University of Georgia Athletics
Thursday, March 25
Athens, Ga.
6:00 p.m.
University of Georgia
7-13,7-13SEC
3
vs
2
Ole Miss
1-19,1-19SEC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Ole Miss
25
30
19
28
12
2
Georgia
19
32
25
26
15
3
Photo by: Tony Walsh
Georgia Sweeps Series Against Ole Miss, Downs Rebels in Five Thursday
March 25, 2021 | Volleyball
ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia volleyball defeated Ole Miss in five sets (19-25, 32-30, 25-19, 26-28, 15-12) Thursday evening at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia swept the two-match series against the Rebels, winning Wednesday's contest in five sets.
Georgia's offense was led by 20-kill performances from senior Rachel Ritchie and sophomore Kacie Evans. Ritchie's 20 kills was a season high and 7th 20-kill match of her career. She registered a .567 hitting clip. Evans tied a career-best 24 kills in the match. Sophomore Meghan Froemming tied a season-best seven kills.
The last time Georgia had two players with 20-plus kills was Oct. 3, 3018 at Auburn. Ritchie was one of the two then also.
Senior setter Brynn Chandler recorded a double-double with a career-best 28 assists and 13 digs. Fellow setter, redshirt-junior Dalaney Hans handed out 30 assists.
Redshirt-junior libero Claire Rothenberger tallied 16 digs to lead the team. On the net, freshman Phoebe Awoleye put up six blocks.
In total, Thursday's match featured 35 ties and 12 lead changes.
The Rebels jumped out to an early 6-1 lead to begin the match. Georgia quickly worked to tie the set at seven all. Three-straight Rebel aces by Gabby Easton opened a 19-12 lead for Ole Miss. The Rebels drew set point at 24-17 and Georgia won three-straight but wasn't able to close the gap late, falling 25-19.
Ole Miss kept the momentum going into set two, taking an early 9-2 lead. Georgia slowly chipped away at the lead. Down 22-18, Georgia won four-straight to tie it at 22-22. The teams began trading points, going back and forth. Finally, tied at 30, kills by junior Sage Naves and Awoleye secured the set for the Bulldogs and tied the match, 32-30.
An Evans ace put Georgia in front 8-5 in set three, forcing an early Ole Miss timeout. While the Rebels remained close on Georgia's heals, Georgia never relinquished the lead in the set and took the frame 25-19 and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Like Ole Miss in set two, Georgia used its momentum going into set four, taking a 6-1 lead and forcing a Rebel timeout. Trailing 11-8, Ole Miss won seven of the next nine, ralling to capture a 15-14 lead and prompt a Bulldog timeout. Georgia regrouped after the break and found an 18-17 lead. The teams began exchanging points and the set went into extra points. Tied at 26, Ole Miss sided out to win the set 28-26 and forced a fifth set for the second night in a row.
It was the Rebels who took the lead early in set five, but a 6-1 Georgia run gave the Bulldogs a 9-5 advantage. Ole Miss cut it to 13-11, but Georgia was able to hold on and win the fifth 15-12 and take the match in five.
Head Coach Tom Black
On how the team responded early…
"Not very well initially. We came out super flat and with really low intensity. We were very close to being down 2-0, but we were able to rally back in the second set. It was just kind of a battle from there."
On the team's service errors…
"It's probably different for each person, but we missed a ton. We have to be better there."
On keeping composure in five-set matches…
"We talk about playing point-for-point. I thought in both matches, we started really slow, and we started to respond in the second set. I thought by the time we got to the fifth set, our intensity was at a pretty good pace. It definitely was not a pretty match either night, but our girls were fighting. We were luckily able to find a rhythm in the fifth set both nights."
Sophomore Kacie Evans
On winning back-to-back games…
"Going from the tough Spring season that we've had, just a lot of losses that we wanted to have wins and a lot of wins fought our butts off for. We knew that we had to come out tonight, especially for the seniors because it's their last time at Stegeman. We did it for them, and we wanted to show them that Georgia volleyball is still here. We still have one more weekend where we need to compete against another Mississippi school. We're here to just fight until the end and see where we stand."
On keeping composure in a five-set match…
"We knew that we had to respond in some way. It was definitely a lot later than we would have wanted, but we knew as a team that something needed to change, especially after Texas A&M at home. We didn't want to lose at home again. We just kept going and going and going. There was something special tonight, and it was not only for the seniors, but everyone stepped up a little bit at a time. That's so huge for our program because we're still growing."
Senior Rachel Ritchie
On keys to her success…
"It was just about communication with the setters, just knowing that I have their back and they have mine no matter what happens, if it's a kill or error, that we both work on it together. We can't just be separate on the court."
