University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
#1 Florida
Georgia Takes Opening Set From No. 1 Florida But Falls, 3-1
October 17, 2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2010
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Georgia volleyball team won the opening set against No. 1-ranked Florida, 25-19, but the Gators won the next three sets 25-20, 25-19 and 25-21 to defeat the Bulldogs, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
"We didn't lose this match today from a lack of being fired up to play it," Georgia head coach Joel McCartney said. "Our girls came out and maintained a great energy today against a very good Florida team."
Georgia never trailed top-ranked Florida in the opening set and the final margin in the frame of 25-19 was the Bulldogs' biggest lead in the closely contested Southeastern Conference clash, and it marked the second time in program history the Dogs have taken a set from a No. 1-nationally ranked opponent having previously done so in a 3-1 loss to Southern California in 2004. With the win, UF improves to 16-1 overall and 9-0 in SEC action while Georgia drops to 11-10 overall and 3-7 in league play.
"We want to congratulate Florida for the win, and also congratulate (Florida head coach) Mary Wise for her milestone achievement," McCartney said of Wise earning her 700th career victory. "She has meant a lot to the SEC and to the collegiate sport of volleyball in general."
The match remained close throughout the remaining three sets, but UF gained a slight edge late in each frame. The second set featured 14 ties with the final knotted score of the set coming at 16-16 before the Gators pulled away to win 25-20. In the third set, Florida led by five at 20-15, but Georgia pulled to within two at 21-19 before a 4-0 run ended it at 25-19. In the fourth set, Georgia led by two at 8-6 before a 7-0 Florida run gave the Gators a five-point advantage at 13-8. From there, UGA again climbed back to within two late in the set at 23-21, but the UF held on to win the match by taking it 25-21.
"In the end, we played well enough to be in this thing to win it, but Florida made key plays in the finishing moments of the last three sets to get the win," McCartney stated.
Statistically, the Bulldogs stayed on par with the Gators with UGA getting 48 kills on a .244 hitting percentage and two aces compared to UF's 54 kills on a .284 hitting percentage and six aces. On the defensive side of the net, UF held a slight lead in blocks at 14.0 to 13.5 and led in digs at 44 to 35.
Four players finished with double-digit kills for Florida led by Kristy Jaeckel's 12 while Kelly Murphy and Lauren Bledsoe added 11 kills apiece. Murphy finished with a double-double by also providing 30 assists. The fourth Gator with double-digit figures in kills was Callie Rivers with 10. Defensively, UF was paced by Erin Fleming's match-best 11 digs and Cassandra Anderson's seven blocks.
Georgia had several strong performances in the O'Connell Center as well as junior setter Kathleen Gates factored into the match in all phases with 37 assists, eight kills, seven digs and three blocks. The Bulldogs' offensive attack was led by redshirt freshman outside hitter Kathleen Luft and senior middle hitter Valentina Gonzalez. Luft finished with a team-best 11 kills on a .235 hitting percentage while Gonzalez added 10 kills on a .625 clip to go along with six blocks. Additionally, freshman outside hitter Brittany Northcutt added seven kills and a career-best seven blocks while junior middle hitter Ann Dylla contributed eight kills and four blocks.
"Valentina was amazing today," McCartney noted. "I only wish we could have given her more volume, but Gates did a fairly good job distributing the ball and running an aggressive system. She was looking for Vale at every turn and they connected perfectly today. Luft stepped up on the left pin this afternoon and gave us big firepower in key moments. She played pretty well on both sides of the court and we are beginning to see her become pretty comfortable as a go-to option for us."
Up next, Georgia returns to the friendly confines of the Ramsey Student Center for its next two matches. The Bulldogs will face the LSU Tigers on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. ET and the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 1:30 p.m.
