ATHENS, Ga. – The South Carolina volleyball team (7-4, 0-1 SEC) narrowly fell 3-2 to Georgia (9-2, 1-0 SEC) in the SEC opener on Wednesday night in Stegeman Coliseum. The Gamecocks had a strong offensive presence, tallying 11 blocks and holding the Bulldogs to under .200 hitting percentages for two of the sets, but fell just short.

Five players notched eight or more kills, with three of them hitting .355 or better. Two Gamecocks had 18 or more assists and two had 12 or more digs.

1^st SET: The Gamecocks opened on a 3-0 run after a Sydney Davis block, Olivia Borgman kill and Georgia error, before the Bulldogs spoiled the run with a kill of their own. An ace pushes Georgia into the lead, 5-4, sparking a 3-0 run to extend the Bulldogs edge to 8-5 and force a Gamecock timeout. The two teams traded service errors and aces, with Borgman and Ava Leahy earning an ace apiece, to cut the lead to one with the Gamecocks trailing 11-10. The Bulldogs utilized back-to-back Gamecock errors and a block to go on another 3-0 run and push their lead to 14-10. Georgia then continued to extend its lead even further, but the Gamecocks began to apply pressure, riding on a solo block from Borgman, an ace from Jillian Bohannon and overpass kill from Ally Cavanaugh to come within one, trailing 19-18, forcing Georgia’s first timeout of the match. South Carolina continued to fight, adding a kill from Vance and block from Marchal but the Bulldogs ultimately took the 1-0 advantage after winning the opening set 25-22.

2^nd SET: The Gamecocks opened set two in similar fashion to the first set, going on a 3-0 run backed by a block from Borgman and Davis, ace from Lilly Gillespie and kill from Leahy. Despite the Bulldogs coming within one, the Gamecocks held onto their lead, pushing to a 12-8 edge following three kills from Ceci Vance, a kill apiece from Cavanaugh and Borgman, and two service errors from Georgia. South Carolina started to struggle slightly, as three consecutive errors and a kill from the Bulldogs tied everything up 12-12. The teams continued to battle, trading points and leads for the next couple plays. The Gamecocks then pushed their lead to two and were able to hold onto it, eventually pulling away to a 20-16 advantage. The Bulldogs attempted to fight back, but South Carolina remained resilient, closing the set on a 4-1 run to win 25-19 and even the match score 1-1.

3^rd SET: South Carolina battled through a back-and-forth third set, using a late push to pull away from Georgia. After the Bulldogs took an 8-6 lead, kills from Vance and Davis helped the Gamecocks regain momentum and tie the set at 10-10. Georgia later built a 16-15 advantage, but South Carolina responded with a Leahy ace and Georgia attack error to take an 18-16 lead. The Gamecocks maintained their edge late, with kills from Marchal and Leahy helping South Carolina reach set point at 24-20. Leahy then delivered the final blow with her fourth kill of the set, securing the 25-21 win.

4^th SET: The Gamecocks carried the momentum into the fourth set, opening on a 3-1 lead behind a block and a kill from Leahy. South Carolina pushed to a 5-3 lead before Georgia responded with a 4-0 run, taking advantage of three Gamecock attack errors, to claim a 7-5 edge. The Bulldogs held onto the two-point lead for a couple more plays, eventually pulling away to a 14-10 lead. A 3-0 run pushed Georgia’s advantage to 17-11, and the Bulldogs continued to hold at least a five point cushion despite the Gamecocks sneaking in kills from Marchal, Cavanaugh and Vance. South Carolina continued to fight, but the Bulldogs ultimately closed the set 25-17 to prompt a fifth set.

5^th SET: The final set began tight, with the two teams trading points, including back-to-back kills from Borgman and a kill from Cavanaugh early in the frame. Georgia continuously pulled to a one-point leads, but the Gamecocks kept tying up the score. An ace from the Bulldogs sparked a 4-0 run, extending the lead to 11-7. Vance spoiled the run with her 17^th kill of the night, but the Bulldogs respond with back-to-back kills, pushing to a 13-8 lead. Kills from Borgman and Leahy slowed the momentum, but the Bulldogs ultimately won the set 10-15 and match 3-2.

Notables:

• Ceci Vance led with a career high 17 kills, marking her sixth consecutive match of the season with 10 or more kills.
• Four additional players tallied eight or more kills; Ava Leahy (11), Olivia Borgman (11), Ally Cavanaugh (8 – season high) and Elise Marchal (8).
• Kiana Dinn led with 28 assists followed by Jillian Bohannon with a career high 18.
• Dinn had her third double-double of the season, adding 12 digs to her 28 assists.
• Lilly Gillespie led with 21 digs, her fifth match of the season with 20 or more.
• Sydney Davis led with seven blocks, contributing to the team’s 11.

Up Next: The Gamecocks continue their SEC opener road trip out west, heading to defending NCAA Champions No. 16 Texas A&M on Sunday, Sept. 27 for a 3:30 (ET) first serve.

DUBLIN, Ga (WGXA) — Georgia Power brought together students, employers and industry professionals on Wednesday for a High School Career Exposure Day in Dublin, giving Central Georgia youth hands-on experience with skilled trades and local career paths.

Lisa Olens, an Education Manager in the Education and Workforce Development Department, explained that around 150 students from 10 or 11 schools visited Georgia Power so employees and industry professionals could expose them to careers in energy, building awareness and exposure so the students could start looking ahead and plan for the future.

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“I’d say that if you’re a high school student and interested in a career at Georgia Power and in the energy industry, it’s great to start looking at it now,” Said Olens. “There are some great jobs not only at Georgia Power but at industry partners, and we’re here today to start thinking about what they need to be doing to prepare themselves for these jobs.”

Olens explained that students could prepare by focusing on their employability skills, how to interact with people, how to communicate, how to be a team player, etc. Olens added that there are other things they could do to prepare, like take classes, tests and focus on their math and science skills. In doing these things, Olens believes students will be able to know if this is the path they want to pursue when they graduate.

Abisaeo Mezquititla, a senior from Montgomery County High School, says that when he graduates, he wants to join Georgia Power.

“I want a good career, something I like doing, and Georgia Power is something I like and find interesting. I like hands-on tasks,” Said Mezquititla. “I think it’s important to go ahead and get my head focused on when I graduate. I want a good career, and Georgia Power is something I find interesting.”

Mezquititla added that he has been thinking about pursuing a career at Georgia Power since middle school.

Students got to experience Georgia Power’s bucket truck and equipment, meet with representatives from Helton Electric and other community partners and interact with career exploration opportunities.

Stick with WGXA as we keep you ready for what’s next.