University of Georgia Athletics
Artiles Having Fun On And Off The Court
October 01, 2026 | Volleyball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Gigi Artiles loves to dance. She regularly posts videos on social media of herself and a teammate doing a coordinated routine ahead of Georgia volleyball matches.
"This sounds corny, but I actually love dancing," the 6-foot-2 outside hitter from Miami said. "I love doing TikTok dances with my teammates. I think it's so fun. Usually before every match, we try to get one in. They're just fun."
Artiles' most frequent dance partner is fellow freshman Arianna Muoneke, the younger sister of Bianna, Georgia's star outside hitter who ranks ninth in the country with 4.63 kills per set. Artiles and Arianna have clearly clicked as friends and teammates — and dance partners.
"She's probably my biggest TikTok dance partner," Artiles said. "We learn (the routines) pretty fast, and we just do it and have fun with it."
Artiles, the 2025 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year, is clearly having fun on the court, too. While Bianna Muoneke leads the team with 199 kills, Artiles is second with 116. She's also tied for second on the team with 13 aces, tied for second with 80 digs and second alone with 31 blocks.
A prized recruit who was also a two-time Miami/Dade Beach Volleyball Player of the Year, Artiles showed in her first game for the Bulldogs that she would be an impact player right away. In the opener against North Florida, she had 10 kills and seven digs.
"I thought she was amazing today. She was hitting like a truck," Georgia head coach Tom Black said after the win. "She's going to be a special player, for sure. You could see it in some of her swings — she's hitting from the back row harder than some people can hit in the front row."
Artiles has already been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice, including on Sept. 21, after she had 26 kills and 17 digs — her first career double-double — in a five-set win over Georgia Tech. The adjustment to collegiate volleyball and college life has mostly been a smooth one, Artiles said. The first month of school, volleyball and dorm life had its challenges, but she's found her groove.
"It was definitely a hard first month, but after that, it's been so much better," she said. "Every person on staff everywhere is super accommodating, and it's really helpful when you have people surrounding you who are really there for you."
Bianna Muoneke, a senior and one of the team's leaders, has nothing but praise for Artiles. Asked what the freshman brings to the team, she said, "Everything."
"Gigi is the best teammate. She plays so much older than she is. She's probably one of my favorite teammates I've ever played with. She pushes me. She's there for me," Bianna said after Georgia's five-set win over South Carolina on Sept. 23. "The love is genuine — I've never felt like it was anything else. She is like a sister to me.
"Man, I could write a book about Gigi. She's been the best addition to this team."
Accomplished at both indoor and beach volleyball, Artiles said she was more focused on indoor when it came to choosing a college. She picked the Bulldogs because of the coaches, the school, the campus, and because she wanted to experience something very different from life in Miami.
"The coaches are amazing, and they were very loyal and very into the recruiting process for me, and I really appreciated that. They're amazing coaches and amazing people," she said. "Being from Miami, it's a big city, and I kind of wanted to experience a college town. ... Athens is the best college town in the U.S., in my opinion.
"A big thing for me was: am I going to be happy here? Let's say volleyball didn't exist, I'd still be happy here. I love the school, I love the people, the school spirit, everything about it. And it's pretty easy to get from Atlanta to Miami, so that's another plus."
Clearly, Artiles has plenty of reasons to dance and smile.
The Bulldogs (9-2), winners of six straight matches, have had a nice break since beating the Gamecocks. They return to the court this weekend with matches against Arkansas (Friday) and Oklahoma (Sunday) at Stegeman Coliseum.
Staff Writer
Gigi Artiles loves to dance. She regularly posts videos on social media of herself and a teammate doing a coordinated routine ahead of Georgia volleyball matches.
"This sounds corny, but I actually love dancing," the 6-foot-2 outside hitter from Miami said. "I love doing TikTok dances with my teammates. I think it's so fun. Usually before every match, we try to get one in. They're just fun."
Artiles' most frequent dance partner is fellow freshman Arianna Muoneke, the younger sister of Bianna, Georgia's star outside hitter who ranks ninth in the country with 4.63 kills per set. Artiles and Arianna have clearly clicked as friends and teammates — and dance partners.
"She's probably my biggest TikTok dance partner," Artiles said. "We learn (the routines) pretty fast, and we just do it and have fun with it."
Artiles, the 2025 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year, is clearly having fun on the court, too. While Bianna Muoneke leads the team with 199 kills, Artiles is second with 116. She's also tied for second on the team with 13 aces, tied for second with 80 digs and second alone with 31 blocks.
A prized recruit who was also a two-time Miami/Dade Beach Volleyball Player of the Year, Artiles showed in her first game for the Bulldogs that she would be an impact player right away. In the opener against North Florida, she had 10 kills and seven digs.
"I thought she was amazing today. She was hitting like a truck," Georgia head coach Tom Black said after the win. "She's going to be a special player, for sure. You could see it in some of her swings — she's hitting from the back row harder than some people can hit in the front row."
Artiles has already been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice, including on Sept. 21, after she had 26 kills and 17 digs — her first career double-double — in a five-set win over Georgia Tech. The adjustment to collegiate volleyball and college life has mostly been a smooth one, Artiles said. The first month of school, volleyball and dorm life had its challenges, but she's found her groove.
"It was definitely a hard first month, but after that, it's been so much better," she said. "Every person on staff everywhere is super accommodating, and it's really helpful when you have people surrounding you who are really there for you."
Bianna Muoneke, a senior and one of the team's leaders, has nothing but praise for Artiles. Asked what the freshman brings to the team, she said, "Everything."
"Gigi is the best teammate. She plays so much older than she is. She's probably one of my favorite teammates I've ever played with. She pushes me. She's there for me," Bianna said after Georgia's five-set win over South Carolina on Sept. 23. "The love is genuine — I've never felt like it was anything else. She is like a sister to me.
"Man, I could write a book about Gigi. She's been the best addition to this team."
Accomplished at both indoor and beach volleyball, Artiles said she was more focused on indoor when it came to choosing a college. She picked the Bulldogs because of the coaches, the school, the campus, and because she wanted to experience something very different from life in Miami.
"The coaches are amazing, and they were very loyal and very into the recruiting process for me, and I really appreciated that. They're amazing coaches and amazing people," she said. "Being from Miami, it's a big city, and I kind of wanted to experience a college town. ... Athens is the best college town in the U.S., in my opinion.
"A big thing for me was: am I going to be happy here? Let's say volleyball didn't exist, I'd still be happy here. I love the school, I love the people, the school spirit, everything about it. And it's pretty easy to get from Atlanta to Miami, so that's another plus."
Clearly, Artiles has plenty of reasons to dance and smile.
The Bulldogs (9-2), winners of six straight matches, have had a nice break since beating the Gamecocks. They return to the court this weekend with matches against Arkansas (Friday) and Oklahoma (Sunday) at Stegeman Coliseum.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
Players Mentioned
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