Georgia Travels to Starkville for Final Series

Wednesday, March 31

Starkville, Miss.

2 p.m.

University of Georgia

Mississippi State

Photo by: Tony Walsh

March 30, 2021 | Volleyball

Mississippi State Match Notes

Georgia (7-13, 7-13 SEC)
at Mississippi State (4-14, 4-14 SEC)
Dates: Wednesday, March 31; Thursday, April 1, 2021
Times: Wednesday – 2 p.m., ET; Thursday – 2 p.m., ET
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Arena: Newell-Grissom Building

Media Information
Streaming Video: SEC Network+
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter: @UGAvolleyball

First Serve
The 2020-21 Georgia volleyball season will come to a close this week when the Bulldogs travel to Starkville, Mississippi for a two-match series with Mississippi State.

Georgia and Mississippi State will serve it up at 2 p.m., ET, both Wednesday and Thursday at Newell-Grissom Building.

Follow the Bulldogs
» Both matches at Mississippi State will stream live on SEC Network+.
» Live stat 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 the Bulldogs, @UGAvolleyball.

BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Series History
- Georgia leads the all-time series with Mississippi State 47-13
- In Starkville, Georgia has won 20 of 27 meetings
- Georgia has won the last four matches, all under Tom Black, including the last two in Starkville

A Look Back
Georgia closed out the home portion of the 2020-21 schedule last week by defeating Ole Miss in a pair of five-set matches at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs needed to come back in both matches after dropping the opening set both nights. Georgia won the second and third sets of both matches only to have Ole Miss win the fourth set and force back-to-back five set affairs. Georgia prevailed in both fifth sets to earn the first series sweep of the 2020-21 season. Kacie Evans (24) and Rachel (20) each tallied 20-plus kills in the final home match. It was the first time since 2018 Georgia has two Bulldogs top the 20-kill mark.

Back in the Win Column
Georgia's snapped an eight-match losing skid with a five-set victory over Texas A&M on March 13. The win was Georgia's first win of the spring season. Multiple season and career highs were recorded for the Bulldogs in the match. The home schedule concluded with a pair of five-set wins over Ole Miss, Georgia's first series sweep of the season. Georgia is 4-1 in five-set matches this season. After going 0-6 in February, the Bulldogs are 3-3 in March.

Block Party in Athens
Following seasons of ranking toward the bottom of the conference in blocking, Georgia has had a renewed focus on that area of its play this season. Georgia has ranked in the top half this season in the category with 2.18 blocks per set. Georgia put up over 3.0 blocks per set against Arkansas (22 blocks in seven sets). In the five-set win over Texas A&M, the Bulldogs put up a season-high 17 blocks. Freshman Phoebe Awoleye is a top-five blocker in the league, averaging over a block per set. In the country, Georgia ranks 27th in total blocks with 170.

13 Land on Fall SEC Honor Roll
The Georgia volleyball team placed 13 student-athletes on the 2020 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. Phoebe Awoleye, Brynn Chandler, Kacie Evans, Alexa Fortin, Meghan Froemming, Londyn Gray, Dalaney Hans, Mallory Hernandez, Sage Naves, Rachel Ritchie, Kayla Rivera, Claire Rothenberger, Kianna Young all earned the academic distinction.

Three Bulldogs Earn Degrees
A trio of Georgia volleyball student-athletes earned their undergraduate degrees in December. Brynn Chandler (Communications Studies), Rachel Ritchie (English), and Kianna Young (Biological Engineering) all earned their diplomas from UGA. All three have began work towards their Masters degree from UGA.

History in Gainesville
Georgia volleyball made history on Nov. 21 in Gainesville, Florida when the Bulldogs defeated then-No. 5 Florida, 3-1, snapping a 19-match losing streak to the Gators. Not only was it the first win against Florida since 2008, it was the first win in Gainesville since Nov. 7, 1986, and the first win over a top-10 opponent since the same win against Florida in 2008 when the Gators were ranked No. 8 in Athens. It became the program's highest-ever ranked win and first over a top-5 opponent. The win was the 10th all-time against Florida in 77 meetings.