University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Complete Action at Georgia Tech Invitational
September 02, 2006 | Volleyball
Box Score
ATLANTA --- Georgia volleyball dropped its match to Northern Iowa 3-0 to conclude their competition at the Georgia Tech Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
After falling 30-19 to the Panthers in the first game, the Bulldogs lost their second game 30-26 in the O’Keefe Gymnasium. Northern Iowa clinched the match, which was Georgia’s third of the two-day tourney, by winning game three 30-16.
“I know the players were disappointed with our performance today,” Georgia head coach Steffi Legall said. “We left a lot of our emotions on the court after last night’s match with Georgia Tech, but this was a very good Northern Iowa team. To compete with a team like that, we would have to have all the pieces of the puzzle fitting together for a majority of the game and they were not today.”
Senior Simona Speed paced Georgia by tallying eight kills to go along with six digs. Also for the Bulldogs, freshman Nikki Hawkins led the team in assists for the sixth straight game after registering 24 versus the Panthers and sophomore Anjelica Partridge added three block assists.
Speed was named to the Georgia Tech Invitational All-Tournament Team for her efforts. The Bulldogs’ sole senior finished the tourney with 28 kills, including a 15-kill performance against Georgia Tech, and 30 digs.
“Simona was a steady player for us all weekend and she continued to fight and battle until the end,” Legall said.
The Bulldogs return to the Ramsey Center in Athens on Tuesday, Sept. 5, to host Mercer University at 7:30 p.m.
“Mercer should be a good opportunity for this team on Tuesday,” Legall said. “Practice always helps, but playing matches and getting game experience is what we need to do. It will be nice to have a mid-week match before we leave for the tournament in Denver at the end of the week.”