ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia volleyball swept Mississippi State at Stegeman Coliseum, 25-18, 25-17, 31-19 to win Friday’s match 3-0.

 

Friday’s match marks the second meeting between Georgia and Mississippi State on the season, and the Bulldogs from Athens have taken both contests in three sets. Georgia has posted four victories in its last five games.

Freshman outside hitter T’ara Ceasar headlined the Georgia squad, posting her seventh career double-double with 18 kills and 10 digs. She also posted two service aces and a career-high hitting percentage at .517.

“The match was about staying focused on the next play,” Ceasar said, “making sure my teammates had my back, and feeding off everyone’s energy.”

Trailing 4-2 early in the opening stanza, a seven-point run propelled Georgia to a 10-5 lead, featuring a kill apiece from junior middle blocker Majesti Bass, Ceasar, and sophomore setter Meghan Donovan, who also had 42 assists on the match. Georgia never looked back, cruising to a 25-18 set one victory.

Georgia jumped to a quick 3-0 advantage, aided by back-to-back Ritchie kills. The home Bulldogs never relinquished a lead in the second frame, as consecutive services aces from freshman Kendall Glover fueled the closing Georgia points of the frame. The Bulldogs recorded a .577 hitting clip in the set en route to a 25-17 win as Ritchie added six kills. The freshman outside hitter totaled 14 on the match.

Trailing 15-20, Georgia returned from a timeout with five-straight kills, which included a trio from Ceasar and a pair from Bass, who had 11 on the night, to even the score at 20. After Ceasar knotted the frame for a second time at 24, Georgia and Mississippi State bounced the score back-and-forth, until the 29-28 mark.

Ceasar placed two kills to put Georgia on top 30-29 for the first time since the 9-8 mark in the final frame. Redshirt freshman Kianna Young followed powering a kill past the Mississippi State defense for the match victory. Georgia’s 31 points in the third set ranks for fourth all-time in points scored in a set in program history.

“We’ve been in that situation before in practice,” Ceasar said. “Coach likes to make us down in points. I think it’s planned how we practice, and that’s an important aspect of that last set for us to stay aggressive and stay relentless.”

For the complete box score of the volleyball match betweeen Georgia and Mississippi State, CLICK HERE.

Up next, Georgia travels to Tuscaloosa to face off with Alabama at 1 p.m. The match will be available on SEC Network, with live stats on GeorgiaDogs.com. The Bulldogs faced the Tide previously this season, posting a straight-set victory in their first conference match of the season.