2023-10-29 21:21:23
ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia volleyball team defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs in straight sets Sunday followingnoon at Stegeman Coliseum (28-26, 25-13, 25-18).
Winners of four of its last five matches, Georgia is 14-8 on the season and 5-5 in SEC play.
Sophie Fischer led the Georgia attack with 16 kills in the match. The nation’s highest scoring middle was responsible for 20.5 points (16 kills, one ace, seven blocks) of Georgia’s 60 total points scored.
Kacie Evans followed Fischer with 14 kills in the match hitting .346. Libero Bailey Cox’s 14 digs was a three-set season high for Georgia.
As a team, the Bulldogs put up a three-set season-best 11 blocks. At the service line, Georgia recorded five aces led by two from Clara Brower. Georgia held Mississippi State (11-10, 4-7) to a SEC season low .069 hitting clip in the match.
Georgia came out strong in the first set, going ahead 5-0. MSU quickly regrouped and took an 8-7 lead, but a 4-0 Georgia run reopened an 11-8 advantage. Mississippi State later rattled off five straight to go up 15-12. UGA responded with a 5-1 run to retake a 17-16 lead. Both teams went toe-to-toe following. Down 22-20, Georgia won four of the next five points to draw set point, 24-23. MSU kept the opening set alive, but Georgia drew set point once more at 25, 26, and 27. Finally, Fischer’s’ seventh kill of the set finished the frame 28-26 for Georgia.
After falling behind 3-1 in the second, Georgia used a 9-1 run including three aces to go up 10-4. UGA continued to build on the lead, going up as much as 10 and finished the set on a 4-0 run, 25-13, taking a 2-0 lead in the match. After hitting .151 in the first set, the Bulldogs hit .370 in the second behind eight Evans kills.
The Bulldogs used their momentum from the second set to start the third with a 7-0 lead behind a great Ana Julia Bleeker serving run. Mississippi State sliced the lead to 12-8, but six straight points from Georgia put the set out of reach, 18-8. Georgia held on to win the set 25-18 and the match in three. Five of Georgia’s 11 total blocks came in the final set with Fischer assisting on all five along with five kills.
Georgia concludes its three-match homestand Wednesday evening hosting No. 10 Arkansas. First serve between the Bulldogs and Razorbacks is set for 7 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum.
Head Coach Tom Black
On the team pulling away in the second and third sets…
“I think our offense, especially in transition, we started getting a lot more kills and communicating a lot better.”
On Sophie Fischer and the team’s blocks…
“Sophie [Fischer] had great eye work and aggressive moves. She capable of doing that night in and night out, so it was great to see her play well.”
On the team’s service and hitting game…
“We were much more aggressive, and the team did a great job of hitting their targets. That really helped us take home the match.”
On the preparation ahead of the match once morest Arkansas…
“We’ve got to recover and have a good scout. Arkansas is a great team – they’re super well coached. We’ll just get following it.”
Sophie Fischer | Sr. | MB
On the focus going into the match…
“We really focus on our connection on the court, like how we can be better for each other and how we can make simple, easy plays and just be there for each other and have each other’s backs. We love volleyball and like how much can you share on the court so we got to talk regarding it, and we did it.”
On impacting the game in all phases…
“I mean, it feels good for the team, but obviously, I wouldn’t be able to do it without great passers. We’ve got really good service pressure on the other team, so the blocking job’s a lot easier when the service pressure is better. But all in all, the team just played really well.”
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