SEC WBB Tournament: #21/24 Georgia (9-7 SEC) vs. Alabama (6-10 SEC) Tips Tonight
Thursday, March 3 | 9 p.m. ET | SEC Second Round | Bridgestone Arena | Nashville
Watch: SEC Network (Courtney Lyle, Carolyn Peck and Steffi Sorensen)
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
960 AM The Ref, WXKT 103.7 FM and the Georgia Bulldog App
Opening Tip Storylines
» Georgia has earned the No. 6 seed and will play No. 11 seed Alabama in the second round of the SEC tournament on Thursday. Tip time is set for approximately 9 p.m. ET.
» The Lady Bulldogs own a 44-12 lead in the all-time series against Alabama and have won five straight overall. Five of the last eight meetings have gone into overtime — all Georgia wins. The two teams last met in the SEC tournament in 2019.
» Georgia trailed by as many as 21 points late in the first half against Alabama on Jan. 9. The Lady Bulldogs stormed back for the win thanks to nine third quarter points from Mikayla Coombs and 15 second-half points from Jenna Staiti.
» Georgia enters the tournament ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, No. 21 in the Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the NET rankings. In addition to competing for a championship, the Lady Bulldogs are working to move into one of the top 16 seeds for the NCAA tournament.
» Last year, head coach Joni Taylor led Georgia to the SEC tournament finals for the first time since 2004. Georgia has won the SEC tourney on four occasions (1983, 1984, 1986 and 2001) and is looking for its third-straight appearance in the quarterfinals.
» The Lady Bulldogs have played remarkably well away from home this year. Georgia boasts a 9-3 mark away from Stegeman Coliseum, with wins against Notre Dame and No. 2-ranked NC State.
» Graduates Jenna Staiti and Que Morrison lead the Lady Bulldogs this season. The two All-SEC selections have led Georgia in scoring a combined 23 times in 28 games during the 2021-22 campaign.
» Another bright spot for the Lady Bulldogs over the last few weeks has been the play of freshman guard Reigan Richardson. Richardson has scored in double figures in five of the last six games. She hit 60 percent from the field in a three-game stretch against Missouri, Auburn and Arkansas.
MTENNIS: Dawgs Sweep SEC Weekly Honors
Following back-to-back wins at home, the Bulldogs swept the Southeastern Conference (SEC) weekly honors, as announced by the league office in Birmingham, Ala. Wednesday afternoon.
Graduate transfer Hamish Stewart was named SEC Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week, while freshman Thomas Paulsell secured the SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
No.22 Stewart, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, is in his first year wearing the red and black after transferring from Tulane. During his time with the Green Wave, he was a three-time American Athletic Conference Player of the Week recipient. Stewart’s SEC honors come after he clinched the match for Georgia against No.12 Texas by defeating No.17-ranked Pierre-Yves Bailly, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, tying his highest ranked win this season. Stewart also won against Lucas Wayenburg from Mercer Stewart 6-2, 6-1. He improves to 17-8 overall and 9-2 in the dual season for singles competition.
Dominant in the doubles competition as well, he is ranked No. 42 with senior Philip Henning and No. 60 with fellow graduate transfer Tristan McCormick. McCormick and Stewart have an overall record of 17-8 and a dual record of 9-2. The graduate transfer duo blanked Wayenburg and David Georgadze of Mercer, 6-0, while their match against No.38-ranked Cleeve Harper and Richard Ciamarra of Texas was left unfinished.
Freshman Paulsell, a native of Seattle, Wash., receives his SEC honors after upsetting Texas’ No.104 Siem Woldeab, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (9-7). The win marks his first collegiate victory over a ranked opponent. Prior to his performance against Texas, Paulsell trumped Mercer’s Marceau Fouilhoux, 6-2, 6-1. The win was his first collegiate dual victory.
S&D: Georgia Earns 14 Invites to NCAA Women’s Championships
The University of Georgia women’s swimming and diving team earned 14 invitations to the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, as announced by the organization Wednesday afternoon.
Georgia’s 14 berths are tied for the third-most in the country with NC State, Stanford, and Virginia while ranking behind Tennessee (16) and Louisville (15). In addition to the individual qualifiers, all five Bulldog relays will compete in the meet, which runs Wednesday, March 16 through Saturday, March 19 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta.
Junior Zoie Hartman led the Bulldogs with three invites, including the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, and 200 IM, with Hartman ranking fifth nationally in the IM and seventh in the 200. Last season, the Danville, California native earned All-America citations in all seven events at NCAA, including a runner-up finish in the 200 IM. Hartman will be joined in the breaststroke events by senior Danielle Della Torre (200 breaststroke) and freshman Angharad Evans (100 and 200 breaststroke)
Senior Dakota Luther earned Georgia’s top individual placement with the No. 4 seed in the 200 butterfly, an event she finished third in last year. Luther will also compete in the 100 butterfly alongside fellow senior Callie Dickinson, who qualified for both butterfly events. Seniors Portia Brown (400 IM) and Gabi Fa’amausili (50 freestyle) will also return to NCAAs, with Fa’amausili earning her fifth career slot.
The Bulldogs will be well-represented in the 1,650 freestyle with freshman Abby McCulloh leading the pack with the No. 8 seed, followed by fellow freshman Rachel Stege and graduate Peyton Palsha. McCulloh and Stege will also compete in the 500 freestyle with another rookie in Duné Coetzee. In total, six freshman swimmers earned invitations, including Mia Abruzzo in the 400 IM and Eboni McCarty in the 50 freestyle.
Sophomore Maxine Parker, a recipient of seven All-America citations last season, will race in the 50 and 200 freestyle, while junior Millie Sansome was named the No. 7 meet alternate for her B-cut time in the 100 backstroke.
Additionally, three Bulldog divers: seniors Tally Brown and Ellie Crump and sophomore Meghan Wenzel will compete next week at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships in Atlanta for the opportunity to dive at NCAAs the following week.
The invitees for the NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships will be announced next Wednesday, March 9 at noon.
NCAA Championships Invitees
Mia Abruzzo – 400 IM
Portia Brown – 400 IM
Duné Coetzee – 500 Freestyle
Danielle Della Torre – 200 Breaststroke
Callie Dickinson – 100 Butterfly, 200 Butterfly
Angharad Evans – 100 Breaststroke, 200 Breaststroke
Gabi Fa’amausili – 50 Freestyle
Zoie Hartman – 100 Breaststroke, 200 Breaststroke, 200 IM
Dakota Luther – 100 Butterfly, 200 Butterfly
Eboni McCarty – 50 Freestyle
Abby McCulloh – 500 Freestyle, 1,650 Freestyle
Peyton Palsha – 1,650 Freestyle
Maxine Parker – 50 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle
Rachel Stege – 500 Freestyle, 1,650 Freestyle
Millie Sansome – 100 Backstroke (Meet Alternate)
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