Georgia Poised for Round Three Matchup with Ole Miss

ATHENS, Ga. – Round three of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship begins Sunday, Dec. 3 between the University of Georgia and Ole Miss volleyball programs.

First serve between the Bulldogs and Rebels is set for 2 p.m., ET, in Oxford, Mississippi. The match will be streamed to the SEC Network+.

Georgia eliminated Alabama A&M and UCF in the opening rounds while Ole Miss ended Stephen F. Austin and Arkansas State's seasons. The winner of Georgia/Ole Miss will play the winner of West Virginia/Syracuse in the semifinal round later in the week.

Georgia's NIVC History
Georgia appeared in the NIVC in 1989 and 1990. The Bulldogs went 2-1 in 1989 with wins over Murray State and Arkansas State. UGA advanced to the semifinals in 1990 before being eliminated by Cal State-Northridge. 2017 is the first season that UGA will appear in the postseason since 2013 when the Bulldogs played in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. This is will be Georgia's 11th postseason appearance.

Georgia's All-Time NIVC Results (7-3)
1989
Dec. 1 – vs. Murray State, W 3-0
Dec. 1 – vs. Boise State, L 2-3
Dec. 1 – vs. Arkansas State, W 3-0
1990
Nov. 29 – vs. Boise State, W 3-1
Nov. 29 – vs. Arkansas State, L 0-3
Nov. 30 – vs. Akron, W 3-0
Nov. 30 – vs. Northern Iowa, W 3-1
Dec. 1 – vs. Cal State-Northridge, L 0-3
2017
Nov. 28 – vs. Alabama A&M, W 3-0
Nov. 29 – vs. UCF, W 3-0

Series History
Despite dropping five of the last six meetings, Georgia holds a firm lead on Ole Miss in the all-time series, 40-19. The teams met in Oxford early in the conference slate with the Rebels edging the Bulldogs in five sets. UGA took the opening set before falling behind 2-1. The Dawgs forced a fifth set but fell in the end. Georgia took the rematch later in the season in straight sets in Athens.

Kendall Kazor Named to SEC Community Service Team
The Southeastern Conference announced the 2017 Volleyball Community Service Team Wednesday morning. University of Georgia senior rightside hitter Kendall Kazor has earned recognition for her outstanding work in the community and beyond. Kazor is involved in a number of community service initiatives in Athens and beyond. Over the summer, Kazor took part in the Give Volunteer Immersion Experience in Chiang Mai, Thailand and the L.E.A.D./Soles4Souls program in Costa Rica. She also worked with Athens PBJ, feeding the homeless in Athens.

"This award is beyond well deserved by Kendall," head coach Tom Black said. "The thing we all respect about her is how driven she is to be the be the best possible version of herself in every area of her life. This award reflects that and we are all very proud of her."

Ceasar Earns All-SEC, All-Freshman Team Honors
Freshman outside hitter T'ara Ceasar was named to the All-SEC and All-Freshman Teams. Ceasar becomes the first All-SEC player from Georgia since Brittany Northcut in 2013 and the first freshman to appear on the All-SEC Team since Jasmine Eatmon in 2012.

Bulldogs Have Strong Showing in SEC Weekly Awards
Georgia earned 12 weekly SEC awards this season, topping the previous program record of four set in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008. Four different Bulldogs were honored by the conference this season with three earning Freshman accolades. Meghan Donovan has three Setter of the Week awards while T'ara Ceasar leads the pack with a whopping seven Freshman of the Week awards. Fellow freshmen Kendall Glover and Rachel Ritchie have also been recognized this season.

Trending in the Right Direction
The Bulldogs finished the regular season winning eight of their last 11 matches. A pair of three-game conference win streaks were the longest since 2013. The Bulldogs finished with 10 SEC wins in 2017, the most since 2013 when the Dawgs won 11 conference games. Georgia's 20 wins topped the overall win total from 13 of the last 14 seasons.

In RPI, Georgia has made one of the greatest turnarounds from a season ago. At the end of 2016, the Bulldogs ranked 189. Currently, Georgia ranks 57, good enough for a jump of 132 places. That figure ranks seventh-best. Central Arkansas (211-66) has had the greatest turnaround, jumping 145 places.

Black in His First Season
In his first season at Georgia, head coach Tom Black has placed 22 W's in the win column. Of the six head coaches before him, he has topped five of them in their first season. Jim Iams guided the Bulldogs to a 30-4 season in his first year at the helm (1989). Georgia also appeared in the NIVC that season.

Of 10 first-year "Power Five" head volleyball coaches this season, Black has posted the fourth-best conference winning percentage (.556) behind Stanford's Kevin Hambly (.950), Louisville's Dani Bushboom Kelly (.900), and Illinois' Chris Tamas (.600).

Freshmen Phenoms
Freshmen T'ara Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie have been powerhouses for the Georgia offense in their rookie campaigns. The two rank in the top 10 in the SEC in kills and points. Nationally, Ceasar ranks 29th in kills per set while Ritchie ranks 77th. Ceasar is the highest ranking freshman in the category. Ceasar has also made her presence known on the service line, ranking fifth in the league in aces, 47th nationally. Her ranking of 20 is the best for a freshman with 4.84 points per set. Ceasar leads the team with 26 double-digit kill matches this season with Ritchie close behind with 24.

Aces Wild
Georgia leads the Southeastern Conference in aces per set, registering a 1.61 clip (182 total) in the category. The Bulldogs' average is good enough for 18th nationally. Individually, T'ara Ceasar's 0.40 average (44 total) ranks fifth in the conference and 47th in the country. The squad's 11 aces on Arkansas (Oct. 25) were the team-best in SEC play this season, topping the previous season-high of eight at Missouri Oct. 20. Georgia aced Alabama A&M 12 times in the opening round of the NIVC.

Georgia Ranked in Top Four of SEC in Every Offensive Category
The Georgia offense has placed itself in the top four of every offensive category, including hitting percentage, assists, kills, and service aces. The conference rankings feature Georgia at the top in service aces with a 1.62 average, highlighted by T'ara Ceasar who has led the team in service aces in 12 matches this season.

The Bulldogs are third at .245 in hitting percentage. In kills, Georgia boasts a third-place position (13.75), fueled by outside hitters Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie at third and fourth in the individual rankings. Meghan Donovan headlines the Georgia assists, providing her own third-place spot with 10.97 per match, bringing Georgia to its fourth position as a team 12.95 assists per set. The setter's mark also ranks 31st in the nation.

Georgia Poised for Round Three Matchup with Ole Miss

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Players Mentioned

T'ara Ceasar

Meghan Donovan

Kendall Glover

Kendall Kazor

Rachel Ritchie