VB: Bulldogs Trek to #24 Colorado for Buffs Invitational

Georgia (6-0)
at Buffs Invitational
Dates: Sept. 7-9, 2018
Match Times:
     Friday, 8 p.m., ET - #24 Colorado (3-2)
     Saturday, 2 p.m., ET – Oklahoma (4-2)
     Sunday, 1 p.m., ET – North Carolina (2-3)
Location: Boulder, Colo.
Arena: CU Events Center

Media Information
Streaming Video: Colorado Live Stream (Colorado match only)
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAvolleyball

First Serve
Georgia volleyball (6-0) will return west to Colorado this weekend for the Buffs Invitational hosted by #24 Colorado.

The Bulldogs will open tournament play against the Buffaloes Friday at 8 p.m., ET. Saturday's match will contest the 2018 Rose Bowl on the volleyball court as Georgia will take on Oklahoma at 2 p.m. Tournament action will close Sunday at 1 p.m. against North Carolina.

Follow the Bulldogs
• Georgia's match against Colorado will be streamed live on Colorado Live Stream as part of the Pac-12 Networks.
• Live stats will be available for all matches of the Buffs Invitational. Links can be found on the volleyball schedule on GeorgiaDogs.com.
• Twitter updates will be available all season long on the official Twitter page of Georgia volleyball, @UGAvolleyball.

BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Series Histories
Colorado
• Georgia trails 2-3
• Georgia and Colorado have not met in 20 years, last meeting was on Sept. 5, 1998
• Colorado has won the last two meetings (1997, 1998)
• Georgia last defeated the Buffaloes in 1995 in five sets; Colorado was ranked #12 at the time
Oklahoma
• Georgia leads 5-0
• Georgia and OU met last season in Athens, Ohio; Georgia won in straight sets
• The series dates back to 1985
North Carolina
• Series tied 7-7
• Despite having the longest history in the tournament, Georgia and UNC have not met since 1994
• Georgia won the last three meetings (1990, 1992, 1994)

A Look at What's Ahead
The Bulldogs return to the Peach State next weekend to take part in the Georgia Tech Classic. UGA will face off against the YellowJackets Friday at 7 p.m. at O'Keefe Gymnasium. The non-conference slate will come to an end when Georgia plays North Carolina State Saturday in Atlanta.

Let's Recap
Georgia remained perfect on the season, sweeping its way to the UCI/Adidas Invitational crown last weekend in Irvine, California. The Bulldogs swept Texas Tech, UC Irvine, and Cal State Bakersfield. Meghan Donovan was named the Tournament MVP and Rachel Ritchie and Kendall Glover earned All-Tournament honors.

AVCA Top 25 Poll
The Bulldogs received votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Georgia last cracked the Top 25 in 1995, achieving a season-high ranking of 22. The highest the Bulldogs have ever been ranked was #13 in 1993.

A Perfect Start... Again
Georgia last opened a season 6-0 in 2016, when it opened 8-0. That was also Georgia's last winning streak of six or more matches. UGA has opened a season 6-0 or better seven times in its history. 2018 is the fourth-straight season Georgia has opened with a 3-0 record. It's also the sixth time in the last seven years the Bulldogs have done so.

Aces Wild
Georgia ranks 14th in the country, second in the SEC, with 2.10 aces per set. The Bulldogs have picked up where they left off a season ago at the service line as they averaged 1.57 aces per set to lead the league. Kendall Glover, who recorded seven in three sets against Texas Tech (tying a Georgia rally scoring record), ranks second in the league.

Donovan Named First SEC Setter of the Week
Meghan Donovan was named the first SEC Setter of the Week for the 2018 season on Aug. 27. Donovan averaged 11.08 assists a set on opening weekend while running a Bulldog offense that hit .286. She recorded double-doubles in all three matches, tallying 39 digs (3.25 per set) to rank second on the team for the weekend. She also assisted on six blocks.

