2018 Volleyball Season Recap

Adversity faced the Georgia volleyball team throughout the 2018 season, head coach Tom Black's second season in Athens. Despite the ups and downs, the Bulldogs finished the season over .500 (15-14) for the second-straight season. 2017 and 2018 are the first back-to-back winning seasons for Georgia volleyball since 2008 and 2009.

The Bulldogs shined in preseason play, finishing the non-conference schedule 9-2. The season kicked off with a seven-match winning streak including knocking off #24 Colorado in four sets on the Buffs' home court on Sept. 7. It was Georgia's first win over a ranked opponent since Oct. 23, 2013 (#15 Kentucky, 3-2). Georgia last opened a season 7-0 in 2016, when it opened 8-0. That was also Georgia's last winning streak of seven or more matches. This season was the seventh time in program history the Bulldogs opened the season 6-0 or better.

The Southeastern Conference slate featured a strong showing of teams in the league this season. The SEC ultimately sent five teams to the NCAA Tournament, the most in the conference since 2014. The Bulldogs played seven matches against those conference opponents.

Georgia concluded SEC play with a 6-12 record, finishing ninth. Georgia was tested early in SEC play, playing five, five-setters in the first six league matches. In the Oct. 7 match at #11 Florida, the Bulldogs took the then-undefeated Gators to five sets, including leading the match, 2-1. It was the first time Georgia had taken a set from Florida since 2010, snapping a 12-match sweep streak by the Gators.

In the Nov. 2 match at Alabama, the Bulldogs defeated the Crimson Tide in four sets to snap a five-match losing streak. Despite playing without keys players and dropping the first set, the Bulldogs banded together in straight sets to roll the Tide in four sets.

The season concluded with back-to-back wins at Stegeman, beginning with a sweep of Arkansas to avenge a straight-set loss to the Razorbacks just two weeks earlier. The curtain fell on the season with a four-set win against Mississippi State on Senior Day. A quintet of seniors played their final match as Bulldogs including Majesti Bass, Sydney Gilliam, Katie Houser, Anna Kate Karstens, and Caroline Ostman.

Junior setter Meghan Donovan continued her career running the Bulldog offense as one of the top setters in the league. Donovan's 11.07 assists ranked second in the SEC (behind Kentucky's Madison Lilley's 11.33 assists/set) and 28th in the nation. As a team, the Bulldogs laid down 13.17 kills per set, finishing fifth in the conference. Donovan picked up SEC Setter of the Week honors four times in 2018 including earning all-tournament honors twice in preseason play. The St. Louis native finished with 1,273 assists. On Sept. 28 against Ole Miss, she recorded her 3,000th-career assist. Entering her senior season, she will rank seventh all-time with 3,647 assists.

Freshman Mallory Hernandez had a breakout rookie campaign. She concluded the season with 2.05 kills per set while hitting .188 on the season. The rookie wrapped up the season by earning the final SEC Freshman of the Week. She recorded 19 kills, a season high, in the sweep of Arkansas. Her 19-kill mark tied a Georgia rally scoring record for kills in three sets. She notched a .436 hitting clip, committing only two errors in 39 attacks. She matched her 19 kills in the win over Mississippi State. She averaged 5.43 kills per set in the final weekend of play.

Anna Kate Karstens concluded her career at Georgia with a stellar senior season. The middle blocker averaged 1.36 kills per set with a .301 hitting clip and a team-high 0.85 blocks per set. She also laid down 24 services aces. Fellow senior middle Majest Bass recorded 2.37 kills per set and 0.81 blocks per set. Bass was the only Bulldog aside from Donovan to play in all 115 sets in 2018. She put the exclamation point on her career with a career-high 20 kills against Mississippi State in the final match of the season, a new four-set rally scoring record.

Rachel Ritchie finished her sophomore season with 3.35 kills per set with a team-best 33 service aces. Ritchie finished as the team points leader with 425.5 total on the season (3.73 points/set).

For the first time in program history, Georgia volleyball played all of its home matches in Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs ranked sixth in average attendance in the league (1,190) in 2018. That figure also ranked 42nd in the country. In all, over 14 thousand Georgia faithful came to Stegeman in the first full-season in the venue.

University of Georgia Athletics

Players Mentioned

Majesti Bass

Meghan Donovan

Sydney Gilliam

Mallory Hernandez

Katie Houser

Anna Kate Karstens

Caroline Ostman

Rachel Ritchie

Related Videos