Georgia capped off an emotional senior night in the most fitting way. A match winning ace by senior middle blocker Lizzie Reid took to Dogs to a 3-1 victory over Mississippi State at the Ramsey Center that sparked a poignant team celebration in the middle of the court.

For Reid, the possibility of capping her two year career at the Ramsey Center with an ace was the furthest thing from her mind.

“I was thinking I’m going to defend, I’m going to set the ball if I need to set the ball, I did not think I was going to get an ace,” Reid said. “That was just like the icing on the top of the cake.”

Reid’s ace marked the end of the home careers of three other Bulldogs as well with setter Kathleen Gates, defensive specialist Carla Tietz and middle blocker Ann Dylla also completing their home careers.

“These kids have given so much to this program, their effort tonight showed a great consistency and what this program means to them,” head coach Lizzy Stemke said. “They played with passion tonight, they played with a true heart to leave out on the court.”

The final set of their final home game was defined by one of the emerging stars of Georgia volleyball. Sophomore outside hitter Brittany Northcutt put the Bulldogs into the lead for the first time since the second set and her team never looked back closing out the fourth set 25-22. The set featured eight tie scores and only the one lead change that proved crucial for Georgia. Redshirt junior Briana Bahr led the team in the set with three to finish with 12 overall.

Opening up a big lead quickly, Georgia dominated a first set that saw effective play by the home team in both offense and defense. The Bulldogs had a five point advantage at 7-2 thanks to some good passing and the clever offensive game that has consistently brought them success throughout the season. Leading Georgia in the set with five kills was redshirt sophomore Kathleen Luft as the Dogs posted a .379 hitting percentage in the set which Georgia won 25-14.

“We came out really strong and really aggressive,” Stemke said. “Both teams were serving at a very high level, and it came down to a lot of the serve and pass game for quite a bit.”

While the second set wasn’t as quick and easy for Georgia, they were still able to win comfortably with a 25-18 score. Again the Bulldogs went about opening up a big early lead, stretching it to nine points at 16-7 before Mississippi State belligerently fought back to make the score 20-17. Georgia would only give up one more point in the set before good play by Gates and Luft finished off the visitors.  Both Luft and Reid added three kills apiece while Georgia recorded a hitting percentage about .300 for the second consecutive set posting a second set percentage of .312. The set was one Stemke felt her team was prepared for.

A stubborn performance by the visiting Bulldogs saw them defeat Georgia in an evenly contested set that saw 10 tie scores without a lead change. MSU took the lead early with an impressive opening point and would go on to win the set without extending their lead beyond three points.  After tying the set at 16-16 Georgia matched MSU point for point without being able to get their noses ahead. Lizzie Reid continued her impressive match by leading the Bulldogs in the set with five kills while redshirt junior Briana Bahr also recorded five in a well balanced offense that continued to put up impressive numbers with a .364 hitting percentage.

“We prep for staying right there until we get that push to go ahead,” Stemke said. “We did go on a little bit of a run and we made it close so we were able to ride some of that momentum into the fourth.”

Following the match, all four seniors were honored with a special presentation. Each received a framed Georgia jersey with their number and were able to share the moment with either family or close friends. Dylla was joined by her parents and her brother and former Georgia swimmer Mark.

“My family has been a great support system throughout my four years,” Dylla said. “To have them here on this night is just something to share with (them) and a special moment for everyone.”

Reid wasn’t able to be joined by her family and was struggling to accept she had left the Ramsey Center court for the last time.

“I don’t feel like it is the last one even though it is,” Reid said. “I haven’t really come to terms with reality yet.”

For Stemke, her first home season at Georgia has been enjoyable experience and one she hopes to build on.

“We can feel the momentum with this program building each and every day and that’s something that we get to leave these fans that came to join us tonight,” Stemke said. “What a great turnout we had to celebrate these seniors-we’re going to continue to work out in the community and get people excited about Georgia volleyball.”