Friday, September 6
Long Beach, Calif.
10 p.m.
University of Georgia
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3
at
1
Long Beach State
2-3
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2
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4
F
Georgia
20
25
25
25
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Long Beach State
25
21
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22
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Photo by: Kristin M. Bradshaw
Donovan Records 4,000th-Career Assist in 3-1 Win over Long Beach
September 07, 2019 | Volleyball
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The University of Georgia women's volleyball team defeated tournament host Long Beach State Friday evening in four sets (20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22).
In the second set, senior setter Meghan Donovan recorded career assist number 4,000, becoming only the sixth Bulldog to eclipse the mark. With 49 assists in Friday's match, Donovan also moves up in Georgia's all-time assists list into sole possession of sixth place, passing the mark of 4,023 set by Jill Moore (1988-91).
Junior Kianna Young recorded a new career best Friday evening with 16 kills. Junior Rachel Ritchie (14), sophomore Mallory Hernandez (11), and sophomore Kayla Rivera (11, career-high) all topped the double-digit kill mark Friday evening.
Defensively, junior Kendall Glover (19) and Donovan (14) all recorded season high dig counts. Donovan's dig and assist numbers were good enough for her second double-double of the season. Rivera also set a career mark with five blocks while Kaylah House had four, a season high.
The Bulldogs (3-2) opened the first set with a 4-1 lead over the Beach (2-3), later holding a 13-10 lead and forcing a timeout from the LBSU bench. With the Bulldogs up 16-12, Long Beach rattled off a 7-0 run to flip the script and hold a three-point lead. The Beach held the lead to a 25-20 opening set win. Ritchie recorded five kills in the set.
After falling behind 5-2, Georgia won nine of the next 12 points in the second set to go ahead 11-8 and prompt a timeout from Long Beach. After Long Beach recaptured the lead, Georgia rattled off an 8-1 run to hold a five-point lead, 21-16. The Bulldogs wrapped the set 25-21 to tie up the match at a set each. Young laid down six kills in the set, recording a new season high of nine entering set three.
The third set was all Georgia as the Dawgs rolled to a 25-19 set victory. A 7-2 mid-set run for Georgia opened a comfortable five-point lead, which they used to find the 2-1 lead in the match. Hernandez led the Bulldog offensive attack with seven kills in the set. Young and Ritchie each topped the double-digit kill mark in the set.
Georgia opened the fourth set going ahead 7-1. Up 15-8, Long Beach used its second timeout of the set. With the Bulldogs holding a seven-point leads, 21-14, Long Beach rallied for seven-straight to tie the set. Georgia rebounded by winning four of the next five to secure the four-set win, 25-22.
The Bulldogs are back on the court against Texas State Saturday at 7:30 p.m., ET/4:30 p.m., PT, to close play at the Long Beach State Tournament.
Head Coach Tom Black
On the offense being able to work well…
"I thought our libero and defensive specialists all passed the ball really well then Meghan distributed it really well. Kianna, Rachel, and Kayla were hammering. It was a good offensive performance and it started with the serve receive."
On being able to close the match down the stretch…
"I thought one good thing during that stretch our passing was solid, so our passers weren't going down with the ship; they were giving us swings. Kacie Evans was able to give us a nice side out on the outside then we rotated back, and Rachel Ritchie came back up, who had a great offensive match, then we were able to get a nice serving run off Kacie at the end. It was good response after a scary situation."
On Meghan Donovan's 4,000th-career assist…
"This is just one impressive feat of many in her career that she's already done with more to come. The most impressive thing about Meghan is she's a really good player who just keeps getting better and she's been that way since I've been here and she's going to continue to do that. We still have a lot of season left so this is an impressive milestone she's earned and there's going to be more to come."
Junior middle blocker Kianna Young
On what was working for her tonight…
"I think last night's game was a good eye opener to that we need to work as a team and not be individual islands that we talk about sometimes. So, I think connecting with Meghan, connecting with the back row, and connecting with the blockers I was with really helped me do what I wanted."
