Georgia (22-7, 13-5 SEC)

vs. (8) Towson (29-1, 15-1 CAA)

Date: Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022

First Serve: 6 p.m., ET

Location: Austin, Texas

Arena: Gregory Gym

Media Information

Streaming: ESPN+

Play-by-play: Alex Loeb

Analysis: Nicole Branagh

First Serve

Georgia women’s volleyball opens the 2022 NCAA Volleyball Tournament Thursday, Dec. 1 against No. 8 Towson at Gregory Gym in Austin, Texas. First serve is set for 6 p.m., ET.

The winner will advance to the second round and face the winner between top-seeded Texas and Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday at 9 p.m., ET.

Follow the Bulldogs

» The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Austin will air on Longhorn Network. Alex Loeb (play-by-play) and Nicole Branagh (analysis) will be on the call.

» Both rounds will also stream live on ESPN+.

» 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

NCAA Tournament Notes

- Georgia volleyball returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 and the second time under head coach Tom Black

- This will be Georgia’s 11th all-time tournament appearance

-The Bulldogs are 5-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have not won an NCAA postseason match since 1995

- All five of Georgia’s NCAA Tournament wins have come in the opening round and in Athens

- 2022 will be Georgia’s fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in Austin, Texas (1985, 1986, 1992, 1993); the Bulldogs are 0-4 in those matches

- Georgia is 0-2 against Texas in the postseason (1986, 1992)

- In 2019, Georgia drew Cal Poly in the opening round at Stanford; the Bulldogs went up 2-0 in the match, but ultimately fell in a five-set battle

Series Histories

Towson

- Georgia leads the all-time series 1-0

- The lone meeting between the Bulldogs and Tigers came on Sept. 9, 2000 in Durham, N.C.; Georgia won in three sets

Texas

- Georgia trails the all-time series 0-6

- The Bulldogs and Longhorns have met twice in the NCAA Tournament in 1986 and 1992, both meetings in Austin

- Georgia has only played Texas in Austin. The last meeting was in 2008.

Fairleigh Dickinson

- Georgia and Fairleigh Dickinson have never played each other in volleyball

Encapsulating the 2022 Regular Season

Georgia concluded the 2022 regular season 22-7 overall and 13-5 in SEC play. 22 regular season wins is the most since 2013 and 13 conference victories set a new program record. Georgia finished third in the SEC, the best finish by the Bulldogs since 1995. This is the third Georgia has eclipsed 20 wins in Tom Black’s six seasons in Athens. The Bulldogs earned four wins over AVCA Top 50 teams including a sweep of then No. 11 Florida in Gainesville. The Bulldogs finished the season winning 10 of their final 12 matches.

Black Named SEC Coach of the Year

In his sixth season at the helm of the Bulldogs program, Tom Black guided Georgia to a 22-7 record in the regular season, the most regular season wins since 2013. Georgia recorded its best finish in SEC play since 1995, finishing third with a 13-5 record against SEC opponents. Georgia’s 13 Conference wins is the most in program history. The season featured a marquee sweep of then-No.11 Florida in Gainesville on Oct. 19. The Bulldogs finished the season winning 10 of their final 12 matches. Georgia was picked to finish ninth by the league’s head coaches prior to the season after finishing 12-17 in 2021 and 7-9 in SEC play. He becomes the only the second Georgia volleyball coach to win the award since the program’s inaugural coach Sid Feldman won the award in 1985.

Evans, Fischer Tabbed All-SEC

Senior outside hitter Kacie Evans and junior middle blocker Sophie Fischer collected All-SEC honors in 2022. Evans becomes the first Bulldog to be named a two-time All-SEC player since Valentina Gonzalez in 2009 and 2010. Evans finished fifth in the SEC with 3.97 kills per set against conference opponents. At the service line, her 0.41 aces per set was second in the league while her 4.76 points per set was fourth. Fischer finished second in the league with a 1.57 blocks per set average in SEC competition while her 108 total blocks led the SEC. Her 15 blocks against South Carolina on Sept. 28 was a season high in the SEC and also set a program record at UGA.

