Saturday, September 7
Boulder, CO
2:00 PM
University of Washington
4-0,0-0Big Ten
3
vs
2
Georgia
2-3,0-0SEC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Washington
18
25
16
25
15
3
Georgia
25
23
25
23
12
2
Huskies Wear Out Georgia In Five-Set Marathon
September 07, 2024 | Volleyball
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BOULDER, Colo. – Washington had its grit tested for the first time this season by a talented Georgia squad that is just one spot outside the top-25, and the Huskies rose to the challenge, rallying from a set down twice to defeat the Bulldogs, 18-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23, 15-12, and improve to 4-0. The Huskies got 18 big kills from junior Audra Wilmes.
Washington had to withstand a serving onslaught from Georgia, as the Bulldogs had 19 aces as a team, just two shy of the UW opponent record that has stood since 1984. Yet the Huskies managed to offset that with a more efficient attack, hitting .283 while Georgia hit .208 overall. More crucially, in the three sets the Huskies won, they held Georgia to percentages of .146 (second), .071 (fourth), and .048 (fifth).
The Dawgs had a blocking edge of 12.0 to 5.0 and out-dug Georgia by one, 65-64.
Wilmes stepped into the lineup for the first time today and delivered her 18 kills on a .364 attack percentage with 12 digs for her third career double-double. Also in double-figures was Kiune Fletcher and Madi Endsley, who had 13 kills apiece.
Julia Hunt had eight kills and a team-high eight blocks, with Fletcher posting six blocks. Alexis Haury had her second double-double with 27 assists and a team-leading 16 digs. Molly Wilson also had 21 assists, two aces, and seven digs. Lauren Bays got the 100th ace of her career during the match, and had 10 digs and seven assists.
"I told the team I was proud of the grit that they showed. It wasn't a match that felt great for a lot of them. We had a lot of ebbs and flows, where we were going great and then we were struggling. Granted, Georgia is good; they have some good players and run a really fast offense and they're goin got get their points. But I was proud of how we stayed on it and didn't get wrapped up in the bad plays and just kept moving forward.
It was exciting to see Audra step in and play well for her team. I also thought this was a match where our defense helped us win which is something we've been focusing on. Just proud of how they worked through this match to pull out the win."
Set One: Hunt had the first two kills for the Huskies for an early 4-1 lead. UW then had a couple blocks on the right with Fletcher in on both for a 6-3 lead. Georgia got going and rallied to take a two-point lead, but UW tied it back up at 10-10 on a Wessels ace. Audra Wilmes got her first kill out of the media timeout to make it 14-15. After a long unsuccessful challenge had the Huskies down three, Endsley got the sideout, and then Hunt put away two in a row to tie it at 18-all and force a Georgia timeout. But the Bulldogs answered with three-straight out of the break to prompt UW to need timeout back down 18-21. Another lengthy challenge went against UW, and the Huskies couldn't regroup down the stretch, as Georgia closed out the set, 25-18.
UW hit .321 overall but Georgia hit .520 in the set and added four aces compared to just one for the Huskies.
Set Two: The Dawgs responded quickly early in the second set, as Endsley had a couple early kills, then Fletcher finished a pair, and a Wilson ace made it 8-3 Dawgs and forced a Georgia timeout. Endsley and Hunt stuffed a Georgia slide for 12-6. Wilmes hammered a pair of kills on the left to keep the Dawgs moving up 16-9. Bays then collected the 100th ace of her career for 17-9. UW had a nine-point lead but Georgia began to climb back into it, scoring five of six. Wessels got a kill for 20-16, and Endsley put one down for 21-16, but UGA scored another three straight for 21-19. The Dawgs added a pair but then one more 4-0 Georgia run and it was tied up at 23-all. Fletcher stepped up with a rip to finally earn a set point at 24-23, and then Wilmes tooled the block in transition on the next point to escape with the 25-23 win.
The Huskies cooled off Georgia down to .146 in set two while hitting .262 themselves. Wilmes had five kills on eight swings in the set without a miss.
Set Three: The Huskies got aced twice and hit out of bounds twice early in the third to go down 1-6 and need a timeout. The hole grew to 1-9 before a quick kill from Hunt was followed by two-straight overpass kills by Fletcher and Wilmes off short serves from Bays. Wilmes and Wessels then teamed for a block to cap a 4-0 run to make it 6-10. Kills from Bush and Endsley kept UW within five, but Georgia broke it open again with another 5-0 run for 19-9 and the Dawgs couldn't rally back, falling 25-16.
Georgia killed the Dawgs with a 6-0 aces advantage in the third, and hit .360 compared to .250 for the Huskies.
