University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Volleyball Falls To Kentucky, 3-1
September 22, 2007 | Volleyball
Kentucky (11-3, 2-1) took the first two games of the match with game scores of 30-6 and 30-24. The Bulldogs (10-3, 1-2) then won the third game 30-23, but the Wildcats went on to take the match with a 30-20 game four win.
“It was a disappointing night for us. We couldn’t get anything going,” Georgia head coach Joel McCartney said. “I haven’t seen this reaction from this group before. We definitely need to look to regroup.”
UK posted a .288 hitting percentage for the match led by junior middle blocker Nicole Britenriker’s match-best 18 kills, while Wildcat freshman middle blocker Lauren Rapp added 14 kills. For the Bulldogs, junior outside hitter Maria Taylor and freshman outsider hitter Erika Clark each recorded a team-best 13 kills as the Bulldogs were held to a .048 hitting percentage.
Kentucky handed Georgia its first game one loss of the season with a .545 hitting percentage while limiting Georgia to a -.393 mark. Britenriker led the Wildcats in the game with five kills.
The second game was tied at 17-17 before the Wildcats went on to build the decisive margin of 30-24. Britenriker continued to pace the Wildcats with six kills in the second game.
Coming out of the intermission, the third game remained close through the first several points. Then with Kentucky leading 9-7, the Bulldogs went on a 10-1 run to go up 17-10. Georgia would lead by as many as 10 at 23-13 before taking the game 30-24. UGA out hit UK .229 to .154 in the game as Clark led the Bulldogs with seven kills.
In game four, the Wildcats built a quick 6-1 advantage that they would not relinquish going on to earn victory in the game and match with a 30-20 score. Kentucky hit at a .485 clip, while the Bulldogs hit .200 in the game.
“Things looked encouraging after we won that third game, but we came out in the fourth one like we did in the first,” McCartney said. “We just weren’t prepared to play tonight. We definitely have to make some adjustments before Tennessee.”
The Bulldogs will look to bounce back on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET when the Tennessee Lady Vols (7-3, 2-1) visit the Ramsey Center. Tennessee defeated the Auburn Tigers 3-1 (27-30, 30-28, 30-25, 30-27) on Friday night in Auburn, Ala. Live stats of the match with the Lady Vols will be available on georgiadogs.com, while GXtra subscribers can log on to georgiadogs.com for live video and audio of the match. GXtra is the official premium online service of the Georgia Bulldogs. Admission is free to all home matches.
