Georgia Holds on to Defeat Sun Devils in Five Sets

Friday, September 3

Lincoln, Neb.

10:00 a.m.

University of Georgia

3-1,0-0SEC

Arizona State

2-2,0-0Pac-12

Georgia

Arizona St.

September 03, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score

LINCOLN, Neb. – The University of Georgia women's volleyball team defeated Arizona State in a five-set battle Friday morning to open play at the Ameritas Players Challenge at the Devaney Center in Lincoln (25-22, 18-25, 25-16, 20-25, 15-7).

Georgia saw four student-athletes top the double-digit kill mark, led by 16 kills from junior Kacie Evans in her first match of the season. Fellow junior Amber Stivrins set a season-high with 15 kills and senior Kayla Rivera set a new season best 13 kills while hitting .476. Sophomore Phoebe Awoleye tied her career best 11 kills in the contest.

Defensively, senior Claire Rothenberger put up a season-best 13 digs and sophomore libero Mallory Downing added the same amount for a new career high. Evans fell two digs shy of a double-double with eight on the morning. On the net, Awoleye recorded a season-best five blocks.

Freshman setter Clara Brower dished out 59 assists in the match.

The match started off tight as the opening set featured seven ties and the lead changed five times. The set began close as each team couldn't take much of a lead on the other. Down 8-7, Georgia went on a 3-0 run to find a 10-8 lead. The Bulldogs were able to hold a lead, despite the Sun Devils going on a 3-0 run to tie it up at 16-all. After a timeout from Georgia, UGA took the next three out of the timeout to regain the lead and ride it to a 25-22 set one victory. Evans picks up six kills in the frame.

Down three in set two, 10-7, Georgia stormed back to win five of the next six rallies to find a 12-11 lead. Three of those five points were kills off Stivrins. A later 6-1 run pushed the Sun Devils to an 18-15 lead, forcing a Georgia timeout. The Sun Devils rolled to a set two win to tie up the match, 25-18. Stivrins tallied five kills in the set.

Georgia jumped out to a quick lead in the third set, leading by three, 10-7. A 6-1 run lengthened the Bulldogs' lead to 16-10. Georgia continued to roll in the third frame en route to a 25-16 win to retake the lead in the match, 2-1. Stivrins and Evans each tapped the 10-kill mark in the third set.

A 5-0 run early in the fourth set propelled Arizona State out to a quick 7-3 lead. The Bulldogs couldn't close the early gap in the fourth as the Sun Devils held on to take the set 25-20, forcing a fifth and final set of the opening match in Lincoln.

Georgia uses a 4-1 run in the fifth to take a 6-4 lead then widened the advantage to 9-5. The Bulldogs ended the match winning six-of-seven points, taking the fifth frame 15-7, and the match, 3-2.

The Bulldogs will take on No. 4 Nebraska Friday evening at 7 p.m., ET. The match will air on Big Ten Network.