Set Four: Consecutive Wilmes kills had the Huskies up early, 4-2, to start the fourth. She hammered up the line again for a 6-3 edge. Bush got a right side finish and then Hunt and Endsley teamed for a block to make it 9-5. Fletcher unloaded on a sharp crosscourt and then Endsley laid in an ace for 12-8 and a Georgia timeout. Out of the break, Wilmes and Hunt stuffed down the first UGA swing for a five-point lead. Fletcher went off the block again for 15-10. Georgia used its final timeout at 17-11. Another Husky block, from Hunt and Bush, made it 19-12. Endsley delivered some big swings on the left to keep the Dawgs closing in at 21-15. But much like set two, the Huskies had to withstand a late Georgia comeback. An ace got UGA within one at 23-22, but Wilmes came through with a swing to reach set point at 24-22. Georgia saved one, but then a long rally ended in a Bulldog attack error for the 25-23 win.
The Huskies hit .268 and had a huge six blocks in the set compared to just one for Georgia. Wilmes terminated six times and Zoria Heard came up big with eight digs.
Set Five: A kill from Hunt followed by an Endsley ace and a UGA error made it 3-0 Dawgs and forced a quick Georgia timeout. But once again Georgia aced UW right back two more times to tie it. Georgia moved on top, 4-5, but UW got the lead back with a 3-0 run as Wilson's serve forced a UGA error and then she got the straight-up ace for 7-5. The teams traded sideouts with Bush getting a couple crucial kills. Wilmes then put away a Bays bump set to expand the lead to 12-9 and force Georgia's timeout. Again Georgia fought back with a couple aces to tie it at 12-all, but an error snapped their run, and UW then got a kill from Fletcher, who tapped down a 50-50 ball above the net for 14-12 and match point. Fletcher ended it in a similar manner on the next point, tapping down a ball hanging up by the right pin to end it, 15-12.
The Huskies hit .375 in the fifth and held Georgia to .048 with Bush killing all three of her swings.
Up Next: Washington wraps up its road trip tomorrow against the host Buffs at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN+ before coming back to Seattle for its home opener next Friday, Sept. 13, against Washington State.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES ON INSTAGRAM, X, AND FACEBOOK
BOULDER, Colo. – Washington had its grit tested for the first time this season by a talented Georgia squad that is just one spot outside the top-25, and the Huskies rose to the challenge, rallying from a set down twice to defeat the Bulldogs, 18-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23, 15-12, and improve to 4-0. The Huskies got 18 big kills from junior Audra Wilmes.
Washington had to withstand a serving onslaught from Georgia, as the Bulldogs had 19 aces as a team, just two shy of the UW opponent record that has stood since 1984. Yet the Huskies managed to offset that with a more efficient attack, hitting .283 while Georgia hit .208 overall. More crucially, in the three sets the Huskies won, they held Georgia to percentages of .146 (second), .071 (fourth), and .048 (fifth).
The Dawgs had a blocking edge of 12.0 to 5.0 and out-dug Georgia by one, 65-64.
?????????????? ?????? ???? ????????!!! ??
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) September 7, 2024
Washington digs deep to rally from a set down two times and knock off those other Dawgs.
The senior Kiune Fletcher in the right place at the right time to land the final ??#PointHuskies x @B1GVolleyball pic.twitter.com/1IBdaAjLsy
Wilmes stepped into the lineup for the first time today and delivered her 18 kills on a .364 attack percentage with 12 digs for her third career double-double. Also in double-figures was Kiune Fletcher and Madi Endsley, who had 13 kills apiece.
Julia Hunt had eight kills and a team-high eight blocks, with Fletcher posting six blocks. Alexis Haury had her second double-double with 27 assists and a team-leading 16 digs. Molly Wilson also had 21 assists, two aces, and seven digs. Lauren Bays got the 100th ace of her career during the match, and had 10 digs and seven assists.
"I told the team I was proud of the grit that they showed. It wasn't a match that felt great for a lot of them. We had a lot of ebbs and flows, where we were going great and then we were struggling. Granted, Georgia is good; they have some good players and run a really fast offense and they're goin got get their points. But I was proud of how we stayed on it and didn't get wrapped up in the bad plays and just kept moving forward.
It was exciting to see Audra step in and play well for her team. I also thought this was a match where our defense helped us win which is something we've been focusing on. Just proud of how they worked through this match to pull out the win."
Katy Wessels from inside a canyon breaks down the ?? stats!#PointHuskies pic.twitter.com/82PBvvWzHe
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) September 8, 2024
Set One: Hunt had the first two kills for the Huskies for an early 4-1 lead. UW then had a couple blocks on the right with Fletcher in on both for a 6-3 lead. Georgia got going and rallied to take a two-point lead, but UW tied it back up at 10-10 on a Wessels ace. Audra Wilmes got her first kill out of the media timeout to make it 14-15. After a long unsuccessful challenge had the Huskies down three, Endsley got the sideout, and then Hunt put away two in a row to tie it at 18-all and force a Georgia timeout. But the Bulldogs answered with three-straight out of the break to prompt UW to need timeout back down 18-21. Another lengthy challenge went against UW, and the Huskies couldn't regroup down the stretch, as Georgia closed out the set, 25-18.
