WBB: Staiti Named To Wooden Award Watch List
Georgia graduate center Jenna Staiti has been named to the prestigious John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 Watch List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Wednesday evening.
The honor is the latest achievement of Staiti’s storied career. The 2021All-SEC selection and WBCA All-America honorable mention pick is on the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List for the nation’s best center and the Naismith National Player of the Year list.
Earlier this year, Staiti was tabbed the ESPN National Player of the Week after Georgia knocked off No. 2 NC State. Staiti scored 21 points to go with 11 rebounds against All-American and Preseason ACC Player of the Elissa Cunane.
The Cumming, Ga., native has scored in double figures in 42 of the last 49 games with 16 doubles. She is also the SEC’s active career blocked shots leader with 233 swats.
TENNIS: Georgia’s Men and Women in Top Ten of ITA’s First Poll of 2022
The Georgia women’s tennis team checks in at No. 4 in the first edition of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Coaches Poll rankings for the 2022 spring season announced Wednesday morning.
The 2021 squad finished the season 23-2, including 17-0 against conference opponents. The Bulldogs were tabbed regular season champions for the 11th time in program history, and were crowned SEC Tournament Champions for the eighth time. Graduate Morgan Coppoc was named the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player — the eighth Bulldog to earn such honors. The team finished with a No. 4 national ranking, marking the 17th time under head coach Jeff Wallace.
The ITA also recently announced their individual rankings for the 2022 spring season. For singles, freshman Mell Reasco was the highest ranked Bulldog coming in at No. 11. Recent graduate Meg Kowalski checks in at No. 33. Junior Lea Ma and graduate Morgan Coppoc come in at No. 52 and No. 63, respectively and junior Ania Hertel rounds out the singles rankings at No. 78.
In doubles, two duos found themselves ranked with the pairing of Coppoc and Hertel being ranked No. 45 and the pairing of Guillermina Grant and Reasco coming in at No. 51.
The Georgia men’s team secured the No. 8 spot in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Coaches Poll rankings for the 2022 spring dual season announced Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs are one of eight Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams featured in the Top 25, checking in only behind Florida (No. 1) and Tennessee (No. 4).
The 2021 squad finished their season with a trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships after taking down No. 6 North Carolina in a 4-3 thriller in the Round of 16. The team posted a 17-7 overall record and earned a third-place spot in the SEC Standings. Head Coach Manuel Diaz led the Bulldogs to a 27th top-10 finish in his 33rd season at the helm. The men’s tennis program has finished in the top-10 on 36 occasions overall. Georgia won 11 of its last 14 matches in the 2021 season.
ITA also released its individual rankings for the spring season and several Georgia men’s tennis players were featured. The latest poll highlights the Top 125 singles players and Top 60 doubles teams within Division I Men’s Tennis.
Five Bulldogs appear in the singles rankings and two pairs in the double’s rankings. 2020 ITA All-American Philip Henning leads the pack with a No. 23 ranking, Hamish Stewart-a graduate transfer from Tulane- comes in at No. 32, four-time ITA All-American and senior Trent Bryde takes the No. 62 spot, senior Blake Croyder at No. 110 and freshman Thomas Paulsell with a collegiate career milestone in his first ITA ranking at No. 119. In doubles, Bryde and Henning are ranked No. 21 and Henning and Stewart are ranked at No. 47.
#14/15 Georgia Lady Bulldogs vs. #20/21 Kentucky Wildcats Tonight
Thursday, Jan. 6 | 7 p.m. ET | Lexington, Ky. | Memorial Coliseum (8,500)
Watch: SEC Network + (Jeff Piecoro and Carol Ross)
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
960 AM The Ref, WXKT 103.7 FM and the Georgia Bulldog App
Full Game Notes Packet (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF)
Opening Tip Storylines
» Georgia is on the road again with a trip to Lexington, Ky., to take on the No. 20-ranked Kentucky Wildcats. The matchup is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network +.
» The Lady Bulldogs are in the midst of a tough stretch of games with four of five on the road. This is the second ranked opponent Georgia has faced in its first three SEC matchups this season.
» Georgia has been without leading scorer and rebounder Jenna Staiti in its first two league games due to health and safety protocols. The Lady Bulldogs overcame a 16-point deficit to nearly knock off No. 19 LSU, 68-62, before storming back from a 16-point deficit to defeat Florida on Sunday.
» Graduate guard Que Morrison is averaging 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.5 steals through the first two SEC contests. Against LSU, Morrison scored a career-high 26 points to go with a career-best 10 assists (four shy of the school single-game record). She then scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Florida.
» Morrison is making a name for herself as arguably the top all-around player in the SEC and one of the best nationally. She is the only conference player to rank in the top-5 of the SEC in assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and free-throw percentage, while also ranking in the top-10 in steals and top-20 in scoring.
» Freshman forward Jillian Hollingshead was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the second-straight time as she has played big minutes in Staiti’s absence. She scored six of her eight points in the second half against Florida on Sunday.
» Senior forward Malury Bates has also stepped up as of late. She matched her career-high with 13 points at Florida and has scored in double figures in two of the last three games.
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