University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Volleyball Falls to Kentucky 3-1
September 30, 2001 | Volleyball
Sept. 30, 2001
ATHENS, Ga. ----- The University of Georgia volleyball team fell for the third time in as many outings Sunday afternoon as the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Bulldogs 3-1, (30-25, 21-30, 30-23, 30-27), before a crowd of 512 at the UGA Ramsey Center. "(Kentucky) was a good team," said Georgia coach Mary Buczek following the match. "But it was really us beating us. A lot of our errors came at crucial points." It marked Georgia's first loss to Kentucky since 1996, a span of nine matches. The climax of the match came in game four as the Bulldogs fought hard to keep the Wildcats from taking the match. The lead in the game continued to seesaw between the two teams. Things started to spiral downhill for Georgia when a 20-20 tie was broken by Kentucky. The Bulldogs continued to fight hard, but the Cats took the game (30-27) and the match. "Mental inconsistencies is probably one of our weaknesses and one of the reasons for our errors," said Buczek. The Wildcats were led throughout the game by freshman Sarah Spinner who tallied 22 kills (.356) for the match. Also making major contributions for the Wildcats' total of 67 kills were sophomore Sissy Canfield (12 kills) and junior Kristen Batt (16 kills). Leading the Bulldogs was senior Stacy Buerger, who contributed 17 kills (.206) to the Bulldogs' final total of 57. Also sophomore Luresa Forsythe (12 kills, .323) and senior Kristine Keese (11 kills, .400) combined to contribute 23 kills for the match. The Wildcats snatched the first game from the Bulldogs 30-25. Batt teamed up with Canfield to contribute eight of the Wildcats' 18 kills in the game. Forsythe led Georgia in game one with five kills on .267 hitting. In game two, the Bulldogs were quick to recover with their hitting percentage jumping from .087 in game one to .353. Buerger added six kills (.300) to help Georgia tie the match at one game each. Game three was a tense battle for the Bulldogs and the Wildcats alike as both teams went back and forth trying to gain the upper hand in the match. Buerger's service ace brought the score to a 16-16 tie, leaving the game up for grabs. But with a lead of seven, the Wildcats stole their second game (30-23), granting them the match lead (2-1) for the second time. "We have got to play more aggressively and reduce the unforced errors before our next match," said Buczek. Georgia returns to action next Friday when it faces the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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