University of Georgia Athletics
Muoneke Becoming ‘A More Complete Player’
August 04, 2026 | Volleyball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Georgia volleyball senior Bianna Muoneke wants to be the most complete player she can be. After a breakout season offensively in 2025, in which she led the Bulldogs with 374 kills, the outside hitter has spent much of her offseason focusing on improving her defense.
"She's a great player, and she can get better at all of it, but I think the big focus has been on the defensive side of the ball, like serving, blocking and digging," said Georgia head coach Tom Black, who is entering his 10th season leading the Bulldogs. "She's like a point-scoring machine; like a two-guard in basketball, she can score from anywhere. Defensively, she's trying to build that side of her game. I think she's definitely a more complete player going into this year."
The 6-foot Muoneke was first-team All-SEC and an honorable mention All-American last season, and she was named to the 2026 preseason All-SEC squad last month. Last season, she was second on the team with 207 digs, and her 42 blocks ranked fourth. Early on in preseason practice, Muoneke said she's seeing her hard work on the defensive side paying off.
"I feel like I've definitely developed into a much better blocker and defender," she said. "I feel like I'm digging balls that I wouldn't even have dug last season. I'm digging now, but I still haven't taken away my thought process from my hitting. That's still very big to me.
"My blocking, I've just put in a lot of mental work and a lot of physical work into it, and now it's kind of second nature."
Black said he wasn't at all surprised by how well Muoneke played last season. He'd seen the work she put in to play at an All-SEC level.
"The thing about her is, she's never taken a day off," he said. "There's not been a single practice where she hasn't worked her complete butt off. It's hard to be surprised when you see somebody's already good and they're working that hard."
Muoneke is heading into her fourth season of college volleyball, and her third at Georgia (she played at Texas A&M as a freshman, making the SEC All-Freshman Team). But this one will be unlike any she has experienced before.
While Muoneke, who graduated with a degree in Sociology in December, is working on a master's degree, her sister, Arianna, will be a freshman on the Bulldogs' squad.
"It's so cool. I mean, it's not often you see two sisters on the same team," said Muoneke, from Cypress, Texas. "I feel like she's come in and done a really good job on and off the court. ... She's my roommate, too, so it's nice to come down and just be able to talk to someone about anything at all, and I can do that with my sister."
The sisters have never been on the same team before, so this season is something special for the whole Muoneke family.
"We've always barely missed each other with everything, with middle school and high school, and now we're at the same college, which is really cool. My parents were ecstatic about it," Muoneke said.
Muoneke is planning to attend medical school once she's done playing, which is why she is pursuing a master's in Public Health. As for what type of medicine she'd like to practice, she's leaning toward dermatology. But before she turns her full attention to life after volleyball, there's a lot she wants to do with the Bulldogs.
Georgia went 16-10 overall last season, with an 8-7 record in SEC play. The Bulldogs missed the NCAA tournament, and that's definitely something that Muoneke wants to change this season.
"I want to do more for this team. I think awards are very cool, but they only mean so much if my team is not going to the tournament," she said. "I really, really want to just challenge us as a team, and challenge myself. How much can I push my teammates and everything? Because I want to go far this year, and I really think we can. We're so close, and I think we can really get that edge and be really good this year."
The Bulldogs will hold their Red & Black Scrimmage at Stegeman Coliseum at noon on Saturday, followed by an exhibition against Wake Forest on Aug. 15 and an exhibition against Mercer on Aug. 22. Georgia opens its season at home in the Classic City Clash, with games against North Florida and George Washington on Aug. 28.
Staff Writer
Georgia volleyball senior Bianna Muoneke wants to be the most complete player she can be. After a breakout season offensively in 2025, in which she led the Bulldogs with 374 kills, the outside hitter has spent much of her offseason focusing on improving her defense.
"She's a great player, and she can get better at all of it, but I think the big focus has been on the defensive side of the ball, like serving, blocking and digging," said Georgia head coach Tom Black, who is entering his 10th season leading the Bulldogs. "She's like a point-scoring machine; like a two-guard in basketball, she can score from anywhere. Defensively, she's trying to build that side of her game. I think she's definitely a more complete player going into this year."
The 6-foot Muoneke was first-team All-SEC and an honorable mention All-American last season, and she was named to the 2026 preseason All-SEC squad last month. Last season, she was second on the team with 207 digs, and her 42 blocks ranked fourth. Early on in preseason practice, Muoneke said she's seeing her hard work on the defensive side paying off.
"I feel like I've definitely developed into a much better blocker and defender," she said. "I feel like I'm digging balls that I wouldn't even have dug last season. I'm digging now, but I still haven't taken away my thought process from my hitting. That's still very big to me.
"My blocking, I've just put in a lot of mental work and a lot of physical work into it, and now it's kind of second nature."
Black said he wasn't at all surprised by how well Muoneke played last season. He'd seen the work she put in to play at an All-SEC level.
"The thing about her is, she's never taken a day off," he said. "There's not been a single practice where she hasn't worked her complete butt off. It's hard to be surprised when you see somebody's already good and they're working that hard."
Muoneke is heading into her fourth season of college volleyball, and her third at Georgia (she played at Texas A&M as a freshman, making the SEC All-Freshman Team). But this one will be unlike any she has experienced before.
While Muoneke, who graduated with a degree in Sociology in December, is working on a master's degree, her sister, Arianna, will be a freshman on the Bulldogs' squad.
"It's so cool. I mean, it's not often you see two sisters on the same team," said Muoneke, from Cypress, Texas. "I feel like she's come in and done a really good job on and off the court. ... She's my roommate, too, so it's nice to come down and just be able to talk to someone about anything at all, and I can do that with my sister."
The sisters have never been on the same team before, so this season is something special for the whole Muoneke family.
"We've always barely missed each other with everything, with middle school and high school, and now we're at the same college, which is really cool. My parents were ecstatic about it," Muoneke said.
Muoneke is planning to attend medical school once she's done playing, which is why she is pursuing a master's in Public Health. As for what type of medicine she'd like to practice, she's leaning toward dermatology. But before she turns her full attention to life after volleyball, there's a lot she wants to do with the Bulldogs.
Georgia went 16-10 overall last season, with an 8-7 record in SEC play. The Bulldogs missed the NCAA tournament, and that's definitely something that Muoneke wants to change this season.
"I want to do more for this team. I think awards are very cool, but they only mean so much if my team is not going to the tournament," she said. "I really, really want to just challenge us as a team, and challenge myself. How much can I push my teammates and everything? Because I want to go far this year, and I really think we can. We're so close, and I think we can really get that edge and be really good this year."
The Bulldogs will hold their Red & Black Scrimmage at Stegeman Coliseum at noon on Saturday, followed by an exhibition against Wake Forest on Aug. 15 and an exhibition against Mercer on Aug. 22. Georgia opens its season at home in the Classic City Clash, with games against North Florida and George Washington on Aug. 28.
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.
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