Georgia Faces Cal Poly in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament Friday

Georgia (20-9, 12-6 SEC)
vs. Cal Poly (20-8, 13-3 Big West)
Date: Friday, Dec. 6, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m., EST
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Arena: Maples Pavilion

Media Information
Streaming Video: Stanford Live Stream
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter: @UGAvolleyball

First Serve
The Georgia volleyball team will travel to Palo Alto, California to face Cal Poly on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m., ET, at Maples Pavilion on the campus of Stanford University in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

The No. 3 national seed Stanford will host the first and second rounds and will play Denver in the first round after Georgia's match against Cal Poly. The winners will advance to Saturday's second round match at 9 p.m., ET.

Follow the Bulldogs
» The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament will stream live via Stanford Live Stream on PAC-12.com.
» Live stat links can be found on the volleyball schedule on GeorgiaDogs.com.
» Twitter updates will be available all season long on the official Twitter page of the Bulldogs, @UGAvolleyball.

BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Back In It
Georgia volleyball returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. This will be Georgia's 10th all-time tournament appearance. The Bulldogs are 5-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have not won an NCAA postseason match sine 1995.

Breaking Down Tournament History
All five of Georgia's NCAA Tournament victories have come in first round action in Athens. Georgia has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in five other locations, including four times in Austin, Texas, going 0-9 in total matches away from the Classic City.

Tom Black in the NCAA Tournament
This will be Tom Black's first NCAA Tournament appearance with Georgia but fourth Division I appearance in his 10 seasons. He made three appearances with Loyola Marymount (2012, 2014, 2015) with a record of 2-3. The Lions fell in the first round in both 2012 and 2014 (Western Kentucky, Michigan State) at Stanford. In 2015, Loyola Marymount defeated Colorado State in the first round then stunned #8 Stanford in a sweep on its home court, punching its ticket to the Sweet 16 in San Diego. The Lions fell to #9 Kansas in four sets in the Regional semifinal.

In 2012, Felicia Turner (outside hitter) was on the LMU roster for Black. In 2014 and 2015, Turner and Aaron Benning were on Black's staff at LMU.

Series Histories
Stanford
- Georgia and Stanford have never met
Cal Poly
- Georgia won the lone meeting with Cal Poly on Sept. 8. 1990 in Fullerton, California
- The Bulldogs won the match in five sets
Denver
- Series is tied 1-1
- Georgia won the first meeting in Denver in four sets in 1997
- The Bulldogs were swept by the Pioneers in 2006, also in Denver

Evans Named SEC Freshman of the Year
Kacie Evans became the sixth Georgia Bulldog to earn the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019. The Wadsworth, Ohio native also earned All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team honors. This season, Evans has earned Freshman of the Week five times. She has led Georgia this season with 3.59 kills per set while also averaging 2.16 digs per set. She's also tallied 30 aces on the season, second-most on the team. On the season, her kills per set mark ranked ninth in the league while her 0.29 aces per set came in at 10th. She has tallied 4.07 points per set this season, ranking ninth in the SEC. She concluded the regular season with seven double-doubles to her name. In league play, her kills per set average (4.00) comes in at fifth best in the conference while her 4.45 points average ranks seventh.

Donovan Picks Up All-SEC Accolades
Senior setter Meghan Donovan earns her first All-SEC honor of her career in the Red and Black. This season Donovan ranks third in the SEC and 18th in the nation with an 11.36 assists per set average. She has handed out 1,216 total assists this season while also recording 292 digs (second-most on the team), 46 blocks, and 13 aces. This season saw a number of milestones for Donovan including being inducted to Double Grand Club. She will finish her career with over 4,800 career assists and 1,000 digs. She earned SEC Setter of the Week twice in 2019.

Regular Season Recap
The Bulldogs wrapped the regular season with a 20-9 record and a 12-6 record in SEC play. 2019 is the second season Georgia has eclipsed the 20-win mark in three seasons under Tom Black. The last time Georgia had a pair of 20-win seasons in a three-year span was 1997 (20) and 1995 (21). 12 SEC wins is also the most since 1994 when the Bulldogs went 12-2. The season also saw a pair of six-match win streaks including one in conference play, matching an SEC win streak from 2008. October was the best month for the Bulldogs, dropping only one match.

Black Approaching 300 Wins
Head coach Tom Black, in his 15th season as a head coach, is one win away from the 300th of his career. In 10 seasons at the Division I level, he has accumulated 185 wins and 59 in three seasons at Georgia. Black's 299 wins is fifth among the active head coaches in the SEC.

Six SEC Teams Earn Tournament Bids
Six teams from the Southeastern Conference will represent the conference in the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. This marks the most teams from the SEC to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament since 2013 when eight teams from the league appeared in the tournament, a league best.

Where the Offense Compares
Georgia finished the regular season ranked in the top three of three offensive average statistical categories in the SEC including aces (1.5), assists (12.94), and kills (13.87). In team totals, Georgia is top three in assists and aces. Individually, Kacie Evans ranks ninth with 3.59 kills per set and 4.07 points per set.

Aces Wild
As a team, Georgia's 158 aces ranks third in the SEC while also ranking third in aces per set at 1.5. Individually, Brynn Chandler (0.31) and Kacie Evans (0.29) rank sixth and 10th, respectively in the conference. In SEC play, the Bulldogs come in fourth with 96 total aces and 1.41 aces per set. Chandler ranked third with 0.38 aces per set.

Helping Hands
Senior setter Meghan Donovan, Georgia's lone senior, ranks third all-time with 4,863 career assists, the most by a Bulldog in the modern rally scoring era. That figure ranks sixth amongst active career leaders in Division I. This season, her 11.36 assists per set ranks 18th in the country and is finished third in the SEC. Nationally, Georgia ranks 28th with 12.94 assists per set.

Using a Strong Start
This season, Georgia has won the first set 19 times. In those matches, the Bulldogs are 16-3. Reversely, when Georgia drops the opening set, they are 4-7 on the season.

The Bulldogs at Home
Georgia concluded the 2019 home schedule with a 7-4 record. In the first three seasons under Tom Black, Georgia has recorded a record at home of 25-15. Season one saw Georgia go 12-5 in Athens. The 2018 season was the first full-time season for Georgia volleyball in Stegeman Coliseum as Georgia went .500 at 6-6. In home-opening tournaments the last two seasons, the Bulldogs are 7-0.

Bulldogs Add Four to 2020 Roster
Tom Black has announced the addition of four student-athletes to the 2020 roster. The class includes 6-2 middle hitter Phoebe Awoleye, 5-7 libero Mallory Downing, 6-2 middle hitter Mackenzie Norris, and 6-1 opposite Regan Tinkle.

"We are incredibly excited about this class," Black remarked on the class. "They are a well-coached, competitive group of young women who want to see how good they can be and what kind of impact they can have on Georgia volleyball. We expect great things from them, and we know they're willing to do what it takes."

Georgia Faces Cal Poly in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament Friday

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Players Mentioned

Brynn Chandler

Meghan Donovan

Kacie Evans

University of Georgia Athletics