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Olivia Sayer
Georgia volleyball players prepare to return a serve during the UGA vs UCONN volleyball match at the Ramsey Center in Athens, Georgia on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (Photo/ Laney Martin; @laneymartinphotography)
Georgia volleyball opened its regular season in dominant fashion.
The Bulldogs swept UConn 3-0 on Friday at the Ramsey Student Center.
“I am glad we won it,” head coach Tom Black said. “There was some typical first game stuff there. There is always some good and some bad. They gave us a good first test. It was a great crowd. We were excited to have them.”
On offense, graduate Kacie Evans led the way with 13 kills, while senior Sophie Fischer had nine of her own. Junior Clara Brower contributed 25 assists, while overall, the team hit .283.
On defense, the Bulldogs had a strong showing. Five different players tallied seven digs, while Fischer and sophomore Tori Harper had five and three blocks, respectively.
Although the final score would not indicate it, the first set didn’t start well for Georgia. UConn pulled out to a 6-1 lead in large part due to errors made by the home team. However, the Bulldogs swiftly put the mistakes behind them, as back-to-back kills by Evans quieted the Huskies and brought Georgia within two.
The Bulldogs’, who once again found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard, were down 16-13. However, Brower ignited the Bulldogs with impressive serves that resulted in Georgia aces. Brower’s effort led to a 7-1 scoring run and a 20-17 lead in the set. After UConn fought back with a four-point run of its own, Fisher and Georgia sophomore Estelle Haugen teamed up for a set-winning block, which gave Georgia the 25-23 victory.
“I think we responded really well,” Brower said. “I feel like we were really connected, and we pushed back. We didn’t let those long reps continue. I feel like if there were a few points where we were struggling, we came together as a team, we talked about it, and then we pushed back and became the aggressor.”
Set two was the definition of a back-and-forth battle. With 13 ties and six lead changes, it did not lack excitement.
Throughout the set, the two teams found themselves tied 6-6, 13-13 and eventually 17-17. UConn finally broke through with a 19-17 lead, but the Bulldogs went on a five-point run to earn the set two victory, 25-22. Fischer’s five kills and three blocks helped lead the way.
Similar to the previous, set three started tight, but Georgia was quick to separate. A 10-2 Georgia run midway through the set gave the team a 16-7 lead. While UConn’s push made the score 19-13, Georgia never relinquished the lead and dominated the set 25-13. The performance earned the Bulldogs a 3-0 sweep.
“UConn is a very aggressive team, they’re very scrappy,” Evans said. “They really handled us based on the serve and pass game as well. We were passing great at the very beginning. And I think the passers really took me like, ‘Hey, like we can honestly do better than this’. And I think we really responded within the last two sets.”
The Bulldogs followed up their performance with two more matches on Saturday once again in front of the home crowd, as they played Western Carolina at 10:30 a.m. and Florida State at 7 p.m.
“Wherever we’re playing, if it’s Ramsey, Steg, if it’s at a high school gym, I know we’re going to have an awesome fan base supporting us,” Evans said. “I just love when they get engaged with all of our plays too, just because I love how everyone wants to keep learning about the game of volleyball.”