University of Georgia Athletics
Volleyball Hosts Final Home Games
November 18, 2015 | Volleyball
Coach Lizzy Stemke, Megan Spencer, and Sydney Gilliam talk about preparing themselves for their final home matches against Alabama and Mississippi State.
Nov. 18, 2015
Game Notes
ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia volleyball team (5-21, 0-14) wraps up its home schedule for the 2015 season, hosting Alabama (14-14, 8-6) and Mississippi State (14-13, 3-10) this weekend.
The Bulldogs face the Crimson Tide on Friday at 7 p.m. ET before being featured on the SEC Network against MSU at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. All matches have free admission at the Ramsey Student Center while live stat links are available at georgiadogs.com.
Sunday's match will also be Senior Night, as Jasmine Eatmon will be recognized pregame for her contributions to the program.
- Game Notes -
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. ALABAMA
After winning this season's earlier match, the Tide lead the series 24-23. Georgia has dropped the last four meetings. In the contest at Tuscaloosa, redshirt junior Desiree McCray led the Bulldogs with eight kills and three blocks while fellow classmate Megan Spencer added six kills. Junior Elle McCord tallied 10 digs.
Georgia's last win came in Tuscaloosa in 2012, giving it a season sweep over Bama. The Bulldogs also won both meetings in 2010. In her career, Eatmon has 22 blocks and 35 kills against the Tide after notching 14 kills in the two games last year. McCray hit .423 in 2014's meetings while committing just two errors in 23 swings.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Georgia leads Mississippi State 43-11 in the all-time series, winning eight of the last nine games and 13 of the last 15. MSU's last win in Athens came as a 3-2 decision in 2010. In the last meeting where MSU swept Georgia in Starkville, Spencer hit a team-best .375 percentage with five kills while sophomore Maddie Lobenstein posted four kills. Sophomore Cassidy Anderson led the backrow with seven digs. Defensively at the net, McCray notched five blocks.
For her career, Eatmon has 38 kills and a .342 hitting mark against the league's other Bulldogs to go with eight service aces and 14 blocks. Eatmon's three aces against MSU in 2012 still holds as a career high, as it is tied with the three she had against Ole Miss this season.
LONE SENIOR EATMON HONORED ON SENIOR NIGHT SUNDAY
Eatmon will play her last collegiate game in Athens on Sunday and will be honored as the team's lone senior for Senior Night. For her career, Eatmon has 701 kills to go with a .302 hitting percentage. The California native has 338 total blocks, 267 digs and 49 service aces in her four-year career. She is two block assists away from breaking into the career top 10, currently at 292, while her .302 hitting percentage would place her eighth all-time. Eatmon also was a part of the 2013 squad that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the first time Georgia went to postseason play since 2004. A SEC All-Freshman Team selection in 2012, she helped Georgia to its best record since 1994 after going 22-10 in 2013.
GRUELING SCHEDULE CONTINUES FOR GEORGIA
The NCAA released its seventh RPI of the season, as 16 of Georgia's opponents ranked in the top 150. The Bulldogs have faced 11 in the top 100 and five in the top 20. Of the remaining schedule, all four opponents are in the top 130, including Alabama (82) and Mississippi State (129).
MCCRAY HAS SOLID OUTINGS FOR BULLDOGS
McCray put up solid numbers for the Bulldogs in last week's matches. The redshirt junior led the team with 14 kills, hitting .370 in the pair of games, and six blocks, including two solo stops against the Tigers. It was the sixth time this year that the South Carolina native had two solo blocks in a match and the first against a SEC opponent. McCray along with Devan Porter and Spencer tallied eight kills each at Mizzou.
DEFENSE STAND TALLS AT MIZZOU
The Georgia defense played well on Friday at Mizzou, standing with one of the top teams in the league statistically. The Bulldogs tallied one more dig than the Tigers, 39-38, led by junior Elle McCord's 11 digs. It marked the eighth time this year that McCord had double-digit digs. At the net, Georgia and Mizzou tied at six blocks each, as McCray collected a team-best five blocks.
WRAPPING 20 YEARS AT RAMSEY CENTER
Georgia volleyball wraps up its 20th season playing in the Ramsey Student Center after its final home match against Mississippi State on Sunday. The Bulldogs' first match was on Sept. 22, 1995, against No. 3 Florida while their first win came against South Carolina on Sept. 24, 1995. Prior to playing in the Ramsey Center, the Bulldogs' home volleyball matches were held in the Women's Physical Education Building. The Ramsey Center is also celebrating its 30th year on UGA's campus.
In home matches this season, the Bulldogs are outblocking their opponents, notching 2.11 per set compared to 1.83 on the other side of the net. The offense also finds a smoother rhythm than away matches with three Bulldogs hitting above .200 in home matches in Spencer, McCray and Eatmon.
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