University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
ETSU
UGA Volleyball Opens 2010 Season With Shutout Over ETSU
August 27, 2010 | Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2010
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The University of Georgia volleyball team opened its 2010 season by shutting out East Tennessee State, 3-0, on Friday afternoon in the Deacon Invitational.
The Bulldogs (1-0) defeated the Buccaneers (0-1) with set scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-12 to win their first season opening contest since 2007. Georgia controlled the match both offensively and defensively. On the offensive end, the Bulldogs produced 44 kills on a .284 hitting percentage, and defensively the Dogs led in team blocks, 11.5 to 6.0, led in digs, 40 to 30, and limited the Buccaneers to just 20 kills on a .000 hitting percentage.
"It's always really good to start the season off with a win," Georgia head coach Joel McCartney said. "I am most happy with the progress we made as the match got into the third set. We settled down and put a stop to the unforced attacking and serving errors which allowed us to finally grab control of this thing. Our game plan grew into doing a better job of keeping the ball on them aggressively and forcing the action on the ETSU side of the net. As we felt more secure with that style of play, everything else started coming around."
Several players contributed to the solid performance for Georgia led by freshman outside hitter Brittany Northcutt, who posted 10 kills on a .273 clip. Northcutt's outing was supported by eight kills on a .538 mark from junior middle hitter Ann Dylla and seven kills apiece from senior middle hitter Valentina Gonzalez and sophomore opposite hitter Briana Bahr. The offense was guided by junior setter and team captain Kathleen Gates' 33 assists.
"Our middle offense was pretty solid with Ann and Valentina doing a nice job of establishing an aggressive tempo," McCartney said. "They both were incredibly efficient, and we are going to need more of that this season."
Northcutt was one of three players to make her Bulldog debut in the match against ETSU along with redshirt freshman outside hitter Kathleen Luft and true freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist Allison Summers.
"Brittany and Luft both got better as they each settled into the left side position and started terminating big at the end," McCartney noted. "We will need more consistent play from them tomorrow, but this was the first college match for both so we expected some nerves."
Dylla led the blocking performance with seven stops while Gates and Bahr added four blocks each. Junior libero Carla Tietz and Summers tied for the team lead in digs with eight.
"We had great ball control tonight and got some production from our defensive specialists, so a lot of the credit goes to that group," McCartney added.
In the first set, Georgia jumped out to a 3-0 lead but East Tennessee State battled back to tie the set at 12-12. UGA then shortly regained the lead at 14-12 before ETSU used a four-point run to go up 16-14. The Bulldogs still trailed by two at 19-17 before going on eight-point run to close the first set at 25-19. Senior middle hitter Valentina Gonzalez led the eight-point rally on serve with three aces and a kill.
The second set then featured five early ties with the final even score coming at 7-7 before Georgia went on a 4-1 run to open up a three-point lead at 11-8. The Bulldogs would go on to lead by as many as four in the set at 15-11 as the Buccaneers keep the set close, but Georgia never relinquished its advantage winning the set 25-21.
In the third and final set, the match remained close early with ETSU holding to a two-point deficit at 9-7, but UGA scored the next five points and finished the set on a 16-5 run to win the match with a 25-12 third-set score.
Georgia returns to action in the Deacon Invitational with two matches on Saturday. The Bulldogs will face Coastal Carolina at 10 a.m. ET before squaring off against tournament host Wake Forest in the events final match at 7 p.m.
Match Notes:
· Georgia's starting lineup featured six players who started for the Bulldogs last year in middle hitters Valentina Gonzalez and Ann Dylla, outside hitter Erika Clark, opposite hitter Briana Bahr, setter Kathleen Gates and libero Carla Tietz. Completing the starting lineup was freshman outside hitter Brittany Northcutt.
· Three players made their Bulldog debut including Northcutt, redshirt freshmen outside hitter Kathleen Luft and freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist Allison Summers.
· Georgia played East Tennessee State for the first time since 1984, and with the win, the Bulldogs improve to 5-3 all-time against the Buccaneers including wins in the last four meetings.
· Georgia won its season opening match for the first time since 2007, when the Bulldogs started the season on an eight-match winning streak.
2010 Deacon Invitational Results & Remaining Schedule:
Friday, Aug. 27:
Georgia def. East Tennessee, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-12)
7 p.m. - Wake Forest vs. Coastal Carolina
Saturday, Aug. 28:
10 a.m. - Coastal Carolina vs. Georgia
12:30 p.m. - Wake Forest vs. East Tennessee State
4:30 p.m. - Coastal Carolina vs. East Tennessee State
7 p.m. - Wake Forest vs. Georgia
