University of Georgia Athletics
Worden Excited For Start To Bulldog Career
August 26, 2026 | Volleyball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Before Georgia senior Alyssa Worden ever set foot on a volleyball court, she'd spent four years doing taekwondo. It was something her father, John, had done for a long time, and his daughter followed in his footsteps.
"I did it for four years, until I was eight or nine, and then I started playing volleyball," said the 5-foot-11 outside hitter from Bartlett, Ill., about 35 miles west of Chicago. "I tried some other sports, but I didn't stick with anything."
While taekwondo couldn't be much more different from volleyball, her experiences doing it did help her on the court.
"I think it actually helped me gain some athleticism and strength. I was young, but I was very strong and very flexible. I think it set me up pretty well to play other sports in the future," she said.
A few years after taking up volleyball, Worden saw her game really develop around 13. That's when she realized "it's getting real."
"That's when I was like, I'm pretty athletic and I'm pretty good at this, and that's about when I knew that I wanted to play in college," Worden said.
At South Elgin High School, Worden won two state championships and numerous individual honors. She then attended Iowa, where she redshirted in 2023, started 11 of the 27 matches she played in during the 2024 season, and started 22 of 31 matches last season, with 199 kills, 166 digs, 26 blocks and 25 aces.
After three seasons in the Iowa program and two seasons on the court, Worden opted to transfer in search of a different experience. That led her to Georgia.
"I was looking for something different within the program and just the standards of the program," she said. "I liked what (Georgia head coach Tom Black) and I talked about, and he had a very clear, concise goal. He's very detailed about his plan and how to get there, and I really appreciated that about him.
"I just want to be in a program where the coaches are very involved and the girls work really hard. ... Georgia volleyball is good, and I think this is just the beginning of it. Also, just the fact of being in the SEC is really exciting."
The Bulldogs kick off their season this weekend at the Classic City Clash at Stegeman Coliseum, with Georgia playing its first match Friday at 10:30 a.m. against North Florida, followed by a match that night at 7 against George Washington.
"We're excited to get started. We can't wait to get into conference play, but also, we're not going to dismiss any of these (non-conference) games. We're going to treat every game the same because they all matter to us. These early games are going to show us how our team is developing throughout the season," Worden said. "Like I said, this is just the beginning. We're going to be really good this year, I truly think that, and every game matters for us. Every game is exciting."
Something else that matters to Worden is her work in the classroom. It always has. She was a member of the National Honor Society in high school, and she earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2024 and '25, as well as making the 2025 CSC Academic All-District team.
"My parents actually had me do accelerated programs and extra extracurricular things in elementary and middle school just to get me ahead, and I did an accelerated program in high school, and I took a bunch of honors classes," she said. "Academics have always been a priority for me. Both of my parents really stressed it, but they don't put a lot of pressure on me about it. They know I'm going to get it done, and they believe in me."
Worden is majoring in Psychology while on a pre-nursing track. She'd like to be a nurse practitioner one day.
"I've always been interested in the human brain and how things work. ... I think ever since COVID, there was a big blow-up of people being more aware about their mental health, and I think that's something that really interested me, as well," she said.
Having played volleyball for more than a decade, Worden still gets excited about the start of every season and the chance to learn and grow as a player. She doesn't take the chance to be around her teammates every day for granted.
"I love how competitive our environment is, and how fun the girls are to play with here," she said. "It's a really big stage, D-I volleyball, and I'm just happy to be a part of it. I'm happy to come here, get to work with people that I like to do it with.
"I think something that motivates me is we have a goal in mind, and we have expectations on this team. We have a lot of fun, but we're not just here to have fun."
Staff Writer
Before Georgia senior Alyssa Worden ever set foot on a volleyball court, she'd spent four years doing taekwondo. It was something her father, John, had done for a long time, and his daughter followed in his footsteps.
"I did it for four years, until I was eight or nine, and then I started playing volleyball," said the 5-foot-11 outside hitter from Bartlett, Ill., about 35 miles west of Chicago. "I tried some other sports, but I didn't stick with anything."
While taekwondo couldn't be much more different from volleyball, her experiences doing it did help her on the court.
"I think it actually helped me gain some athleticism and strength. I was young, but I was very strong and very flexible. I think it set me up pretty well to play other sports in the future," she said.
A few years after taking up volleyball, Worden saw her game really develop around 13. That's when she realized "it's getting real."
"That's when I was like, I'm pretty athletic and I'm pretty good at this, and that's about when I knew that I wanted to play in college," Worden said.
At South Elgin High School, Worden won two state championships and numerous individual honors. She then attended Iowa, where she redshirted in 2023, started 11 of the 27 matches she played in during the 2024 season, and started 22 of 31 matches last season, with 199 kills, 166 digs, 26 blocks and 25 aces.
After three seasons in the Iowa program and two seasons on the court, Worden opted to transfer in search of a different experience. That led her to Georgia.
"I was looking for something different within the program and just the standards of the program," she said. "I liked what (Georgia head coach Tom Black) and I talked about, and he had a very clear, concise goal. He's very detailed about his plan and how to get there, and I really appreciated that about him.
"I just want to be in a program where the coaches are very involved and the girls work really hard. ... Georgia volleyball is good, and I think this is just the beginning of it. Also, just the fact of being in the SEC is really exciting."
The Bulldogs kick off their season this weekend at the Classic City Clash at Stegeman Coliseum, with Georgia playing its first match Friday at 10:30 a.m. against North Florida, followed by a match that night at 7 against George Washington.
"We're excited to get started. We can't wait to get into conference play, but also, we're not going to dismiss any of these (non-conference) games. We're going to treat every game the same because they all matter to us. These early games are going to show us how our team is developing throughout the season," Worden said. "Like I said, this is just the beginning. We're going to be really good this year, I truly think that, and every game matters for us. Every game is exciting."
Something else that matters to Worden is her work in the classroom. It always has. She was a member of the National Honor Society in high school, and she earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2024 and '25, as well as making the 2025 CSC Academic All-District team.
"My parents actually had me do accelerated programs and extra extracurricular things in elementary and middle school just to get me ahead, and I did an accelerated program in high school, and I took a bunch of honors classes," she said. "Academics have always been a priority for me. Both of my parents really stressed it, but they don't put a lot of pressure on me about it. They know I'm going to get it done, and they believe in me."
Worden is majoring in Psychology while on a pre-nursing track. She'd like to be a nurse practitioner one day.
"I've always been interested in the human brain and how things work. ... I think ever since COVID, there was a big blow-up of people being more aware about their mental health, and I think that's something that really interested me, as well," she said.
Having played volleyball for more than a decade, Worden still gets excited about the start of every season and the chance to learn and grow as a player. She doesn't take the chance to be around her teammates every day for granted.
"I love how competitive our environment is, and how fun the girls are to play with here," she said. "It's a really big stage, D-I volleyball, and I'm just happy to be a part of it. I'm happy to come here, get to work with people that I like to do it with.
"I think something that motivates me is we have a goal in mind, and we have expectations on this team. We have a lot of fun, but we're not just here to have fun."
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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