UW hit .321 overall but Georgia hit .520 in the set and added four aces compared to just one for the Huskies.
Set Two: The Dawgs responded quickly early in the second set, as Endsley had a couple early kills, then Fletcher finished a pair, and a Wilson ace made it 8-3 Dawgs and forced a Georgia timeout. Endsley and Hunt stuffed a Georgia slide for 12-6. Wilmes hammered a pair of kills on the left to keep the Dawgs moving up 16-9. Bays then collected the 100th ace of her career for 17-9. UW had a nine-point lead but Georgia began to climb back into it, scoring five of six. Wessels got a kill for 20-16, and Endsley put one down for 21-16, but UGA scored another three straight for 21-19. The Dawgs added a pair but then one more 4-0 Georgia run and it was tied up at 23-all. Fletcher stepped up with a rip to finally earn a set point at 24-23, and then Wilmes tooled the block in transition on the next point to escape with the 25-23 win.
The Huskies cooled off Georgia down to .146 in set two while hitting .262 themselves. Wilmes had five kills on eight swings in the set without a miss.
The Dawgs step up after Georgia tied it up! ??
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) September 7, 2024
Bays puts up the perfect set to Wilmes who tools for the set winner! ??
Tied up at 1-1#PointHuskies // ?? ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/qQa2Qw3Fx9
Set Three: The Huskies got aced twice and hit out of bounds twice early in the third to go down 1-6 and need a timeout. The hole grew to 1-9 before a quick kill from Hunt was followed by two-straight overpass kills by Fletcher and Wilmes off short serves from Bays. Wilmes and Wessels then teamed for a block to cap a 4-0 run to make it 6-10. Kills from Bush and Endsley kept UW within five, but Georgia broke it open again with another 5-0 run for 19-9 and the Dawgs couldn't rally back, falling 25-16.
Georgia killed the Dawgs with a 6-0 aces advantage in the third, and hit .360 compared to .250 for the Huskies.
Set Four: Consecutive Wilmes kills had the Huskies up early, 4-2, to start the fourth. She hammered up the line again for a 6-3 edge. Bush got a right side finish and then Hunt and Endsley teamed for a block to make it 9-5. Fletcher unloaded on a sharp crosscourt and then Endsley laid in an ace for 12-8 and a Georgia timeout. Out of the break, Wilmes and Hunt stuffed down the first UGA swing for a five-point lead. Fletcher went off the block again for 15-10. Georgia used its final timeout at 17-11. Another Husky block, from Hunt and Bush, made it 19-12. Endsley delivered some big swings on the left to keep the Dawgs closing in at 21-15. But much like set two, the Huskies had to withstand a late Georgia comeback. An ace got UGA within one at 23-22, but Wilmes came through with a swing to reach set point at 24-22. Georgia saved one, but then a long rally ended in a Bulldog attack error for the 25-23 win.
The Huskies hit .268 and had a huge six blocks in the set compared to just one for Georgia. Wilmes terminated six times and Zoria Heard came up big with eight digs.
Set Five: A kill from Hunt followed by an Endsley ace and a UGA error made it 3-0 Dawgs and forced a quick Georgia timeout. But once again Georgia aced UW right back two more times to tie it. Georgia moved on top, 4-5, but UW got the lead back with a 3-0 run as Wilson's serve forced a UGA error and then she got the straight-up ace for 7-5. The teams traded sideouts with Bush getting a couple crucial kills. Wilmes then put away a Bays bump set to expand the lead to 12-9 and force Georgia's timeout. Again Georgia fought back with a couple aces to tie it at 12-all, but an error snapped their run, and UW then got a kill from Fletcher, who tapped down a 50-50 ball above the net for 14-12 and match point. Fletcher ended it in a similar manner on the next point, tapping down a ball hanging up by the right pin to end it, 15-12.
The Huskies hit .375 in the fifth and held Georgia to .048 with Bush killing all three of her swings.
Up Next: Washington wraps up its road trip tomorrow against the host Buffs at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN+ before coming back to Seattle for its home opener next Friday, Sept. 13, against Washington State.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES ON INSTAGRAM, X, AND FACEBOOK
Team Stats
UW
UG
Kills
65
56
Errors
19
23
Attempts
160
153
Hitting %
.288
.216
Points
82.0
80.0
Assists
60
54
Aces
6
19
Blocks
11
5
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
13
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
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/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballDAWGS GET IT DONE!! 😤
Sunday, November 16
Back in front with Set 3! Let's close it out!
Sunday, November 16
Amazing up from Alexis and Kierstyn finishes a brilliant first set from the Dawgs
Sunday, November 16
Huskies Take Set 1 vs Illinois 🔥
Saturday, November 15
