University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
10-1
Bethune Cookman
1-9
Bulldogs Earn 10th Win Of Season
September 16, 2016 | Volleyball
Highlights of Georgia Volleyball's 3-0 victory over Bethune-Cookman in the team's opening match of the Bulldog Invitational
More Video: Coach Stemke's Post Game Comments
Sept. 16, 2016
ATHENS, Ga.--- In their final stretch of non-conference play, the Georgia Bulldogs (10-1) remained perfect at home dominating the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (1-9) in their first of three matches in this weekend's Bulldog Invitational at the Ramsey Center.
The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats in straight sets 25-9, 25-23 and 25-19 to earn their 10th win of the season.
"This is our last non-conference weekend, and we want to make sure we are heading into conference play really aggressive, really strong, and focused," said head coach Lizzy Stemke. "I think tonight's match was a good start to our tournament, and allowed us to focus on what we wanted to do and that is to get better each match and keep the momentum going."
Leading the SEC in opponent hitting percentage, the Georgia defense continued to play strong, holding the Wildcats to a .088 hitting mark for the match. Four Bulldogs notched double-digit digs, highlighted by Cassidy Anderson with a match-high 17. Offensively, Meghan Donovan passed out 31 assists while Kendall Kazor and Maddie Lobenstein led the attackers with 10 kills.
Behind Desiree McCray and Donovan's four kills in set one, the commanding Bulldog offense led the charge to a 14-point victory in which the team never trailed.
Bethune-Cookman would respond to the offensive onslaught by taking an early lead in set two, a set that featured four lead changes. After being tied at 11, Georgia would break the tie and not look back, edging the Wildcats 25-23 behind Kazor's emphatic set-clinching kill.
Looking to close out the Wildcats in three sets, a pair of diving Caroline Ostman digs would give the Bulldogs the momentum they needed to break the tie at 14 and cruise to a 25-19 third-set victory.
The Bulldogs will close out the remainder of their non-conference schedule on Saturday with a pair of home matches before hitting the road to begin SEC play. The Bulldogs will take on McNeese State at 1 p.m. ET and South Alabama at 7 p.m. ET at the Ramsey Center.
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