Volleyball Begins 2023 Season Friday at Ramsey

Georgia (0-0)
Hosting the Classic City Clash
Dates: Friday, Aug. 25-Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023
Location: Athens, Ga.
Arena: Ramsey Student Center
Admission: FREE (no tickets required / seating is first come, first served)
Participating Teams:
   UConn (0-0)
   Florida State (0-0)
   Western Carolina (0-0)

Classic City Clash Schedule:
Friday, Aug. 25
Florida State vs. Western Carolina - 3 p.m.
Georgia vs. UConn - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 26
Georgia vs. Western Carolina - 10:30 a.m.
Western Carolina vs. UConn - 2:30 p.m.
Georgia vs. Florida State - 7 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 27
FSU vs. UConn - 11 a.m.

Media Information
Streaming: SEC Network+ (Georgia matches only)
   Play-by-play: Kaleb Frady
   Analysis: Nikki Nicholson Chester
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
X: @UGAvolleyball

First Serve
Georgia women's volleyball begins the 2023 season at Ramsey Student Center this weekend, hosting the Classic City Clash. Admission to every match of the Classic City Clash is free.

The Bulldogs open the season Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. against UConn. Georgia will take on Western Carolina at 10:30 a.m. and Florida State at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Follow the Bulldogs
» Every Georgia match of the Classic City Clash will stream live on SEC Network+. Kaleb Frady (play-by-play) and Nikki Nicholson Chester (analysis) will be on the call.
» Live stat links can be found on the volleyball schedule on GeorgiaDogs.com.
» X updates will be available all season long on the official page of the Bulldogs, @UGAvolleyball.

Fan Information at Ramsey Student Center
» Admission is FREE to all regular-season home volleyball matches.
» Fans should enter Ramsey Student Center through the event entrance spectator lobby.
» Parking is available in East Campus Deck.
» The SEC Clear Bag Policy will be in effect.
» All concessions and merchandise transactions are cashless/contactless.
     - Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover are accepted.

BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Series Histories
UConn
- First Meeting
Western Carolina
- Georgia leads the all-time series 8-0
- In Athens, Georgia is 4-0 against the Catamounts, most recently meeting in 2009
- The Bulldogs and Catamounts have only met twice in the 2000's: 2007 in Atlanta, 2009 in Athens
Florida State
- Georgia trails the all-time series 10-11
- The Bulldogs are 5-1 against the Seminoles in Athens, most recently meeting in Athens in 2003
- Florida State has won the last two meetings: 2021 in Orlando, 2012 in Tallahassee

Evans, Fischer Tabbed All-SEC
Graduate Kacie Evans and senior Sophie Fischer were named to the 2023 Volleyball Preseason All-SEC Team. Additionally, Georgia was picked to finish fourth in the league this upcoming season, garnering 106 points in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Kentucky was picked as the preseason favorite. Evans finished first in the SEC in total kills and points (578) and second in kills per set, total aces, and aces per set (0.39) last season. Fischer's 183 total blocks finished third all-time at Georgia in a single season and the most in a season in the rally scoring era.

Bulldogs Return Big Numbers
The 2023 Georgia volleyball roster returns a lot of its offensive and defensive production from a season ago that saw the Bulldogs advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. On the offense, Georgia returns 73 percent of its kills total and 65 percent of its total service aces from last season. Kacie Evans led both categories for the Bulldogs last season with 489 kills and 46 aces. On the defensive side of the ball, 77 percent of Georgia's blocking production is back on the front row led by an SEC-best 183 from Sophie Fischer. Mallory Downing along with Bailey Cox and Evans combined for 53 percent of Georgia's returning dig total alone. As a team, 75 percent of the Bulldogs' total digs return this season.

Bulldogs Add Veterans Blakely, Staunton
Georgia hit the transfer portal in 2023, signing Krista Blakely from Eastern Michigan and Erica Staunton from Northeastern. The pair bring four seasons each of collegiate experience and have each begun pursuing their master's degrees at Georgia. Staunton was a three-time All-CAA performer for the Huskies, registering over a thousand kills.

Georgia Poised for Strong 2023 Schedule
The 30-match schedule features 11 opponents that appeared in the 2022 NCAA Tournament including Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Samford, San Diego, Tennessee, and TCU. The AVCA Preseason Top 25 includes five Georgia opponents with an additional five receiving votes in the poll. The Bulldogs also received votes in the preseason top 25. More than half the teams in the SEC received votes in the poll with three cracking the top 25 (Kentucky, Florida, Arkansas).

Erin Johnson Joins Volleyball Staff
Tom Black announced the addition of Erin "EJ" Johnson to the Bulldogs coaching staff in January. Johnson comes to Athens following a stint as assistant coach for the UC Irvine men's volleyball program, a position she held since January 2019. She was the third woman to serve as an assistant coach for the Anteaters men's team. Johnson played middle blocker for Illinois from 2009-12. She was a junior on the 2011 Illini team that advanced to the NCAA Championship match. Illinois also made Sweet 16 appearances in 2009 and 2010.

University of Georgia Athletics

Players Mentioned

Krista Blakely

Bailey Cox

Mallory Downing

Kacie Evans

Sophie Fischer

Erica Staunton

Related Videos