Bulldogs Fall in Five-Set Battle with Aggies

Friday, October 8

Bryan-College Station, Texas

8:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

5-11,1-4SEC

Texas A&M

11-5,4-2SEC

Georgia

Texas A&M

October 08, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The University of Georgia women's volleyball team dropped a five-set shootout against Texas A&M Friday evening at Reed Arena to split the series (25-20, 21-25, 27-29, 25-21, 15-17).

The back-and-forth match featured 29 total ties and 11 lead changes.

Senior Kayla Rivera had a career night, finishing with a career-best 15 kills and a career-best 18 digs for her first-ever double-double. She also contributed five blocks in the match. Junior Amber Stivrins tallied 11 kills Friday while freshman Abby Maesch picked up 10.

At the service line, Georgia registered 10 aces on the evening, tying a season best. Stivrins tied a career-high five ace serves.

Senior setter Dalaney Hans also picked up a double-double with career-bests 51 assists and 16 digs.

Freshman libero Bailey Cox led the defense with a season-best 20 digs while senior Claire Rothenberger put up 13 digs of her own. Junior Kacie Evans also topped the double-digit dig mark, finishing with 11. At the net, senior Sage Naves put up a career-best nine blocks. As a team, Georgia's 15.5 blocks were a season best.

The Aggies (11-5, 4-2) took a 7-3 lead before a 5-0 scoring run with Evans at the service line propelled Georgia to its first lead of the match, 8-7. Three-straight from Texas A&M gave the Aggies a 12-11 lead, but Georgia (5-11, 1-4) responded with four-straight of its own to capture a 16-12 advantage. The Bulldogs held on and rolled to a 25-20 set one victory and the 1-0 lead in the match.

Once again, Texas A&M jumped out to a lead in the second set. The Bulldogs halted the Aggies and won 10-of-13 rallies to go ahead 12-9. Texas A&M responded by taking nine of the next 12 points and exhausting both of Georgia's timeouts, down 18-15. The Bulldogs worked to tie it at 20, but Texas A&M finished the set on a 5-1 run to knot the match at a set apiece, 25-21.

Georgia went ahead 4-1 in the third on back-to-back service aces from Stivrins. With Georgia ahead 16-12, a 7-1 Aggie run put TAMU in front 19-17. Stivrins' career high-tying fifth ace tied the set at 20-all. Texas A&M would draw four set points, but Georgia held on to keep the set alive, tying it up each time. Tied at 27, the Aggies took the next two and the 2-1 lead in the match, winning the tight set 29-27. Maesch entered the match in the third and contributed six kills off the bench in the frame.

The Bulldogs erased an early Aggie lead with an 8-0 run to take a 10-5 lead in the must-win set. Texas A&M battled to cut the lead to one at 15-14 and prompt a Georgia timeout. The Bulldogs held on to stay out in front and widen its lead to 20-16. After an Aggie break, the Aggies took three-straight, and Georgia called its final timeout ahead 20-19. Tied at 21, the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to wrap up the set and force a decisive fifth set. Freshman Lyric Stewart, a Texas native, checked in late and picked up two kills for Georgia to draw set point. The set ended on an Evans ace, Georgia's ninth of the match.

Texas A&M jumped ahead early in the race to 15, 6-2, prompting a Bulldog timeout. Down 11-6, Georgia used four-straight, including back-to-back kills from Stewart to slice the Texas A&M lead to one, 11-10. Tied at 13-all, the Bulldogs fended off two Aggie match points, but Texas A&M held on to take the set 17-15 and the match.

The Bulldogs return home to open a four-match homestand next Friday, Oct. 15 when No. 22 Tennessee comes to Stegeman Coliseum.