Bulldogs Win Season Opener in Five Sets

Friday, August 24

Athens, Ga.

7 p.m.

University of Georgia

1-0

Coastal Carolina

0-1

Coastal Carolina

Georgia

Photo by: Kristin M. Bradshaw

August 24, 2018 | Volleyball

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ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia volleyball (1-0) found itself on the winning end of a closely-contested season opener Friday evening at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Coastal Carolina (0-1) in the five-set affair (24-26, 25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 15-12).

Sophomore T'ara Ceasar paced the Bulldog offense, recording her second career 20-kill match. She finished with 21 kills and hit .340. She also earned her 10^th-career double-double with 13 digs.

Fellow sophomore Rachel Ritchie laid down 15 kills and senior Majesti Bass had 12. Junior setter Meghan Donovan also earned a double-double, the 23^rdof her career, with 47 assists and 15 digs.

Freshman Mallory Hernandez completed eight kills and a trio of digs in her NCAA debut.

A close opening stanza went to the Chanticleers, 26-24. The Bulldogs used a 5-0 run to pull ahead by three early, 6-3, and held onto the lead much of the set. Coastal Carolina never let the Bulldogs too far out of its sights, pulling within one on a Carla Cahill ace, 22-21. Tied at 24, the Chanticleers recorded the final two points to swipe the first set away from Georgia.

Ceasar and Ritchie each had four kills for Georgia in the set. Ritchie hit .375 to open the match.

Georgia fell behind early in set two, 6-2. The Bulldogs battled, going on a 4-1 run to knot the score up at 10. Down 17-15, Georgia rattled off a six-point run to take a 21-17 lead in the second set. The Bulldogs wrapped the set winning four of the final five serves to take the set, 25-20, tying the match up at one set apiece.

Ceasar and Ritchie each added five kills in the second stanza to bring their match totals to nine. Ritchie increased her hitting percentage to .444. After hitting .139 in the first set, Georgia hit .414 as a team in the second, committing only four attack errors.

The Bulldogs led much of the third set, leading by as much as four, 14-10. CCU quickly pulled back within one and never let Georgia recapture a significant lead the remainder of the set. Georgia led 23-21 before the Chanticleers won the final four points to swipe another set out from under the Bulldogs, 25-23, and taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

Donovan's 23^rd-career double-double came in the third set, entering the fourth set with 33 assists and 10 digs.

Georgia led the entirety of the fourth set, cruising to a 25-20 victory to tie up the match and force a decisive fifth set.

The Bulldogs forced CCU into seven attack errors in the fourth while hitting a respectable .306. Ceasar contributed another five kills, bringing her match tally to 18, while Bass had four in the frame. Senior Anna Kate Karstens recorded her first career ace in the fourth set of Friday's match.

Not unlike the first four sets, the fifth was hotly contested as it featured five ties. Down 8-6, Georgia went on a 5-0 run to capture an 11-8 lead on the Chanticleers. CCU worked to tie it up at 12 all but Georgia won the final three points, capped by a kill from Ceasar, to secure the five-set victory, 15-12.

Georgia returns to action Saturday for day two of the Benson Hospitality Invitational. The Bulldogs will face Furman (0-1) at 12:30 p.m. before hosting Illinois State (1-0) in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum.