The GW volleyball team dropped its second match in a row Tuesday to cross-town foe Georgetown. After losing a tight one to Temple last week, the Colonials again fell in a very close contest.

The Colonials battled back after trailing two games to none but eventually lost in five games. After falling 27-30 and 22-30, GW won 30-26 and 30-22 before losing the deciding game 15-10.

Halfway through the season, it seems the Colonials (4-10, 1-2 Atlantic 10) are polar opposites of last year’s 21-11 squad. Though the team has shown signs of life throughout the season, their performance has lacked so far.

Head coach Jojit Coronel said he knows what the missing element is.

“The biggest problem for us is we don’t have a go-to player,” Coronel said. “In years past we’ve had a go-to player to carry the team. I wish, as a team, we decided to take control and be strong. We played great in spurts but we need to play great when it counts.”

After dropping the first two games, the Colonials pulled together and dominated in the third game. GW held the lead for 15 straight points and sophomore Juliene McLaughlin ended the game with a powerful kill.

The fourth game continued the Colonials’ dominance. After scoring the first four points, GW closed out the game on a three-point run. McLaughlin had four of her 11 kills in the game while junior Abigail Hatter recorded two of her 14.

In the fifth game, GW could not pull out a much-needed win over the Hoyas (11-6). Keeping with recent trend, the Colonials’ momentum died down in the deciding game. Coronel said they did not have a chance to adjust to the play of the Hoyas.

“This game is all about getting used to your opponents and it was a quick game,” Coronel said. “When you are out there you need to play slow and we just didn’t do that.”

Senior co-captain Molly Law led the Colonials with 14 kills while Hatter, who leads the team in hitting percentage (.331), played one of her best games of the year with 10 kills.

McLaughlin, who leads the team in kills, did not have the answer for GW’s play.

“I wish I knew the answers,” McLaughlin said. “We haven’t won a five-game match yet and it’s getting frustrating, but we almost pulled it out.”

GW hits the road this weekend to face A-10 rivals Rhode Island and Fordham. Coronel said these two games are must-wins.

“I always say in order to make the A-10 Tournament, you need eight wins,” Coronel said. “We have one (conference win). We need to win.”

Even after two losses, McLaughlin still thinks the team has a chance to compete in the A-10.

“I think we can stick with any team in the A-10 but we need to play like we know we can,” she said. “We need to play hard and people will be surprised.”