University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Volleyball Heads West For Pioneer Classic
September 07, 2006 | Volleyball
On Saturday, Georgia (3-4) will battle third-ranked UCLA (6-0) at 1 p.m. and Texas State (3-4) at 7 p.m. Although the Bulldogs are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Mercer on Sept. 5, head coach Steffi Legall understands her team must be prepared for stiff competition this weekend.
"UCLA is the best of the best and Denver and Texas State are also very competitive," Legall said. "Defensively, we have our work cut out for us. Everything in the preseason prepares us for (Southeastern Conference) play and we are looking forward to the trip."
Going into their third tournament of the season, sophomore Maria Taylor leads the Bulldogs with 104 kills and freshman Nikki Hawkins has dished out 263 assists. Sophomore Brooke Peugh, who transferred from UTEP, is helping to anchor the defense with 31 total blocks.
Before the Mercer match, the Bulldogs struggled in Atlanta at the Georgia Tech Invitational and fell to Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Northern Iowa. With only three matches remaining before Florida arrives in Athens on Sept. 15, Legall is hoping her six returners, five freshmen and two transfers continue their development and play up to their potential.
"We are still trying to gel as a team and something else we have been focusing on this week is our first contact and defense," Legall said. "We are a much better passing and defensive team than we showed at Georgia Tech."
Simona Speed, who is the team's only senior, is especially looking forward to her team's trip to Colorado. Speed's hometown is Aurora, Colo., which is only 20 minutes from Denver's campus, and she is expecting many of her relatives to be present during the Bulldogs' matches.
"I am very excited to be playing so close to home, especially because all of my family and all of my relatives will be there to see me and will be able to see the player I have become," said Speed, who was voted onto the Georgia Tech Invitational All-Tournament Team after her recent play in Atlanta. "There has been so much support from my family and it will be really special for my family to see me in the role of a collegiate athlete."
Against Mercer, Speed, who recorded a career-high 15 kills versus Georgia Tech on Sept. 1, had a migraine headache and her absence left Georgia without one of its most experienced players. But thanks to the work from freshman Katie Winschel, who played in her place for three games, had two kills and a pair of digs, and a couple other newcomers, the Bulldogs were able to sweep the Bears.
"Katie did a good job of filling in and holding her own and we expect more of that from her in the future," Legall said. "We will need everyone to make a contribution in this weekend's tournament."
Information about the tournament and live stats from the Pioneer Classic can be found at www.denverpioneers.com.
Georgia's schedule at the Pioneer Classic
Friday:
Georgia @ Denver - 9:30 p.m. EDT
Saturday:
Georgia vs. UCLA - 1 p.m.
Georgia vs. Texas State - 7 p.m.