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Olivia Sayer
UGA volleyball players ready to return a hit during the UGA vs Samford volleyball match at the Ramsey Center in Athens, Georgia on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo/ Laney Martin; @laneymartinphotography)
Georgia volleyball had a successful day on the court, as it completed three-set sweeps of both Jacksonville and Army on Sept. 7 at Ramsey Student Center.
“I thought we executed at a pretty good level,” head coach Tom Black said. “We played two solid games. It was a good solid day as a whole.”
Georgia sweeps Jacksonville, 3-0
Jacksonville was up first for the Bulldogs, and Georgia quickly asserted itself with an eight-point run in the first set. Fueled by graduate Kacie Evans’s two aces and sophomore Estelle Haugen’s four kills, Georgia cruised to a 25-12 victory.
The second set would have made some believe they were in a time loop, as it started the exact same. Another 8-0 run helped Georgia jump out to a 22-10 lead. Although Jacksonville put up a fight, the Bulldogs won the set 25-14 behind three aces from junior Clara Brower.
Set three was closer than the previous two, but the Bulldogs still stayed in front. After establishing an early 5-1 lead, impressive spikes earned Georgia a 25-18 victory and a 3-0 sweep of the Dolphins.
“It’s important for us to start strong,” senior Mallory Downing said. “We always try to do that, and I think this year was good. We came into preseason camp focused. We had our goals, we’re staying together, and we know what we want in our culture.
Overall, the offense was a well-oiled machine. Senior Sophie Fischer led the way with eight kills, while Haugen and freshman Ceci Gooch each had seven. Gooch also hit an eye-popping .778 on nine swings with impressively no errors.
On the defensive side, the Bulldogs posted a notable nine blocks, while Downing tallied 11 digs.
Georgia defeats Army, 3-0
About 7.5 hours after the conclusion of the first game, the Bulldogs took the court again. This time, they were opposed by Army, who also won its first game of the Bulldog Classic.
The first set found Georgia holding a 5-2 lead, but Army fought to cut it down to 15-14. Despite the strong effort, the Bulldogs were not ready to hand over the lead. Backed by Evans’s four kills, Georgia earned a 25-17 victory.
Set two started off with both teams going blow-to-blow, as the score drew even at seven. Georgia eventually pulled out to a 11-7 lead, which caused an Army timeout. The timeout did not seem to help, however, as the Bulldogs piled on, winning the set 25-13. A highlight was a phenomenal play executed by junior Bailey Cox to keep the rally alive on the final point.
“We work on that turn and run situation a lot during practice, so it felt so good to be able to do that in a match,” Cox said. “It doesn’t feel any better than to do that for my team and see the smiles on their faces after making a play like that. So, it was pretty cool.”
Given how the previous sets had gone, it was no surprise when Georgia jumped out to yet another lead in the third set. Despite the Bulldogs leading 18-12, Army battled back to a score of 18-15. A 7-2 run helped Georgia deliver the final dagger, winning both the set 25-17 and the game 3-0.
“I’m really proud with our consistency,” Downing said. “We’ve had a hard time in the past showing up and playing hard no matter who the opponent is, and I think today – this morning and tonight – we did a really good job with that. I’m really proud of us.”
Similar to the first game, Fischer galvanized the offense against the Black Knights with 15 kills, while Haugen and Evans each contributed 7 kills and two aces. Brower earned her second double-double of the season with 34 assists and 11 digs.
Georgia took on Samford to conclude the Bulldog Classic.