University of Georgia Athletics
Fischer, Evans Lead Bulldogs Back To NCAAs
November 30, 2023 | Volleyball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
In the span of about 30 hours last weekend, Kacie Evans experienced about a year's worth of powerful emotions — all of them joyful. Massive and memorable moments are coming in a hurry these days for the Georgia volleyball fifth-year outside hitter, one of the greatest players in program history.
On Saturday afternoon, Evans played her final game inside Stegeman Coliseum, and went through the usual sentimental Senior Day festivities before that — with one very notable addition. As Evans was being saluted pre-match, her boyfriend, Hayden Rubin, was there beside her. And then, to her surprise, he got down on one knee.
"I had no idea, absolutely no clue it was happening," she said.
He asked her to marry him. She, gobsmacked, gleefully said yes. The video Evans posted on Instagram of that special moment is good for the heart and soul.
"It was like getting hit with a truck of excitement," is how Evans colorfully described it.
Once the match against Missouri began, Evans and middle blocker Sophie Fischer led the Bulldogs to their fourth straight win to close out the regular season. Georgia swept the Tigers in three sets, finishing the regular season with a record of 19-11 and in a tie for fourth in the SEC.
The next day, Fischer was named the SEC Player of the Year, and she and Evans made the All-SEC team. It was Fischer's second All-SEC honor since transferring from Kentucky, and the third of Evans' great career. Fischer led the Bulldogs with 458 kills and Evans was second with 349.
Georgia needed every one of those four wins to close the regular season, and the fact that the Bulldogs won 12 of the last 14 sets they played didn't hurt. Because of that strong finish, as well as Georgia's two wins over top-10 teams this season, the Bulldogs were in the NCAA tournament field when it was announced Sunday night. They will face fifth-seeded Arizona State in the first round Friday at BYU, in Provo, Utah.
As Evans, Fischer, setter Clara Brower and coach Tom Black sat down for an interview Monday, Black revealed, to the surprise of the players, that Brower was just named the SEC Setter of the Week for the first time in her career. Brower had a combined 87 assists in the Bulldogs' wins over LSU and Mizzou last week.
Brower is Georgia's first conference Setter of the Week since 2019. The news only added to the feel-good nature of the conversation.
"Shut up!" was Evans' elated reaction to Black's announcement.
The 6-foot-5 Fischer is a dominant force on the court, and her game extends well beyond her kills at the net. Fischer ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in kills, aces, blocks and hitting percentage. And her warm, engaging personality is just as valuable to the team as her play.
Not thinking about any postseason awards, Fischer thought she was in trouble when Black texted her Sunday, asking her to FaceTime him at a specific time that afternoon.
"I was just thinking for an hour or two of all the possible things I could have done wrong," said Fischer, only the second SEC Player of the Year in program history. She added with a laugh that the award "was more like a relief because I was not in trouble. It was mixed emotions. I was like, 'Oh, God, what a relief,' but also, 'This is awesome!'"
Fischer getting the top individual honor in the conference was a no-brainer, Evans said.
"She's the best player in our conference, hands down. And I'm not being biased about that one bit. ... It's just obvious," Evans said. "The way she plays, she's always doing it to win, no matter what. She just surrounds herself with this energy that's like, I'm here to win, and I'm here to do it with the people next to me."
"She's truly, every single day, making herself better, as a leader, as a person, as a player," said Brower as she got choked up talking about her friend and teammate sitting next to her. "Just being able to learn from you has been really awesome, and I'm really honored to play with her."
Hearing all of that praise, Fischer turned a bit red.
"I enjoy playing with them so much, and I couldn't do anything without them," she said.
Black, after witnessing that exchange between three of his best players, said it meant a lot to him to see the bond the players share.
"What we're trying to do is so hard, it's so competitive, and the margins are so thin. If you're not together as a team, you're going to lose those three points you need when it matters," he said.
"There are so many times when they've been in the fire and they've had to look at each other and go: 'I've got you and you've got me.' ... I want them to have relationships with each other for as long as possible, and to have gone through some meaningful moments together, and you can't do that if you don't care about each other."
A year ago, the Bulldogs returned to the NCAA tournament and posted their first win since 1995. Now, they're in the tourney in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1994-95 seasons.
"It's super special to me to be a part of something like this," Fischer said. "Not many teams get to say that they're (hitting significant milestones) each year. I think that's super special, especially seeing all of the hard work that we're putting in to make that possible."
"I think this year has really put in everyone's mind that this isn't a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Brower said of returning to the NCAA tournament. "We want to be a program that can continue to do this back-to-back-to-back. Just being a part of that with this group of girls makes it all really special."
On Friday, Evans will get to experience something she's long wanted to do: play a match at BYU, one of the top programs in the country.
"I'm over the moon; I'm so excited," she said. "It's like a bucket list (opportunity) for me. I've watched these teams growing up, and I've watched BYU growing up, and I cannot wait to play in Provo."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
