Volleyball Returns to Stegeman Coliseum to Host NC State, Georgia Tech

Georgia (6-3)
vs. North Carolina State (4-5)
Date: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Athens, Ga.
Arena: Stegeman Coliseum

vs. Georgia Tech (6-3)
Date: Friday, Sept. 20, 2019
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Athens, Ga.
Arena: Stegeman Coliseum

Media Information
Streaming Video: SEC Network+
    Play-by-play: Kaleb Frady
    Analysis: Nikki Chester
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter: @UGAvolleyball

First Serve
Georgia volleyball opens its home schedule this week at Stegeman Coliseum when North Carolina State and Georgia Tech comes to Athens.

The Bulldogs host NC State on Thursday at 7 p.m. to officially kick off the home schedule. Georgia will then host rival Georgia Tech Friday evening at 7p.m. Arkansas will also be in town, taking on Georgia Tech then NC State each day at 4 p.m., respectively.

Upcoming Promotions at Stegeman
» FREE admission to all regular-season home matches; the Clear Bag Policy will be in affect
» All season long, the first 30 fans at Gate A at Stegeman Coliseum can sit courtside and will receive free food
Friday, Sept. 20 vs. Georgia Tech
» First 1,000 fans will receive a free 'Wreck Tech' t-shirt
» First 250 UGA students will receive free Chik-fil-A and can sign up for a chance to win prizes

Follow the Bulldogs
» Both matches will stream live on the SEC Network+ via ESPN.com and the ESPN app. Kaleb Frady will provide play-by-play while Nikki Chester will provide analysis.
» 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
Series Histories
NC State
- Georgia leads the all-time series 8-6
- The Bulldogs and Wolfpack have only met in Athens four times with Georgia losing three of the four meetings.
- In last season's match, Georgia sept the Wolfpack at Georgia Tech.
- The series dates back to 1979; the first 12 meetings came between 1979 and 1990. The teams didn't meet again until 2014 in Athens then against last season.
Georgia Tech
- Georgia leads the all-time series 23-17
- The series dates back to 1980 and Georgia won the first 20 meetings through 1999.
- Since 2000, Georgia Tech has won 17 of the last 20 matches.
- In Athens, Georgia is 13-7 in the series.
- Last season's match in Atlanta the Yellow Jackets won the first two sets, then Georgia rebounded to win the next two and force a fifth set. Georgia fell 15-12 in the final set.

A Look Ahead
Southeastern Conference play will begin on the road next weekend. Georgia kicks off the SEC slate at South Carolina at 7 p.m. from Columbia, South Carolina. Georgia then heads to #11 Florida for a showdown with the Gators that Sunday, Sept. 29.

Let's Recap
Georgia traveled to Durham, North Carolina last weekend to take part in the Duke Blue Devil Classic. Georgia began the tournament with a sweep of Northwestern followed by a four-set victory over American on Friday. Tournament action concluded with a sweep of the host Blue Devils on Saturday. Three Bulldogs including Kianna Young, Kayla Rivera, and Meghan Donovan picked up all-tournament honors. As a team, the Bulldogs hit .304 on the weekend, averaging 15.70 kills per set, held opponents to a .156 hitting percentage, and recorded 17.30 digs per set.

The Bulldogs at Home
In the first two seasons under Tom Black, Georgia has recorded a record at home of 18-11. 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.

Helping Hands
Senior setter Meghan Donovan, Georgia's lone senior, ranks sixth all-time with 4,067 career assists. As a junior, she earned SEC Setter of the Week four times and ranked second in the league with 11.07 assists per set, coming in at 29th nationally.

Looking For A Non-Conference Boost
The Bulldogs will look to have another strong start to the season in non-conference play under Tom Black. In his first two seasons, Georgia has gone 19-5 in non-conference action. In 2017, Georgia was 10-3 while putting up a 9-2 mark a season ago.

O Canada!
In February 2019, Tom Black was named the head coach of the Canadian Women's Indoor National Team. Volleyball Canada won the FIVB Women's Challenger in Lima, Peru in June, qualifying for the Nations League Tournament in 2020. While it did not qualify for Tokyo 2020 in Russia in August, Canada will have another opportunity to qualify in January.

Donovan Trains with USA National Team
Meghan Donovan spent a week in June training with the USA National Team in Anaheim, California. She was one of 28 student-athletes who earned the opportunity and was one of four setters on the roster.

2019 Schedule at a Glance
Twenty-nine matches are featured on the 2019 schedule with 11 set in Athens. The Bulldogs will open the home schedule with a tournament hosting North Carolina State on Sept. 19 and rival Georgia Tech Sept. 20. All home matches will be decided at Stegeman Coliseum once again this season. Southeastern Conference play begins on the road with back-to-back matches at South Carolina (Sept. 27) and Florida (Sept. 29). In all, seven teams on Georgia's 2019 schedule appeared in the 2018 NCAA Tournament and four finished in the AVCA Top 25.

A Look at the 2019 Squad
Georgia's roster features 15 total student-athletes, 10 returning from last season and five newcomers including four freshmen. Setter Meghan Donovan is the lone senior on this season's roster. Donovan enters her final season in the Red and Black ranked seventh all-time with 3,647 career assists. The five-member junior class features outside hitter Rachel Ritchie, Georgia's top returning kills leader (3.35 kills/set), and libero Kendall Glover who ranked top-10 in digs in the Southeastern Conference (4.09 digs/set) in 2018. Newcomers feature junior transfer opposite hitter/middle blocker Kaylah House from Coastal Carolina. Georgia also welcomes four freshmen.

Volleyball Returns to Stegeman Coliseum to Host NC State, Georgia Tech

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Players Mentioned

Meghan Donovan

Kendall Glover

Kaylah House

Rachel Ritchie

Kayla Rivera

Kianna Young