(Photo by Caitlyn Tam / Georgia Sports Communication)
After opening the season 4-0, the Georgia volleyball team hits the road to face the field at the Ohio Invitational in Athens, Ohio.
The Bulldogs will take on host Ohio on Friday at 10 a.m. ET before High Point later that day at 5 p.m. ET. The tournament concludes for Georgia on Saturday with Oklahoma at 11 a.m. ET.
Friday’s game against Ohio will be broadcast on ESPN3 while live stats will be available for the other two games. All links can be found on georgiadogs.com.
GAME NOTES
CEASAR NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
T’ara Ceasar was named SEC Freshman of the Week after leading the Bulldogs with 38 kills over the weekend, which ranked second among all SEC players with 4.22 per set. The Florida native posted a pair of double-digit kill efforts in wins over UNC Asheville and LIU Brooklyn. Ceasar didn’t hit below .273 in any of the weekend’s matches, helping Georgia to the second-best hitting mark in the league with a .311 clip. The freshman was just as aggressive at the service line, finishing tied for a team-best five aces, including three against George Mason. With nine sets played in the four games, Ceasar is sixth in the SEC with 0.56 aces per set.
(Photo by Caitlyn Tam / Georgia Sports Communication)
DONOVAN NAMED MVP; CEASAR, RITCHIE NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
After guiding Georgia to a perfect weekend, Meghan Donovan, T’ara Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie were all named to the Benson Hospitality Invitational All-Tournament Team. Donovan earned MVP honors after leading the offense to a .311 attack percentage, which ranks second in the SEC and 16th in the nation. The sophomore passed out 115 assists while adding 18 digs and six blocks. Ceasar earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors for her efforts while Ritchie ranks fourth in the league after collecting 37 kills for 4.11 per set.
BASS SHOWS EFFICIENCY AGAINST UNC ASHEVILLE
Majesti Bass played a major role in Georgia’s win over UNC Asheville, leading the team with 13 kills. Not only that, but with no attack errors on 18 attempts, the junior hit at a .722 percentage, the best hitting percentage for a Bulldog with 15 or more attempts since 2014. Bass also set a new career high with that mark, breaking her previous best of .548 against McNeese State last season, while her .722 clip is the second-highest mark by a player in the SEC this early season.
VS. THE OHIO INVITATIONAL FIELD
Ohio: This will be the first meeting for the programs.
High Point: Georgia holds a 2-0 advantage over High Point. The teams last met in 2015 with Georgia taking a 3-0 win with close scores of 26-24, 25-21 and 25-21.
Oklahoma: Georgia leads the series 4-0 over the Sooners, but the teams’ last meeting came in 1993.
DEFENSE HOLDS OFF OPPONENT ATTACK
The Georgia defense held its weekend opponents to a .108 hitting percentage on the team’s way to 12-straight set wins. That mark has Georgia ranking third in the league and 18th in the nation in opponent hitting percentage. The backrow played a key component, as Cassidy Anderson and Kendall Glover saw time at libero, finishing with 43 and 21 digs, respectively. Ceasar notched 25 digs while Katie Houser tabbed 20 with Georgia rounding out the weekend with 163 team digs.