Georgia returns home to kick off a five-match home stand on Thursday and Friday against Texas Tech and Georgia Tech.
• GAME NOTES •
GEORGIA WRAPS UP WILDCAT CLASSIC
The Bulldogs closed out their third weekend of action going 2-1 at the Wildcat Classic. Georgia overtook host Davidson 3-1 on Friday before falling to Wofford 2-3 in its first five-set match of the season on Saturday morning. The Bulldogs returned the same afternoon to sweep Florida Gulf Coast University 3-0.
GLOVER, RITCHIE RECOGNIZED IN WILDCAT CLASSIC VICTORY
Along with Georgia being named tournament champions after the FGCU win, freshmen Kendall Glover and Rachel Ritchie were named Tournament MVP and All-Tournament, respectively. Also honored as the SEC Freshman of the Week before the tournament, Glover added 44 digs to her season total in Davidson. She leads the team on the defensive front with 118 digs on the year, at 3.47 per set.
Ritchie has steadily improved her kill numbers each weekend, with 37 at the Bulldog Invitational, 43 at the Bobcat Invite and a team-leading 61 at the Wildcat Classic last weekend. The freshman outside hitter completed her weekend campaign averaging 5.08 per set in 136 attempts with six aces in the three matches. Both Glover and Ritchie were also recognized with All-Tournament honors the weekend before in Athens, Ohio.
FRESHMAN DUO UP CAREER HIGHS AT DAVIDSON
Ritchie and Ceasar became the first two Georgia players to have 18 or more kills in a match since Oct. 8, 2012. In Georgia’s win at Davidson on Friday of the Wildcat Classic, Ritchie tallied 27 kills with Ceasar at 18, both career high performances.
Ritchie’s Davidson kill total leads the SEC four-set matches played this season. It marks the first Georgia player to hit 20 or more kills since Maddie Lobenstein had 20 at Boston College in 2016. Ceasar added 17 digs to her 18 kills for her first of two double-doubles on the weekend. Her second was against FGCU on Saturday.
ACES HIGHLIGHT WILDCAT WEEKEND
Georgia collected 17 aces against Wofford last Saturday, which is the first time Georgia has had 14 or more aces in a match since Aug. 28, 2010 (Coastal Carolina). Included in the charge were Sydney GIlliam’s career-topping five, as well as Ceasar’s four and Ritchie’s three. Gilliam’s mark makes her the first Georgia player to have five aces in a match since Kaylee Kehoe against Alabama A&M in 2014. The 29 aces on the weekend, averaging to 1.97 a set, helped Georgia to its first place ranking in the SEC, and sixth in the nation in aces/set.
SERIES HISTORIES
Georgia leads the series with Kennesaw State 5-0, taking the last meeting 3-0 in 2016. Texas Tech and Georgia play Thursday for the first time since 2005, with Texas Tech leading the series 3-1. Against Georgia Tech, Georgia leads all-time 22-16, despite falling in the competitive 2016 meeting 3-0. The Bulldogs challenged each set to tight 22-25, 24-26, 27-29 decisions.
GEORGIA RANKINGS IN SEC STATS
Georgia continues to have strong non-conference play and the results are showing in the conference’s statistical rankings. As a team, the Bulldogs are leading the conference in service aces at 1.97 per set. Georgia is also second with a .287 hitting percentage, and third with 14.03 kills/set and 13.29 assists/set. Two of those marks rank in the top 30 nationally, including the service aces at sixth, while the assists and kills are just outside at 34 and 40, respectively.
Individually, four different Bulldogs are ranked in four statistical categories, including Ceasar at first with .58 aces per set, and Ritchie at sixth. Donovan ranks third in assists and Bass fifth in hitting percentage, while Ritchie and Ceasar round out the SEC top-10 in kills at third and sixth, respectively.