University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Sign Georgia Native Erykah Lovett
December 19, 2023 | Volleyball
ATHENS, Ga. – University of Georgia head volleyball coach Tom Black has announced the addition of transfer outside hitter and Georgia native Erykah Lovett from Tennessee.
Erykah Lovett (pronounced LUHV-it) is a 5-11 rising senior outside hitter from Newnan, Georgia. She will complete her Business Management degree at Tennessee in the spring and transfer to Georgia ahead of the fall 2024 semester.
"Erykah has established herself as one of the SEC's top outside hitters and we are thrilled to welcome her back to her home state," Black said. "She's going to do great things in her final year, and we can't wait to help her pursue those goals. It's an exciting day for our program."
In two seasons in Knoxville, Lovett played in 61 matches, appearing in 213 sets for the Lady Vols. She registered 618 kills (2.90 kills/set) with 35 aces, 608 digs, and 70 blocks. She helped guide the Lady Vols to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023 including a Sweet 16 appearance this past season.
Lovett will play for her third school in her collegiate career. She lost her freshman season in 2020 at Long Beach State due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She played for the Beach in 2021 before transferring to Tennessee in 2022. In three seasons of competition, she has registered 912 total kills and 913 total digs with 77 aces and 99 blocks.
This past season, Lovett finished third on the team with 239 kills, averaging 2.46 kills per set. Her 269 total digs and 3.05 digs per set were second on the Lady Vols. She recorded seven double-doubles on the season including topping the double-digit kill mark 10 times and double-digit dig mark 16 times. She put up 10 kills against Texas in the Sweet 16 match.
Lovett had a stellar season in 2022 on Rocky Top, registering 379 kills, 312 digs, 53 assists, 30 blocks, and 20 aces. She ranked 11th in the SEC in kills and 16 in kills per set (3.27). She put up 14 double-doubles, with 24 10-plus kill matches including eight of 15 or more and three times reaching 20 kills in a match. Defensively, Lovett put up five or more digs in 30 matches including double-digit digs 16 times and eclipsing the 20-dig mark once.
Lovett played her freshman season at Long Beach State in 2021. She played in all 31 matches as a freshman, finishing second on the team in both kills (294) and kills per set (2.70). She led the Big West Conference with 42 aces and 0.39 aces per set. She recorded 10 double-doubles and 16 double-digit kill matches.
In her prep career at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Lovett was a three-time all-state and all-region selection and was twice named the player of the year. She was a Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year finalist in 2018 and 2019. She reached the 1,000 kills mark during her junior season. She guided McIntosh to three-straight 5A state championships (2017, 2018, 2019). She played club for A5 South 17 and won the USAV 15 National Championship.
Erykah is the daughter of Ella Cleveland and Eric Lovett. Both parents played basketball at the University of South Alabama while her mom also played volleyball at Mississippi State. She has four siblings including a brother Eric Lovett, Jr. who played basketball at Florida International.
Lovett joins transfer outside hitter Bianna Muoneke (Texas A&M) and incoming freshmen Emma Duffield (outside hitter) and Molly Kate "MK" Patten (middle blocker/opposite) as signees for the 2024 season.
Erykah Lovett (pronounced LUHV-it) is a 5-11 rising senior outside hitter from Newnan, Georgia. She will complete her Business Management degree at Tennessee in the spring and transfer to Georgia ahead of the fall 2024 semester.
"Erykah has established herself as one of the SEC's top outside hitters and we are thrilled to welcome her back to her home state," Black said. "She's going to do great things in her final year, and we can't wait to help her pursue those goals. It's an exciting day for our program."
In two seasons in Knoxville, Lovett played in 61 matches, appearing in 213 sets for the Lady Vols. She registered 618 kills (2.90 kills/set) with 35 aces, 608 digs, and 70 blocks. She helped guide the Lady Vols to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023 including a Sweet 16 appearance this past season.
Lovett will play for her third school in her collegiate career. She lost her freshman season in 2020 at Long Beach State due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She played for the Beach in 2021 before transferring to Tennessee in 2022. In three seasons of competition, she has registered 912 total kills and 913 total digs with 77 aces and 99 blocks.
This past season, Lovett finished third on the team with 239 kills, averaging 2.46 kills per set. Her 269 total digs and 3.05 digs per set were second on the Lady Vols. She recorded seven double-doubles on the season including topping the double-digit kill mark 10 times and double-digit dig mark 16 times. She put up 10 kills against Texas in the Sweet 16 match.
Lovett had a stellar season in 2022 on Rocky Top, registering 379 kills, 312 digs, 53 assists, 30 blocks, and 20 aces. She ranked 11th in the SEC in kills and 16 in kills per set (3.27). She put up 14 double-doubles, with 24 10-plus kill matches including eight of 15 or more and three times reaching 20 kills in a match. Defensively, Lovett put up five or more digs in 30 matches including double-digit digs 16 times and eclipsing the 20-dig mark once.
Lovett played her freshman season at Long Beach State in 2021. She played in all 31 matches as a freshman, finishing second on the team in both kills (294) and kills per set (2.70). She led the Big West Conference with 42 aces and 0.39 aces per set. She recorded 10 double-doubles and 16 double-digit kill matches.
In her prep career at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Lovett was a three-time all-state and all-region selection and was twice named the player of the year. She was a Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year finalist in 2018 and 2019. She reached the 1,000 kills mark during her junior season. She guided McIntosh to three-straight 5A state championships (2017, 2018, 2019). She played club for A5 South 17 and won the USAV 15 National Championship.
Erykah is the daughter of Ella Cleveland and Eric Lovett. Both parents played basketball at the University of South Alabama while her mom also played volleyball at Mississippi State. She has four siblings including a brother Eric Lovett, Jr. who played basketball at Florida International.
Lovett joins transfer outside hitter Bianna Muoneke (Texas A&M) and incoming freshmen Emma Duffield (outside hitter) and Molly Kate "MK" Patten (middle blocker/opposite) as signees for the 2024 season.
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