University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
5-16, 0-9
Ole Miss
19-6, 5-5
Georgia Shows Team Effort Vs. Rebs
October 29, 2015 | Volleyball
Highlights of Georgia volleyball's four-set match against Ole Miss.
Oct. 29, 2015
ATHENS, Ga. --- Every set was a fight, and though the Bulldogs didn't come out on the winning end, the Georgia volleyball team (5-16, 0-9) showed a competitive team effort in its 3-1 loss to Ole Miss (19-6, 5-5) on Wednesday night in the Ramsey Center.
"I am so proud of our effort and team contribution tonight," said head coach Lizzy Stemke. "We took a game plan and we executed it incredibly, intelligently, and aggressively. It is the most team contribution that we've had to date. I am just incredibly proud that this group continues to fight. We didn't get the win tonight, but Georgia won tonight. We continue to improve. I know that is a hard thing to do when you keep looking at the record book, but we definitely improved tonight."
Redshirt junior Megan Spencer paced the Bulldog offense with 15 kills and a .481 hitting clip, committing just two attack errors. Sophomore Kendall Kazor guided the Bulldogs to 42 team kills, as she contributed to all sides of the ball with a double-double of 34 assists and 11 digs to go with three aces and four blocks.
Defensively, Ole Miss and Georgia had 54 digs each while the Bulldogs tabbed four more blocks than the Rebels with 15. Redshirt senior Jasmine Eatmon built a wall at the net, tabbing a career-high 10 blocks that paired nicely with a trio of service aces. Spencer had six blocks of her own while redshirt junior Desiree McCray collected five. In the back row, junior Elle McCord tied for a match-high 14 digs.
A 5-1 run in the first set that included a block by McCray and Kazor pushed Georgia out front 12-8 at an Ole Miss timeout. The Rebels responded with 5-0 run to go up 19-18 after adding a pair of blocks in return. Ole Miss held set point at 24-22, but a Spencer kill and Cassidy Anderson ace tied it at 24. The teams went back and forth before an Ole Miss kill and block sealed the 27-25 win.
Georgia put together nice runs throughout the second frame to win it 25-12. Under the serve of Caroline Ostman, Georgia strung together a 6-0 run with a block by Eatmon and Kazor to put Georgia ahead 11-3. Another six-straight spree had the Bulldogs up 20-8 before a 5-1 run closed out the victory. The Bulldogs hit .458 in the frame while holding Ole Miss to -.037.
Out of the break, Georgia found a large lead in the third set after a Spencer kill set it at 15-8, but Ole Miss came back with an 8-1 rally to win it 25-20. The Rebels secured the match with another 25-20 win in set four, climbing out to an 11-4 lead. Georgia kept fighting, rolling out a 7-0 run to put the Rebel lead at 17-16, but would not complete the comeback.
Up next for Georgia is No. 12 Florida, as the Gators come to Athens on Sunday, Nov. 1 with a 1:30 p.m. ET match on SEC Network+/WatchESPN.
HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA VOLLEYBALL: For complete information on Georgia volleyball, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGAVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram and UGAVolleyball on Facebook and Snapchat.
