ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia women’s volleyball team fell to 22nd-ranked Florida at Stegeman Coliseum Wednesday evening in three sets (14-25, 17-25, 24-26) in front of a crowd of 2,290.
The Bulldogs led much of the third set looking to keep the match alive, but the comeback came up short in the end.
Junior Amber Stivrins recorded 10 kills in the match while fellow junior Kacie Evans added nine. Senior Kayla Rivera contributed seven kills, four coming early in the fourth set.
Freshman setter Clara Brower dished out 17 assists and led the Bulldogs with nine digs. Freshman Bailey Cox donned the libero jersey in the third set, her first appearance as the libero, and put up four digs in the set.
It was a close battle to open the match until a 5-1 Florida run opened a 13-8 lead and prompted a timeout from the Bulldog bench. Florida held on to its early momentum to take the opening set 25-14 at Stegeman.
The second set was all Gators as a 9-2 run took a five-point lead to an 11-point advantage, 23-12. Georgia responded with four-straight points to keep the set alive and force a Gator timeout, 23-16.
Georgia regrouped to come out strong in the third set, going ahead 8-4 on the Gators. Rivera added three big kills to open the frame to get the Bulldogs going. After a Gator break, Florida responded with four-straight to tie the set at 8-all and prompt a Bulldog timeout.
Georgia was able to keep the lead after the break. Ahead by one, 14-13, Georgia took six of the next eight points to open a 20-15 lead and force Florida to use its second break. After the timeout, the Gators rattled off five straight to tie it at 20. The Bulldogs stayed in front, 23-21, but three-straight from the Gators gave Florida its first lead of the set and match point, 24-23. A kill from Stivrins tied it at 24 but the Gators held on to swipe the set away, 26-24.
The Bulldogs return to action on the road Saturday at Arkansas. First serve against the Razorbacks is set for 6 p.m., ET, from Fayetteville.
Junior outside hitter Kacie Evans
On Georgia’s success in the third set… “I mean we played Georgia volleyball. That’s as simple as it can get. That really was our team in the third set. Clearly it didn’t go the way that we wanted. We were keeping balls off the net. We were blocking a lot more balls and getting more touches. We were being more aggressive on our swings. That’s Georgia volleyball, and that’s who we should have been in the first two sets. Credit to Florida. They are a great team. They are always going to be a great competitor to compete against. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way tonight, but we have a lot to learn. We were up I think 20-16 at one point. We have a lot to learn. I think we’re getting better each game, and that third set really defined that.”
On if she believes that Georgia can compete with the best teams in the SEC… “I fully agree to that. Even in the last match against South Carolina, we took them to five, and they beat two ranked opponents. That clearly shows that we’re still competing in this conference. We’re going to compete with anyone that’s ranked or that should be ranked. We’re a great team, and we’re here to show. We just need to take one more step at a time.”
Junior outside hitter Amber Stivrins
On her performance in the third set… “At this point my mindset is just that I want to be that go-to player for my team. All I want to do is be that person who they can rely on, so in big moments I want to thrive. I want to do it for the people around me. If I can get one point here and there and that builds momentum for everyone else, that’s what I’m going to do.”
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