Georgia Opens Conference Action Wednesday at South Carolina

Georgia (4-7, 0-0)
at South Carolina (8-2, 0-0)
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021
First Serve: 8 p.m., ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Carolina Volleyball Center

Media Information
TV: SEC Network
   Play-by-play: Courtney Lyle
   Analysis: Missy Whittemore
Streaming: Watch ESPN / ESPN app
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter: @UGAvolleyball

First Serve
Georgia volleyball opens Southeastern Conference play this Wednesday on the road at South Carolina. The Bulldogs and Gamecocks will serve it up at the Carolina Volleyball Center in Columbia live on SEC Network at 8 p.m.

Follow the Bulldogs
» Wednesday's match will air live on SEC Network. Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Missy Whittemore (analyst) will be on the call.
» Wednesday's match can be streamed live via Watch ESPN and the ESPN app.
» 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.

Upcoming Promotions and Fan Information at Stegeman - vs. Florida
Sept. 29 vs. Florida Promotions
» Wear Red!
   - First 500 fans will receive a free red t-shirt
   - First 300 students can sign up to win prizes through the Commit to the G app
» National Coffee Day
   - First 300 students will receive coffee and donuts courtesy of Community Coffee and Kroger
Fan Information
» Admission is FREE to all regular-season home volleyball matches.
» The SEC Clear Bag Policy will be in effect.
» New core concessions prices include:
     - $2.50 – Jumbo hot dogs, 20 oz. bottle and fountain sodas
     - $2.00 – 20 oz bottle Dasani, candy, popcorn tub
» All concessions and merchandise transactions are cashless/contactless.
     - Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover are accepted.

BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Series History
- Georgia leads the all-time series 50-25
- Since South Carolina joined the SEC in 1991, Georgia leads the series 34-24
- In Columbia, the Bulldogs are 22-12; Tom Black is 2-0 at the Carolina Volleyball Center, winning five-set matches in 2017 and 2019
- This will be the third-straight season that the Bulldogs and Gamecocks will open SEC play against each other
- Four of the last seven meetings have gone the distance to five sets

A Look at What's Ahead
Georgia will return home to Stegeman Coliseum to host No. 17 Florida Wednesday, Sept. 29. First serve on ESPNU is slated for 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear red to the match and the first 500 fans will receive a red t-shirt and students will have the opportunity to sign up to win prizes. It will also be National Coffee Day. The first 300 students will receive free coffee courtesy of Community Coffee and donuts courtesy of Kroger.

Let's Recap
The Bulldogs concluded non-conference play over the weekend, suffering a pair of road losses to ACC foes NC State and No. 18 Georgia Tech. Georgia took a decisive opening set against the Wolfpack and held a substantial lead in the second before dropping the set and the match in four Thursday. The Bulldogs then traveled to Atlanta for a rivalry matchup at Georgia Tech on Saturday. Again, Georgia opened the match strong, going toe-to-toe with the Yellow Jackets, but ultimately dropped the three-set decision to end the 2021 non-conference schedule.

Tom Black in SEC Openers
Under Tom Black's direction, the Bulldogs are 3-1 in conference openers since 2017. The Bulldogs won their first three SEC openers under Black, dropping last season's, which also doubled as the season opener, to South Carolina in three sets. 2021 will be only the second time Georgia opens SEC play on the road since Black's arrival in Athens.
2017    vs. Alabama                W, 3-0
2018    vs. LSU                         W, 3-2
2019    at South Carolina        W, 3-2
2020    vs. South Carolina       L, 0-3

Coming Out Strong
This season, Georgia has come out of the gate strong, winning the opening set in nine of its 11 matches played. The Bulldogs have taken opening sets by an average of 5.5 points.

Aces Wild
The Bulldogs have had a history of excellent serving under Tom Black and 2021 has been no exception. Through 11 matched, Georgia is third in the SEC with 62 total services aces this season. Individually, junior Amber Stivrins ranked third in the SEC with 17.

Rookies Shine on Opening Weekend
Georgia saw four freshmen play in every set on opening weekend, three starting all 11 sets. Setter Clara Brower handed out 10.09 assists per set and ran an offense that hit .299 as a team. She also contributed 17 digs and seven blocks. Outside hitter turned middle blocker Lyric Stewart tallied 2.36 kills per set, hit .467 on the weekend, and led the team with 12 blocks. Outside hitter Abby Maesch led the team with 30 kills and 2.73 kills per set. Defensive specialist Bailey cox put up 18 digs (1.64 d/s) and laid down four service aces.

Bulldogs Set for Strong 2021 Slate of Matches
Eight opponents on Georgia's schedule appeared in the 2020 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament, three of which played in the Elite Eight round. Six of Georgia's opponents concluded the season in the AVCA Top 25 including top-10 finishers Kentucky, Florida, and Nebraska.

Blocking Improves in 2020-21
Georgia concluded the 2020-21 season ranked fourth in the SEC in blocking as a team, completing the campaign with 2.25 blocks per set. It was the highest finish in the category under Tom Black. SEC All-Freshman Team member Phoebe Awoleye finished top-five in the league with 1.05 blocks per set as a rookie.

Breaking Down the Roster
The Bulldogs' roster features 17 student-athletes with a mix of experienced and new talent. Overall, each position on the court comes with a significant amount of depth. The roster breaks down to five seniors, three juniors and sophomores each, and a total of six freshman, five of which are true freshmen. Position wise, the Bulldogs have a near perfect mix at each position. Georgia returns five starters plus its starting libero from last season.

Georgia Opens Conference Action Wednesday at South Carolina

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Players Mentioned

Phoebe Awoleye

Clara Brower

Abby Maesch

Lyric Stewart

Amber Stivrins