Tom Black in the NCAA Tournament

2022 will be Tom Black’s second NCAA Tournament appearance with Georgia but fifth Division I appearance in his 13 seasons. He made three appearances with Loyola Marymount (2012, 2014, 2015) with a record of 2-3. The Lions fell in the first round in both 2012 and 2014 (Western Kentucky, Michigan State) at Stanford. In 2015, LMU defeated Colorado State in the first round then stunned #8 Stanford in a sweep on its home court, punching its ticket to the Sweet 16 in San Diego. The Lions fell to #9 Kansas in four sets in the Regional semifinal.

In 2012, Felicia Turner (outside hitter) was on the LMU roster for Black. In 2014 and 2015, Turner and Aaron Benning were on Black’s staff at LMU.

Let’s Recap

Georgia concluded the regular season with a pair of sweeps of LSU in Baton Rouge on Thanksgiving weekend. Georgia went ahead 2-0 in the opening match of the series but found itself down 20-12 in the third set. The Bulldogs battled back to tie it at 23-all and an all-out battle ensued. Georgia prevailed in the set 31-29 to secure the sweep of the Tigers. While Saturday’s match was another Bulldog sweep, it was another battle in BR as sets two and three were decided by two points each. In all, the series featured 50 ties and 18 lead changes in just six sets. Only the opening sets both days were decided by a margin greater than two points.

SEC Has Strong Showing in NCAA Tournament Field

The Southeastern Conference led all conferences with seven teams selected for the 64-team field that will compete in the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. Florida received the automatic qualification for the SEC, while Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee joined the field with their at-large bids to the NCAA Championship.

Cox, Froemming Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

Senior opposite Meghan Froemming and sophomore libero Bailey Cox were recognized on the 2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Volleyball Team. Cox and Froemming become the first Bulldogs to earn Academic All-District status since 2013 and the eighth and ninth Bulldogs in the program’s history to earn the award.

Home Court Advantage

With a pair of wins over Ole Miss Nov. 18 and 19, Georgia concluded the 2022 home schedule with eight SEC wins (8-1 record), setting a new program record. On the season, the Bulldogs matched 2019′s home record of 13-3. Over 16 thousand Georgia faithful attended volleyball matches at Stegeman Coliseum in 2022.

Aces Wild

Georgia has consistently had strong serving since Tom Black’s arrival in Athens and 2022 has been no difference. Nationally, Georgia’s 1.8 aces per set ranks 27th while checking in at second in the SEC. Georgia had a great series at the service line against Auburn, acing the Tigers 21 times in nine sets. Georgia aced the Lady Vols 15 times in five sets on Nov. 11, a season high. Redshirt-sophomore Mackenzie Norris has shined at the service line, finishing the regular season with an ace in 13 of the final 14 matches. Kacie Evans ranks second in the SEC with 0.41 aces per set.

Evans is Killing It

Kacie Evans’ 4.09 kills per set ranks 39th in the country and second in the SEC. She’s second in the conference with a 4.88 points per set average, a clip that currently ranks 25th in the country. Evans tallied 20 kills in three sets against each No. 11 Florida and No. 20 Kentucky.

The Great Wall of Fischer

Sophie Fischer has propelled herself toward the top of the country ranking third and the top of the SEC with 1.56 blocks per set. Her 173 total blocks also leads the SEC. As a team, Georgia’s 2.67 blocks per set ranks second in the SEC. Georgia’s block defense has helped hold opponents to a .183 hitting clip, third best in the league. Offensively, Fischer’s .340 hitting percentage is seventh in the SEC.

Fischer ranks third in single-season total blocks in UGA history and the most in the rally scoring era. Her 161 block assists ranks second, the most since 1982.

Volleyball Adds Trio for 2023 Campaign

Georgia head women’s volleyball coach Tom Black has announced the addition of three student-athletes to the 2023 roster on Nov. 22. The class includes opposite Ally Cavanaugh (Jacksonville Beach, Florida), libero/defensive specialist Makena Lim (Ladera Ranch, California), and setter Kaiya Tyson (Burlington, Ontario, Canada).

“We’re beyond excited for this class of 2023′s to arrive in Athens,” Black said. “They are exceptional student-athletes both on and off the court, and they will help to build on the foundation being laid by our current team.”

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