Bulldogs Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker to No. 23 Kentucky Friday

Friday, September 29

Athens, Ga.

7 p.m.

University of Georgia

Kentucky

Bulldogs Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker to No. 23 Kentucky Friday

September 29, 2023 | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia volleyball team battled back from down 2-0 to force a fifth set against No. 23 Kentucky in front of a crowd of 1,375 at Ramsey Student Center Friday evening. Kentucky prevailed in the end, winning the five-set battle (23-25, 16-25, 25-23, 25-19, 13-15).

Georgia falls to 9-5 on the season and 0-2 in the SEC play.

Sophie Fischer led the way with 18 kills followed by 14 from Kacie Evans. Estelle Haugen also tipped the double-digit kill mark at 10 Friday.

Evans' tallied 13 digs to record her third double-double of the season. Bailey Cox put up a team-best 14 digs. Fischer recorded nine blocks in the contest with a pair of aces.

Setter Clara Brower was one dig shy of a double-double, finishing with nine digs and 49 assists while contributing a career-best six blocks.

The beginning of the match began tight with Kentucky leading only by one at the first set media break, 15-14. Both teams were hitting over .500 in the offensive battle. Back-to-back Haugen kills after the timeout gave the Dogs a 16-15 advantage. Georgia went ahead 20-18 on a Fischer kill and Kentucky called time. After the break, a 5-1 Wildcat run put UK in front 23-21. When it looked like Kentucky won the set, a Georgia challenge overturned the point to give the Dogs life, but Kentucky held on to win the frame 25-23. Haugen tallied six kills in the set while the Wildcats hit .522 to begin the match.

Kentucky's high hitting percentage from set one carried to the second, going ahead 9-2 to begin the set. A 3-0 serving run sparked by a Fischer ace pulled Georgia within five, 19-14. Kentucky's head start was too much for Georgia to overcome in the second, falling 25-16.

Looking to avoid being swept, Georgia came out with vengeance in the third, going up 5-1. The Dogs held the early lead, prompting a Kentucky timeout at 11-7. Georgia's largest lead of the set was eight at 22-14. A 5-1 run from UK cut into the lead, 23-19. Four more points from the Wildcats made it a one-point set, 24-23, but an error from the UK service line secured the set for Georgia, 25-23.

After falling behind 4-1, Georgia rattled off five straight with Ana Julia Bleeker at the service line to take a 6-4 lead in the fourth. With Georgia holding on to a 9-7 lead, a 6-1 run lengthened the advantage to 15-8 and exhausted both Kentucky timeouts. A 4-1 run late drew set point for Georgia, 24-16. Kentucky slowed the Dogs and won the next three points to stay alive, 24-19. A Fischer kill finished it for Georgia, 25-19, forcing a fifth set.

Georgia roared out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth and led 8-5 at the end change. After the media timeout, a 5-1 Kentucky run propelled the Cats out in front 10-9. Knotted at 12, a Brooklyn Deleye kill gave UK the lead and Georgia called time. A service error tied it at 13 then UK retook the lead on a Dog error. Kentucky's Elise Goetzinger laid down an ace to finish the battle, 15-13.

Up next, Georgia travels to Alabama for a matchup at No. 24 Auburn on Sunday. The 1 p.m., ET, match will air live on ESPN.

Head Coach Tom Black
On aspects of the team's performance that he was most proud of…
"I think our fight overall. It was a really rough second set. It kind of looked like the wheels were coming off, and to be able to rebound and take it to the wire showed a lot of toughness."

On the message from the second to third set…
"You've got to make a choice competitively. It's a tough conference, and you're going to be in the pressure cooker every night. You can run away from it, or you can embrace it. Again, they just showed some resolve and started making better choices."

On how Sophie Fischer impacts the team…
"Sophie is one of the best players in the country. She can really insert her will on the match, and tonight was just another example of that."

#2 Sophie Fischer | MB | Sr.
On what allowed her to post 18 kills and nine blocks in tonight's match…
"Just the work the team has put in during the last week. We've been working hard in practices. Practices have been really competitive, so it allows me to be in these situations and feel super comfortable."

On what sparked the momentum shift from the second to third set…
"We weren't okay with how we were playing. We knew we weren't playing our best game, so we put an end to it. We were like, 'Let's play Georgia volleyball,' and got after it."