The Georgia volleyball team won a pair of matches on Saturday by defeating Tennessee State, 3-1, and South Alabama, 3-0, in the Georgia Dawgs Invitational at the Ramsey Student Center.

In the afternoon session, the Bulldogs (4-2) defeated Tennessee State (1-5), 3-1, with set scores of 23-25, 25-13, 25-12 and 25-21, and in the final match of the tournament, Georgia downed South Alabama (4-3), 3-0, with set scores of 25-21, 25-16, 25-12.

“We had a really good day,” Georgia head coach Joel McCartney said. “I never make that assessment based on the opponent. I feel like you can have a great day against a really tough or you can have a horrible day against a weaker opponent. To me it’s just about the kind of energy and execution we bring to the match no matter who is on the other side. Today, we did a phenomenal job of just getting better and better all day long. That’s exactly what we need to do with this young group to grow into the immediate future with our Southeastern Conference schedule coming up very soon. We’ve got four matches before we open SEC play on the road at Alabama, and we are hoping to continue what we’ve done here today through the weeks ahead.”

Duke (5-1) earned the Georgia Dawgs Invitational title by going 3-0 in the event while Georgia’s victory over South Alabama claimed second place with a 2-1 tournament mark. The Blue Devils’ Sophia Dunworth was named the Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Amanda Robertson and Becci Burling.

Georgia’s all-tournament team selections included junior middle hitter Valentina Gonzalez and sophomore Carla Tietz, who was named the Invitational’s most valuable libero. Gonzalez finished the weekend with 26 kills on a .426 hitting percentage to go along with a team-best 12 blocks including four solo stops. Tietz recorded 41 digs at a 3.73 per set mark.

Rounding out the all-tournament team were South Alabama’s Juliana Pallamin de Almeida and Tennessee State’s Terakka Walker.

In Georgia’s win over Tennessee State on Saturday, the Bulldogs hit .416 as a team behind 48 assists from sophomore setter Kathleen Gates’ 48 assists. Junior Erika Clark posted a match-best 15 kills on a .625 clip in the contest against the Tigers, and her offensive attack was supported by a 12 kill, .611 attack percentage effort from sophomore Ann Dylla while junior Simone May and redshirt freshman Briana Bahr added 10 kills each.

In the victory over South Alabama, the Bulldogs posted a .318 hitting percentage behind another 31 assists from Gates. Clark again led the Bulldogs in kills with 11 on a .409 clip, and Dylla contributed 10 more kills as well. All-tournament selection Gonzalez tallied eight kills and five blocks including two slow stops while most valuable libero Tietz tied freshman Nicole Choi for a match-best 10 digs.

Up next, Georgia will conclude a four-match home stand against Presbyterian on Tuesday. First serve against the Blue Hose is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at the Ramsey Center. Admission to all regular season home matches is free. Live stats will be available via georgiadogs.com, and fans can also log onto GXtra for free live audio coverage of the match.

Georgia Dawgs Invitational Results:
Friday, Sept. 4:
South Alabama defeated Tennessee State, 3-2 (17-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-20, 15-12)
Duke defeated Georgia, 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-21, 25-15)

Saturday, Sept. 5:
Duke defeated South Alabama, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-17)
Georgia defeated Tennessee State, 3-1 (23-25, 25-13, 25-12, 25-21)
Duke defeated Tennessee State, 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-16)
Georgia defeated South Alabama, 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-12)

Georgia Dawgs Invitational All-Tournament Team:
Sophia Dunworth, MB/OH, Duke (Most Valuable Player)
Amanda Robertson, MB, Duke
Becci Burling, MB, Duke
Valentina Gonzalez, MH, Georgia
Juliana Pallamin de Almeida, OH, South Alabama
Terakka Walker, OH/L, Tennessee State
Most Valuable Libero: Carla Tietz, Georgia

- Georgia Sports Communications