Georgia Defeats LSU in Five Sets on Senior Day

Saturday, November 27

Athens, Ga.

2:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

12-17,8-10SEC

LSU

13-14,9-9SEC

LSU

Georgia

Photo by: Mackenzie Miles

November 27, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia women's volleyball team concluded the 2021 season Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum with a five-set victory over LSU (16-25, 25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 15-11).

Prior to the match, Georgia honored four senior student-athletes: setter Dalaney Hans, opposites Mallory Hernandez and Kayla Rivera, and libero/defensive specialist Claire Rothenberger.

The Bulldogs conclude the 2021 campaign 12-17 overall and 8-10 in Southeastern Conference play.

Junior Amber Stivrins paced Georgia offense, recording 17 kills. Junior Kacie Evans picked up 14 kills while senior Sage Naves added 13. Evans tied a season-best three aces as Georgia had a season-best 11 service aces as a team.

Evans' 15 digs co-led the defense and went for her seventh double-double of the season. Freshman libero Bailey Cox matched Evans' 15 digs. Naves led Georgia on the net with four blocks.

LSU (13-14, 9-9) came out of the gate quick in the first set, winning 10-of-12 rallies to open a 15-6 lead on the Bulldogs and forcing Georgia to exhaust both timeouts early. Down 12, Georgia won six of the next eight rallies to narrow the Tiger lead, but LSU held on to take the set 25-16.

The second set started close between the Bulldogs and Tigers until LSU went on a five-point run to open a 13-5 advantage. Down eight, Georgia went on a 7-1 run to narrow the deficit to 14-12. Stivrins added two kills and an ace in the run for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs continued to battle and worked to tie the set at 16-all and force an LSU timeout. Later, the Bulldogs took four-of-five to capture a 21-20 lead and force LSU's second break. Georgia concluded the set on a 6-1 run to take the second 25-21. Georgia overcame an eight-point deficit in the frame.

Down 8-5, Georgia used a 6-1 run to take an 11-9 lead in the third. Later, five-straight from Georgia opened a seven-point lead on the Tigers, 20-13. Four-straight from LSU cut Georgia's lead to 20-17. The Bulldogs managed to hold on in the third, drawing set point on back-to-back Clara Brower aces, and taking the frame 25-19 and a 2-1 lead in the match.

LSU turned the tables in the fourth, forcing Georgia to use both timeouts down 10-3. LSU kept its foot on the gas, going ahead 20-10 in the fourth. Georgia regrouped and won 10 of the next 13 points to slice the Tiger lead to three, 23-20, and for LSU to call a timeout. The Tigers halted the Georgia offense and won the fourth 25-20, forcing a fifth and final set.

It was the Bulldogs who took an early lead in the race to 15, going up 6-4 and prompting a Tiger timeout. LSU responded with three-straight to go ahead 7-6. Georgia retook the lead 9-8. Knotted at nine, the Bulldogs won six of the next eight points to capture the fifth 15-11 and the match in five.

Head Coach Tom Black
Opening statement…
"I thought it was a good hard-fought win against a quality team. I think the last 11 games, we definitely turned a corner as a team and started playing some good volleyball, especially the last couple of weeks. I was just really proud of them."

On the team showing heart to pull out the win today…
"I think that's what I was happiest with. There were definitely some stretches where there was some bad volleyball, but we didn't stay in that. We made a change, and we got back to playing at the level of play that we wanted and making the changes that we needed to make. That's something that we weren't doing earlier in the season. I think that speaks to the growth and maturity to the team, which is what you are looking for as a coach. I think there's a lot that we can build off of leading into the Spring."

On sending this senior class off…
"I think they deserve it. I was telling them before that we're not happy with the season at all, no one is, but the fact that no one is happy with the season is a testament to how much they've grown this program. Six-seven years ago, they would have done backflips for eight wins. Now we're really angry about it. That's because the seniors have elevated this program. There's a long way to go for sure. Going from really bad to good happens really quickly, and it's exhilarating. You're getting better so fast, and it's really just the best. When you're at an elite level, that's obviously amazing too because you are able to sustain success. That middle period where you're trying to push through is really hard, and it's painful and slow. You're fighting for inches, and it feels like you're not making any progress, and you just have to keep digging. That's where I feel like we are, but we are there because of all the progress the seniors have made. I do believe in the program and where we're going to break through. I just really want to make sure that the seniors don't lose sight of that because they're the ones who have gotten us there. I think these past couple of games, we have some good wins this season, and that's because of the seniors and how they've led us. They've gone through a lot, and they've done a lot. We're going to miss them."

Junior Kacie Evans
On the match….
"The heart really stepped in, I mean obviously in the fourth set we started really slow, and we knew we didn't want to end like that. We knew our seniors didn't want to end that way, but it's all about heart, especially today and I think the fifth set really determined that and we are not stopping, we were not quitting, so we were fighting to the finish."

On winning on Senior Day…
"It's emotional, I have played with this group for three years now and I am going to miss them a lot. I grew a lot of connections with them. They are really fun people to be around on and off the court and it is going to be hard not being on the same court as them next season, but know that I cherished every moment I had with them and I hope they have a great future and I am excited to see where this team is going to go."