Georgia volleyball swept Alabama in straight sets to open conference play on Friday at the Ramsey Center.

 
Georgia (11-3, 1-0) held the Alabama offense to a .157 hitting percentage, led by four blocks from Anna Kate Karstens and double-digit digs from Kendall Glover. The freshmen tandem SEC Freshman of the Week T’ara Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie headlined the offense, totaling 16 and 13 kills apiece, complimented by six-kill performances from Amanda Dachs and Majesti Bass.
 
 
“I thought a lot of people contributed,” head coach Tom Black said. “We know every match is going to be tough from here on out. With that mentality you’re going to earn your points and not wait for the other team to give it to you.”
 
 
Georgia maintained the lead for the majority of the first set, separating itself by as many as seven points at 17-10. Alabama (11-3, 0-1) tied up the match at 22, but a pair of kills from Ceasar set up a Dachs kill on match point, and Georgia took the first frame 25-23.
 
 
The Bulldogs strung together five consecutive points early in the second set to go up 7-3, highlighted by respective kills? from Ritchie and Dachs. The Crimson Tide added four of its own uncontested points, however, to force a back-and-forth battle for the secondary frame.
 
 
Down one point, back-to-back kills from Ceasar forced an Alabama timeout as Georgia took the lead 21-10. Two more Ceasar kills helped seal the 2-0 Georgia advantage.
 
 
The final set featured close scoring until Georgia broke away with a 20-15 margin. Two Bass kills from SEC Setter of the Week Meghan Donovan, who had 35 assists on the match, led the Bulldogs to a 25-20 win.
 
 
Georgia’s win marks the first over Alabama in the past seven contests. The Bulldogs continue SEC play against Auburn on Sunday, September 24th at 1:30 p.m. at the Ramsey Center.