As tankertoad noted, new Georgia volleyball coach Lizzy Stemke began her career in the Classic City with a 3-0 sweep over Liberty on Friday night. The Bulldogs remained dominant in the second game of the Hotel Indigo Bulldog Invitational in Athens, claiming another 3-0 victory over Florida A&M on Saturday.
Against the Rattlers, the Bulldogs took charge as the game continued, winning the three sets by successive scores of 25-23, 25-21, and 25-11. The Red and Black were led past FAMU by sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Luft, who recorded a dozen kills, which are nowhere near as violent as they sound, though, given the term, perhaps Nike should consider suiting up the volleyball team in "Pro Combat" uniforms. I mean, come on: "Our outside hitter got twelve kills in her Pro Combat gear"? Just a thought.
Alas, Coach Stemke sustained her first loss at Georgia in the Invitational championship game later in the day when the Bulldogs fell to Kansas in the Red and Black’s third 3-0 decision of the young season. The Jayhawks play in the Big 12 (or will until Texas A&M’s impending move to the SEC causes the league to disband and sends both Sunflower State schools to Conference USA after the Big East rejects their applications for membership), where Coach Stemke served as an assistant coach at Nebraska from 2007 to 2010, a period during which the Cornhuskers went 72-8 in conference play and captured a trio of league crowns.
Next up for the Athenians is the Pepperdine Asics Classic in Malibu, after which the Georgia women’s volleyball team will return to Athens to face Kennesaw State on September 6. Yes, you just read a four-paragraph front-page women’s volleyball report at Dawg Sports. I told you the new user status upgrades were going to make our coverage of University of Georgia athletics even more comprehensive! (I promise there will be more football soon, folks.)
Go ‘Dawgs!