Positive Patten Off To A Strong Start
September 25, 2025 | Volleyball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
MK Patten strives for positivity at all times. It is her default setting. When the Georgia volleyball sophomore is around others, she wants to be the beacon of light that raises the mood in every room she enters.
"She's one of the most positive people you'll ever meet," Bulldogs head coach Tom Black said. "Like, relentlessly positive. It's kind of like her life philosophy."
The 6-foot-5 middle blocker/opposite from Alpharetta, Ga., takes pride in being someone who's upbeat all the time and always has an encouraging word for her teammates and friends.
"I have a really good, strong faith, and I would say that I can really see any type of opportunity or anything, and I can look at it with a good mindset and a good outlook. ... I'm always smiling. I'm a bright light, and I think that's kind of my role on the team.
"I think that's the kind of leader I am. I lead with encouraging words and just positivity and optimism."
As a freshman last fall, Patten got off to a slow start. She didn't make her Bulldog debut until the 14th match of the season due to a broken finger that required surgery. But she picked a great time to play in her first match, when Georgia beat South Carolina in five sets in front of a record crowd of 8,376 at Stegeman Coliseum. Patten, rated one of the top 25 recruits in the country coming out of high school, had six blocks, five kills and four digs in her debut.
Patten finished last season fifth on the team with 1.42 kills per set and second with 0.92 blocks per set. So far in 2025, she's improved in pretty much every category. Her 2.41 kills per set are second only to Bianna Muoneke's 4.76, and her 1.21 blocks per set rank third.
"I would just say having that experience," Patten said of her improved play this season. "Last year, being a freshman, everything is so new and you don't really know what to expect. But now I have a good sense of the game. I have one year under my belt, so I'm really able to go into everything knowing what to do."
Patten may only be a sophomore, but all of that personality and positivity that she has, along with her excellent play on the court, make her a natural leader.
"That's what we're trying to get her to grow into," Black said. "She's still in the first half of her career, but that's where she's going, for sure."
One step on Patten's leadership path is participating in the UGA Athletic Association's L.E.A.D. program. The Leadership Education and Development academy was created to do just that, turn Bulldogs into better leaders. Coaches nominate some of their players for the academy, and "she was a no-brainer," Black said.
The Bulldogs (8-3, 0-1 SEC) are in the midst of four straight matches against ranked opponents. Last Friday, they knocked off then-No. 23 Georgia Tech in five sets in Atlanta, with Patten finishing with 12 kills — her fourth double-digit kill match of the season — and four blocks. In the team's SEC opener at No. 22 Tennessee on Wednesday, a 3-0 loss, she had eight kills and four blocks.
Georgia plays at No. 3 Kentucky on Friday, before hosting No. 2 Texas next Wednesday at the Steg. It's a tough stretch for the Bulldogs, one in which the team will probably need Patten's positivity and leadership.
"She's just a joy to be around," Black said. "She comes in optimistic and positive every day, and that's what she wants to be about. She spreads it out to people and gets along with everybody. She's an awesome person."
Staff Writer
MK Patten strives for positivity at all times. It is her default setting. When the Georgia volleyball sophomore is around others, she wants to be the beacon of light that raises the mood in every room she enters.
"She's one of the most positive people you'll ever meet," Bulldogs head coach Tom Black said. "Like, relentlessly positive. It's kind of like her life philosophy."
The 6-foot-5 middle blocker/opposite from Alpharetta, Ga., takes pride in being someone who's upbeat all the time and always has an encouraging word for her teammates and friends.
"I have a really good, strong faith, and I would say that I can really see any type of opportunity or anything, and I can look at it with a good mindset and a good outlook. ... I'm always smiling. I'm a bright light, and I think that's kind of my role on the team.
"I think that's the kind of leader I am. I lead with encouraging words and just positivity and optimism."
As a freshman last fall, Patten got off to a slow start. She didn't make her Bulldog debut until the 14th match of the season due to a broken finger that required surgery. But she picked a great time to play in her first match, when Georgia beat South Carolina in five sets in front of a record crowd of 8,376 at Stegeman Coliseum. Patten, rated one of the top 25 recruits in the country coming out of high school, had six blocks, five kills and four digs in her debut.
Patten finished last season fifth on the team with 1.42 kills per set and second with 0.92 blocks per set. So far in 2025, she's improved in pretty much every category. Her 2.41 kills per set are second only to Bianna Muoneke's 4.76, and her 1.21 blocks per set rank third.
"I would just say having that experience," Patten said of her improved play this season. "Last year, being a freshman, everything is so new and you don't really know what to expect. But now I have a good sense of the game. I have one year under my belt, so I'm really able to go into everything knowing what to do."
Patten may only be a sophomore, but all of that personality and positivity that she has, along with her excellent play on the court, make her a natural leader.
"That's what we're trying to get her to grow into," Black said. "She's still in the first half of her career, but that's where she's going, for sure."
One step on Patten's leadership path is participating in the UGA Athletic Association's L.E.A.D. program. The Leadership Education and Development academy was created to do just that, turn Bulldogs into better leaders. Coaches nominate some of their players for the academy, and "she was a no-brainer," Black said.
The Bulldogs (8-3, 0-1 SEC) are in the midst of four straight matches against ranked opponents. Last Friday, they knocked off then-No. 23 Georgia Tech in five sets in Atlanta, with Patten finishing with 12 kills — her fourth double-digit kill match of the season — and four blocks. In the team's SEC opener at No. 22 Tennessee on Wednesday, a 3-0 loss, she had eight kills and four blocks.
Georgia plays at No. 3 Kentucky on Friday, before hosting No. 2 Texas next Wednesday at the Steg. It's a tough stretch for the Bulldogs, one in which the team will probably need Patten's positivity and leadership.
"She's just a joy to be around," Black said. "She comes in optimistic and positive every day, and that's what she wants to be about. She spreads it out to people and gets along with everybody. She's an awesome person."
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.
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