SEC Preseason Poll
The Bulldogs were picked to finish in the top four of the Southeastern Conference, garnering 105 points in voting by the league's head coaches. 2017 co-champion Kentucky, picking up eight first-place votes and 140 points, has been chosen to win the league in 2018. The Bulldogs were picked tied with LSU with 105 points.

Ceasar Tabbed Preseason All-SEC
Sophomore T'ara Ceasar was voted Preseason All-SEC by the league's head coaches. As a freshman, she was an All-SEC and All-Freshman Team pick, becoming the first All-SEC freshman Bulldog since Jasmine Eatmon in 2012. She became the first in Georgia history to receive seven SEC weekly honors in one season, breaking the previous record of two by a freshman Bulldog. Ceasar was named to the 2017 AVCA All-Southeast Region Team, finishing the season as the highest-ranked freshman nationally in kills (4.14) and points per set (4.79).

Breaking Down the Roster
Georgia returns five starters plus a libero in 2018. In all, 11 letterwinners return. The squad features Preseason All-SEC outside hitter T'ara Ceasar and AVCA All-Southeast Region honorable mention setter Meghan Donovan. A strong sophomore class featuring Ceasar, Rachel Ritchie, and Kendall Glover look to help guide Georgia to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. New to the roster in 2018 is a trio of true freshmen in middle blocker Sage Naves (Agoura Hills, Calif.), outside Kayla Rivera (Ventura, Calif.), and opposite Mallory Hernandez (Fishers, Ind.).

2018 Schedule at a Glance
The 29-match schedule will feature 12 contests in Athens, set to be played in Stegeman Coliseum. SEC play begins at Stegeman on Sept. 21 when Georgia hosts LSU. The 2018 schedule features four teams that finished in the AVCA final top 25: #2 Florida, #6 Kentucky, #19 Colorado, and #20 Missouri. Six teams on Georgia's schedule competed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Georgia will conclude the regular season with four-straight matches at home beginning Nov. 15 against Auburn.

Ceasar, Ritchie Compete Internationally
Sophomores T'ara Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie each competed internationally over the summer. Ceasar was one of 12 student-athletes who competed for the USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team in China over the summer. The USA went 4-1. Ritchie played for Bring It Promotions (BIP) in the Binh Dien Tournament in Vietnam. The USA finished second after dropping a five-set championship match.

Georgia Volleyball Cited in APR Recognition
Georgia Volleyball was one of four Bulldog varsity sports teams publicly recognized by the NCAA for outstanding achievement in the annual NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) report. The recognition honors teams that scored in the top ten percent of all teams across the country in each sport.

Georgia Finished in Top Four of SEC in Every Offensive Category
The Georgia offense placed itself in the top four of every offensive category in 2017, including hitting percentage, assists, kills, and service aces. The conference rankings featured Georgia at the top in service aces with a 1.57 average, highlighted by T'ara Ceasar who led the team in service aces in 12 matches last season.

The Bulldogs were fourth at .243 in hitting percentage. In kills, Georgia boasted a third-place position (13.75), fueled by outside hitters Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie at third and fourth in the individual rankings. Meghan Donovan headlined the Georgia assists, providing her own third-place spot with 10.95 per match, bringing Georgia to its fourth position as a team 12.91 assists per set.

Black in His First Season
In his first season at Georgia, head coach Tom Black placed 22 W's in the win column. Of the six head coaches before him, he topped five of them in their first season. Jim Iams guided the Bulldogs to a 30-4 season in his first year at the helm (1989). Georgia also appeared in the NIVC that season.

Last Season in Non-Conference play
Georgia went 10-3 in non-conference play in 2017, which included three tournaments. After opening the season 4-0 at home, Meghan Donovan and Kendall Glover headlined the Bobcat Invitational at Ohio. The next weekend, Georgia was crowned tournament champions at the Wildcat Invitational at Davidson, with Glover and Rachel Ritchie being named respective Tournament MVP and All-Tournament.

VB: Bulldogs Trek to #24 Colorado for Buffs Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Meghan Donovan

Kendall Glover

Mallory Hernandez

Sage Powell

Rachel Ritchie

Kayla Rivera

University of Georgia Athletics