One of the challenges facing the Georgia volleyball team this season is finding a player who can make kills and provide the Bulldogs with offensive stability.

Junior middle hitter Valentina Gonzalez may be able to make that search a little easier for head coach Joel McCartney.

Gonzalez posted a team-high 13 kills against Presbyterian (3-4) on Tuesday night to lead the Bulldogs (5-2) to their third straight win.

“Being a junior, I’ve been in the system for three years and it’s my responsibility to bring the team up and step up the game whenever we need to,” Gonzalez said. “I’m glad I can provide kills and points for my team, but it’s more than just making the kills and getting the points . my responsibility as a middle hitter is more about making a play, and I have to open a hole for [my teammates].”

With her solid performance against the Blue Hose, Gonzalez vaulted into second place behind junior outside hitter Erika Clark this season with 60 kills.

The Bulldogs dropped the first set of the night – 25-21 – but were able to come back and take the next three sets with little trouble by scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-10.

“That team came out right out of the blocks and hit .450 [attack percentage] in that first set,” McCartney said.

“The second set we certainly played a little sharper and we got on some better runs … So all those things collectively helped us get back in the match.”

Sophomore middle hitter Ann Dylla posted 12 kills in the match and a hitting percentage of .524 which took some pressure off Clark and redshirt freshman Briana Bahr, who are the team’s most productive offensive threats.

As SEC play approaches, figuring out which units work best together on the court will become increasingly important for McCartney. He was able to get a feel for the depth that his team has against Presbyterian.

“With the lack of depth that we have, we don’t have a whole lot of choices in terms of personnel and how we utilize the people we have,” McCartney said. “Other than that, we’re just praying that we stay healthy.”