NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt volleyball outblocked Georgia, ranked first in the SEC, second in the NCAA, seven to five but fell 3-1 (25.23, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19) on Friday night at Memorial Gymnasium.
The Commodores (5-13, 1-8 SEC) ran a 6-2 offense for the first time this season, utilizing setters Isabella Bareford and Taryn DeWese, who recorded 25 and 13 assists, respectively. Bareford and DeWese led a balanced offensive attack, which was led by Mia Soerensen’s 11 kills. Jackie Moore tallied 10 kills, while Sydney Conley matched her season-best with six kills. The Commodore defense was paced by Moore, who posted six blocks, and Elli Kinney, who recorded 14 digs.
The Bulldogs were led offensively by MK Patten and Bianna Muoneke, who recorded 17 and 15 kills, respectively. Patten recorded a .519 hitting efficiency. Kendal Kemp had a team-high four blocks to go with eight kills. Three Georgia student-athletes had double-digit digs, Chloe Elarton with 14, Estelle Haugen with 15 and Makenna Lim with 12.
Vanderbilt dropped a tight opening set, 25-23. The Dores and Dawgs went back and forth, but Georgia put up three unanswered points to pull away and win the set.
The Commodores responded with a 25-22 win in the second set, during which Georgia did not record a single block. Vanderbilt took advantage of several short scoring runs and Bulldog errors to take the set and tie the match, 1-1.
Georgia charged out to an eight-point lead in set 3, but the Commodores cut the Bulldogs’ lead to three, making the score, 20-17, Georgia. However, the Dawgs earned five consecutive points to win the set.
Despite Vandy’s best efforts to catch the Bulldogs, Georgia was able to close out the match with a 25-19 win in set 4.
Celebrate Halloween at Memorial on Sunday when Vanderbilt hosts South Carolina for a 1 p.m. first serve. The match will be broadcast on SEC Network+ with Andrew Allegretta and Dawn Davenport on the call. Fans can visit the Kids’ Zone in the practice gym before the match for trick-or-treating and stick around after the match for post-match autographs with the team.