On the progression of the offense…
"I think it's looking really good, like it's quite balanced. We used to be a little more of an outside team, but I think we're getting the right side really involved and the middles really involved and it's throwing off other teams because it makes us harder to scout against."
In the second set, senior setter Meghan Donovan recorded career assist number 4,000, becoming only the sixth Bulldog to eclipse the mark. With 49 assists in Friday's match, Donovan also moves up in Georgia's all-time assists list into sole possession of sixth place, passing the mark of 4,023 set by Jill Moore (1988-91).
Junior Kianna Young recorded a new career best Friday evening with 16 kills. Junior Rachel Ritchie (14), sophomore Mallory Hernandez (11), and sophomore Kayla Rivera (11, career-high) all topped the double-digit kill mark Friday evening.
Defensively, junior Kendall Glover (19) and Donovan (14) all recorded season high dig counts. Donovan's dig and assist numbers were good enough for her second double-double of the season. Rivera also set a career mark with five blocks while Kaylah House had four, a season high.
The Bulldogs (3-2) opened the first set with a 4-1 lead over the Beach (2-3), later holding a 13-10 lead and forcing a timeout from the LBSU bench. With the Bulldogs up 16-12, Long Beach rattled off a 7-0 run to flip the script and hold a three-point lead. The Beach held the lead to a 25-20 opening set win. Ritchie recorded five kills in the set.
After falling behind 5-2, Georgia won nine of the next 12 points in the second set to go ahead 11-8 and prompt a timeout from Long Beach. After Long Beach recaptured the lead, Georgia rattled off an 8-1 run to hold a five-point lead, 21-16. The Bulldogs wrapped the set 25-21 to tie up the match at a set each. Young laid down six kills in the set, recording a new season high of nine entering set three.
The third set was all Georgia as the Dawgs rolled to a 25-19 set victory. A 7-2 mid-set run for Georgia opened a comfortable five-point lead, which they used to find the 2-1 lead in the match. Hernandez led the Bulldog offensive attack with seven kills in the set. Young and Ritchie each topped the double-digit kill mark in the set.
Georgia opened the fourth set going ahead 7-1. Up 15-8, Long Beach used its second timeout of the set. With the Bulldogs holding a seven-point leads, 21-14, Long Beach rallied for seven-straight to tie the set. Georgia rebounded by winning four of the next five to secure the four-set win, 25-22.
The Bulldogs are back on the court against Texas State Saturday at 7:30 p.m., ET/4:30 p.m., PT, to close play at the Long Beach State Tournament.
Head Coach Tom Black
On the offense being able to work well…
"I thought our libero and defensive specialists all passed the ball really well then Meghan distributed it really well. Kianna, Rachel, and Kayla were hammering. It was a good offensive performance and it started with the serve receive."
On being able to close the match down the stretch…
"I thought one good thing during that stretch our passing was solid, so our passers weren't going down with the ship; they were giving us swings. Kacie Evans was able to give us a nice side out on the outside then we rotated back, and Rachel Ritchie came back up, who had a great offensive match, then we were able to get a nice serving run off Kacie at the end. It was good response after a scary situation."
On Meghan Donovan's 4,000th-career assist…
"This is just one impressive feat of many in her career that she's already done with more to come. The most impressive thing about Meghan is she's a really good player who just keeps getting better and she's been that way since I've been here and she's going to continue to do that. We still have a lot of season left so this is an impressive milestone she's earned and there's going to be more to come."
Junior middle blocker Kianna Young
On what was working for her tonight…
"I think last night's game was a good eye opener to that we need to work as a team and not be individual islands that we talk about sometimes. So, I think connecting with Meghan, connecting with the back row, and connecting with the blockers I was with really helped me do what I wanted."
On the progression of the offense…
"I think it's looking really good, like it's quite balanced. We used to be a little more of an outside team, but I think we're getting the right side really involved and the middles really involved and it's throwing off other teams because it makes us harder to scout against."
Team Stats
UGA
LBSU
Kills
62
45
Errors
28
19
Attempts
159
128
Hitting %
.214
.203
Points
73.0
60.0
Assists
58
43
Aces
2
4
Blocks
9.0
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
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