As the weather gets cooler in Athens, the Georgia volleyball team is getting hotter. The Bulldogs swept their weekend matches against Alabama and Mississippi State, respectively, and have now won four matches in a row in Southeastern Conference play. With the victories, the Bulldogs are now at .500, 5-5, in the conference and 12-9 overall.

Georgia defeated the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa Friday night in straight sets behind strong performances by senior Maria Taylor, sophomore Valentina Gonzalez and freshman Kathleen Gates. Taylor paced the Bulldog attack with 12 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Gonzalez was not far behind with 11 kills in 18 tries with zero errors for a whopping .611 attack percentage. Not to be outdone, Gates, the team’s setter, paced the Bulldogs with 33 assists, but also contributed five kills and a .833 attack percentage.

Georgia then headed to Starkville, Miss., to face its Bulldog counterparts Sunday. Both teams looked dominant at different times during the first two sets, but Georgia went on to win the match 3-1.

Georgia’s biggest concern this season was about the team’s overall youth, but as the season has progressed, the team has grown in maturity.

“We’re getting older in everything that we do, so we’re doing a much better job handling it,” Taylor said. “Yeah we had a slow start but we’re kicking now, obviously we’re going to the top.”