University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Volleyball Continues With Spring Season
April 01, 2015 | Volleyball
Though the season doesn't begin until August, the Georgia volleyball team is busy preparing for the 2015 season with a series of spring competitions, practices and meetings.
The spring season provides the opportunity for the returning players to continue to develop their skills for the fall. It also allows for the coaches and players to work with different lineups and schemes.
"Spring is the time of year where we get to experiment with lineups and styles of play to maximize our strengths for the upcoming fall," Head Coach Lizzy Stemke said. "In addition, and particularly for this coming fall after graduating a larger class, we are working to strengthen our team dynamic with nine players so that there is a clear path and culture set for the seven new players that will be joining us this summer."
With the graduation of several key players, the returning players have embraced the opportunity to use the spring to develop their roles on the court and work on playing together as a cohesive unit.
"Spring practice is definitely an important to time to invest in individual skill growth and to build team chemistry," Kendall Kazor said. "It's been great, especially as a setter, to solidify timing with the hitters for the season ahead."
In addition to chemistry on the court, Georgia has strived to create a unified culture off the court. They players and coaches meet weekly to set goals and create a team mindset so that a well-defined vision and standards are already established when the incoming freshmen arrive in the summer.
"Having a small core group this spring highlights the reason that hard work and persistence pays off," Jasmine Eatmon said. "We have continued to grow everyday during the spring practices and matches and I can't wait to see what the fall will bring."
The Bulldogs have gone 3-1 so far in competition this spring, and while results are part of the process, the most important progress made has been in building the team dynamic. Georgia kicked off its spring season on March 11 when they ended a Spring Break trip with a pair of wins against Charlotte and Davidson. They then went 1-1 on March 28 at a tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Bulldogs won't be spending all of their time on the road this spring. Fans are encouraged to come out to the Ramsey Center for a sneak peek of the 2015 squad on Thursday, April 9 when the Bulldogs host Georgia State at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs wrap up their spring season with a match at Georgia Southern on April 16.
In addition to its spring competition schedule the Bulldogs are looking to give back to the Athens community. Georgia will be hosting a special spring edition of Spike's Tykes following its practice on April 11 at 11 a.m. Spike's Tykes is a one hour, free clinic for boys and girls, eighth grade or younger. The clinic gives young players the chance to develop their volleyball skills by learning from Georgia players and coaches.
Those interested in participating in Spike's Tykes as asked to contact Lauren Freeman (lfreeman@sports.uga.edu) in the Georgia volleyball office for the registration forms. The form will also be available at the Ramsey Center on the day of.
