way we wanted. We played offensively the way we wanted. That's basically what won us the championship.”
GC has won for the fourth straight day after defeating Lawrence Technological University 3-0 on Wednesday.
Thursday and Friday were close games with 3 wins and 2 losses, with an 18-16 decision over Van Carl in the deciding set in the quarterfinals and a 15-10 decision over St. Xavier (Illinois) in the semifinals.
“It was a roller coaster of emotions. I could have lost 10 years from my life in that last game,” Dwyer said after the Fab Four's victory. “Just a lot of gravel. That's the story of our season. If we come together, we'll figure it out. We gave up almost everything and then came back… to love each other, each other. We had a good conversation about wanting to play for and doing everything for each other to be able to come back.”