On getting how the win feels as a senior…
"It feels great. It's definitely an emotional night for us. It feels great to end it with a win on our home court."
Georgia's offense was led by 20-kill performances from senior Rachel Ritchie and sophomore Kacie Evans. Ritchie's 20 kills was a season high and 7th 20-kill match of her career. She registered a .567 hitting clip. Evans tied a career-best 24 kills in the match. Sophomore Meghan Froemming tied a season-best seven kills.
The last time Georgia had two players with 20-plus kills was Oct. 3, 3018 at Auburn. Ritchie was one of the two then also.
Senior setter Brynn Chandler recorded a double-double with a career-best 28 assists and 13 digs. Fellow setter, redshirt-junior Dalaney Hans handed out 30 assists.
Redshirt-junior libero Claire Rothenberger tallied 16 digs to lead the team. On the net, freshman Phoebe Awoleye put up six blocks.
In total, Thursday's match featured 35 ties and 12 lead changes.
The Rebels jumped out to an early 6-1 lead to begin the match. Georgia quickly worked to tie the set at seven all. Three-straight Rebel aces by Gabby Easton opened a 19-12 lead for Ole Miss. The Rebels drew set point at 24-17 and Georgia won three-straight but wasn't able to close the gap late, falling 25-19.
Ole Miss kept the momentum going into set two, taking an early 9-2 lead. Georgia slowly chipped away at the lead. Down 22-18, Georgia won four-straight to tie it at 22-22. The teams began trading points, going back and forth. Finally, tied at 30, kills by junior Sage Naves and Awoleye secured the set for the Bulldogs and tied the match, 32-30.
An Evans ace put Georgia in front 8-5 in set three, forcing an early Ole Miss timeout. While the Rebels remained close on Georgia's heals, Georgia never relinquished the lead in the set and took the frame 25-19 and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Like Ole Miss in set two, Georgia used its momentum going into set four, taking a 6-1 lead and forcing a Rebel timeout. Trailing 11-8, Ole Miss won seven of the next nine, ralling to capture a 15-14 lead and prompt a Bulldog timeout. Georgia regrouped after the break and found an 18-17 lead. The teams began exchanging points and the set went into extra points. Tied at 26, Ole Miss sided out to win the set 28-26 and forced a fifth set for the second night in a row.
It was the Rebels who took the lead early in set five, but a 6-1 Georgia run gave the Bulldogs a 9-5 advantage. Ole Miss cut it to 13-11, but Georgia was able to hold on and win the fifth 15-12 and take the match in five.
Head Coach Tom Black
On how the team responded early…
"Not very well initially. We came out super flat and with really low intensity. We were very close to being down 2-0, but we were able to rally back in the second set. It was just kind of a battle from there."
On the team's service errors…
"It's probably different for each person, but we missed a ton. We have to be better there."
On keeping composure in five-set matches…
"We talk about playing point-for-point. I thought in both matches, we started really slow, and we started to respond in the second set. I thought by the time we got to the fifth set, our intensity was at a pretty good pace. It definitely was not a pretty match either night, but our girls were fighting. We were luckily able to find a rhythm in the fifth set both nights."
Sophomore Kacie Evans
On winning back-to-back games…
"Going from the tough Spring season that we've had, just a lot of losses that we wanted to have wins and a lot of wins fought our butts off for. We knew that we had to come out tonight, especially for the seniors because it's their last time at Stegeman. We did it for them, and we wanted to show them that Georgia volleyball is still here. We still have one more weekend where we need to compete against another Mississippi school. We're here to just fight until the end and see where we stand."
On keeping composure in a five-set match…
"We knew that we had to respond in some way. It was definitely a lot later than we would have wanted, but we knew as a team that something needed to change, especially after Texas A&M at home. We didn't want to lose at home again. We just kept going and going and going. There was something special tonight, and it was not only for the seniors, but everyone stepped up a little bit at a time. That's so huge for our program because we're still growing."
Senior Rachel Ritchie
On keys to her success…
"It was just about communication with the setters, just knowing that I have their back and they have mine no matter what happens, if it's a kill or error, that we both work on it together. We can't just be separate on the court."
On getting how the win feels as a senior…
"It feels great. It's definitely an emotional night for us. It feels great to end it with a win on our home court."
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Team Stats
OM
UGa
Kills
59
73
Errors
18
21
Attempts
127
139
Hitting %
.323
.374
Points
79
89
Assists
55
69
Aces
9
7
Blocks
11
9
Game Leaders
Kills
24
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
20
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS
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