Georgia outside hitter Erykah Lovett (14) during Georgia’s match against Boston College on the first day of the Classic City Clash at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)
By Matthew Furness
The University of Georgia women’s volleyball team fell in a five-set match against conference foe Arkansas, to open up SEC play at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs stormed back from two sets down to push the match to a tie-breaking fifth set, where they eventually lost 12-15.
The Bulldogs emphasized their serving game throughout the five-set thriller, as they put up five aces compared to Arkansas’ two aces in the match. After ranking No.2 earlier this week in service pressure in the NCAA, Georgia continues to be a threat for any team from the service line.
The Bulldogs came out firing in the first set, leading Arkansas 19-14, when the Razorbacks went on an 11-3 run out of a timeout to take the first set 22-25. The second set continued to be a closely contested match as the Bulldogs fell 23-25, after an array of hitting and service errors.
Heading into the third set, the Bulldogs had to respond and they did. Erykah Lovett led UGA to a nail biting third set that finished 33-31. Lovett, on her 22nd birthday, was a staple for the Bulldog’s offense, whether it was from the front row or back row. Lovett led the team with a pronounced offensive performance in the third set, despite the absence of her counterpart Bianna Muoneke, who was unavailable for this match due to injury.
The Bulldogs headed into the fourth set confident after claiming the third set in extra points. UGA found themselves down 5-10 to start the fourth set but the connection between Lovett and setter Clara Brower continued to heat up. With four kills from Lovett and a service ace from Brower, the Bulldogs were all tied up 10-10 in the fourth set. Georgia has already struggled to stay healthy this season and the Bulldogs faced more adversity when graduate hitter Krista Blakely left the match with an injury.
With middle blocker Sophie Fischer filling in for the injured Muoneke, Fischer and Lovett began to find their hot hands and led the Bulldogs on a 15-10 run as the Bulldogs rounded out the tying set 25-20 against the Razorbacks. Lovett led the team with a career-high 29 kills heading into the fifth and decisive set.
The Bulldogs started the fifth slow as the Razorbacks rallied to a 6-1 opening. Fischer and Lovett continued the Bulldog’s offensive power, however, the Razorback duo of Romani Thurman and Aniya Madkin were only heating up. Madkin with her 24th kill of the night put Arkansas up 11-6 in the final set to fifteen. The Bulldogs fought back down 12-14 with the help of several hitting errors from the Razorbacks. Lovett continued her hot streak in set five for the Bulldogs as she registered her 33rd kill and broke Maria Taylor’s previous kill record of 30 in 2006. Despite Lovett’s impressive night, Thurman for Arkansas eventually ended the night with her 20th kill on 48 attempts, to lead the Razorbacks to a five-set thriller 15-12 over the Bulldogs to open SEC play.
The Bulldogs look to bounce back in conference play when they travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers on Friday, October 4th at 7:30 p.m.
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