University of Georgia Athletics
Saturday, October 17
Athens, Ga.
2:00 p.m.
University of Georgia
0-1,0-0SEC
0
vs
3
South Carolina
1-0,0-0SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Georgia | 21 | 19 | 23 | 0 |
Photo by: Chamberlain Smith
Georgia Falls in Three Sets in Season Opener
October 17, 2020 | Volleyball
ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia women's volleyball team opened the 2020 season Saturday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs dropped a 3-0 decision to South Carolina (21-25, 19-25, 23-25).
The Bulldogs' offensive attack was led by 10 kills from senior Rachel Ritchie, the 68th double-digit kill match of her career. Junior Mallory Hernandez and sophomore Amber Stivrins each tallied eight kills for Georgia. Stivrins and Ritchie each recorded an ace.
Stivrins led the Georgia defense with 12 digs in her Bulldog debut. Redshirt-junior libero Claire Rothenberger notched eight digs on Saturday. On the net, freshman Phoebe Awoleye and Hernandez each tallied three blocks.
"It felt great to be competing again. It's been a long time, so we're glad to be back in Stegeman Coliseum," head coach Tom Black said. "We'll break it down tonight, and I'll learn a lot more. I thought, obviously, we played better in the third set. We've got some work to do and have to rebound for tomorrow. We can play better in every phase. We're excited to show that tomorrow."
A 5-0 run by South Carolina early in the opening set prompted a quick timeout from Georgia, 8-3. Georgia rebounded after the timeout to cut the Gamecock lead to one, 11-10, and force a timeout from the other bench; but South Carolina came out of the break with an 8-1 run to open a big lead in the first set, 19-11. Georgia wasn't going to go out easy, halting the Gamecock attack late to pull within three, 23-20, but it was too late as the Gamecocks wrapped the set, 25-21, to take the early lead in the match. Hernandez tallied five first set kills and hit .714 to begin the match.
The Bulldogs held an early advantage in the second stanza, leading 7-4, but three-straight Gamecock points tied it up at 7 all. Knotted at 9-9, South Carolina used a 7-2 run to open a 16-11 lead. With Georgia once again closing the gap to 20-17, the Gamecocks finished off the set and rolled to a 25-19 win in set two to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was the closest of the match as the stanza featured 18 ties and 11 lead changes. Tied at 21, a successful challenge by the Bulldogs revered a call to give them the 22-21 advantage. Back-to-back Kyla Manning kills flipped the lead once again, but Ritchie knotted it with her 10th kill of the match at 23 all. A pair of Bulldog errors were the final points of the match, dropping the third set 25-23. Half of Ritchie's total kills came in the final set.
Georgia and South Carolina will square off once again Sunday at noon, ET, at Stegeman Coliseum. The match will air on SEC Network.
The Bulldogs' offensive attack was led by 10 kills from senior Rachel Ritchie, the 68th double-digit kill match of her career. Junior Mallory Hernandez and sophomore Amber Stivrins each tallied eight kills for Georgia. Stivrins and Ritchie each recorded an ace.
Stivrins led the Georgia defense with 12 digs in her Bulldog debut. Redshirt-junior libero Claire Rothenberger notched eight digs on Saturday. On the net, freshman Phoebe Awoleye and Hernandez each tallied three blocks.
"It felt great to be competing again. It's been a long time, so we're glad to be back in Stegeman Coliseum," head coach Tom Black said. "We'll break it down tonight, and I'll learn a lot more. I thought, obviously, we played better in the third set. We've got some work to do and have to rebound for tomorrow. We can play better in every phase. We're excited to show that tomorrow."
A 5-0 run by South Carolina early in the opening set prompted a quick timeout from Georgia, 8-3. Georgia rebounded after the timeout to cut the Gamecock lead to one, 11-10, and force a timeout from the other bench; but South Carolina came out of the break with an 8-1 run to open a big lead in the first set, 19-11. Georgia wasn't going to go out easy, halting the Gamecock attack late to pull within three, 23-20, but it was too late as the Gamecocks wrapped the set, 25-21, to take the early lead in the match. Hernandez tallied five first set kills and hit .714 to begin the match.
The Bulldogs held an early advantage in the second stanza, leading 7-4, but three-straight Gamecock points tied it up at 7 all. Knotted at 9-9, South Carolina used a 7-2 run to open a 16-11 lead. With Georgia once again closing the gap to 20-17, the Gamecocks finished off the set and rolled to a 25-19 win in set two to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was the closest of the match as the stanza featured 18 ties and 11 lead changes. Tied at 21, a successful challenge by the Bulldogs revered a call to give them the 22-21 advantage. Back-to-back Kyla Manning kills flipped the lead once again, but Ritchie knotted it with her 10th kill of the match at 23 all. A pair of Bulldog errors were the final points of the match, dropping the third set 25-23. Half of Ritchie's total kills came in the final set.
Georgia and South Carolina will square off once again Sunday at noon, ET, at Stegeman Coliseum. The match will air on SEC Network.
Team Stats
USC
UGa
Kills
44
38
Errors
12
22
Attempts
99
111
Hitting %
.323
.144
Points
61
46
Assists
38
32
Aces
3
2
Blocks
14
6
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
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