After a tough season last year filled with injuries and the sidelining of star players, and a difficult start to SEC play against top-ranked teams, the University of Georgia Bulldogs are finally finding their rhythm. 

An electric crowd of 8,719 fans welcomed the UGA women’s volleyball team home to the Stegeman Coliseum to play Alabama after three games on the road. The crowd set both an NCAA state and UGA volleyball attendance record. Head coach Tom Black said of the match, “I think it sets a tone for what volleyball can be in this state and at this university. It was an awesome environment." This was followed by another 3-2 victory over Mississippi State on Sunday. 

The successful weekend marked the team’s fourth and fifth straight SEC victories—a testament to the program's resilience. After a challenging 0-3 start to SEC play against top ranked teams, the Bulldogs turned their season around.  

Outside hitter Brianna Muoneke reflected on the team’s challenging start to SEC competition and their ensuing mentality shift. “Starting off 0-3 is really tough… and I think we learned a lot from them,” she said. “We were very hungry regardless… we came in and just gave it our all and we really implemented all the things and lessons that we learned from those last three games.” 

That hunger showed for Muoneke against Alabama, as she led the team with 18 kills for the match. It was a team effort, with both Muoneke and Estelle Haugen recording double-doubles in kills and digs, along with Kendall Kemp setting a career-high 15 blocks. All around, the Bulldogs came to play for each other and their fans. 

After the match, coach Black praised the team’s mental toughness, saying, “I thought the girls had a lot of resilience and we got back into a little bit more of a rhythm. They found a way.” 

“I just leaned on my teammates after that. It wasn't about me anymore, it was what I could do for them.”

Tori Harper

A Culture of Resilience

The bounce back that the Bulldogs saw as a team is cultivated in players like Tori Harper who set a tone of resilience. 

For Harper, this season has been all about the comeback. 

In 2024, Harper faced a season ending injury, breaking her fibula and suffering a high ankle sprain. Harper recounted how difficult the experience was, being sidelined and reliant and crutches, remarking “who knew a 21 year old would re-learn how to walk.” Harper credits her teammates with getting her through, helping her to shift her mindset to “I will be better in the future” and “I can be patient, I can wait and accept that this healing process is gonna help my future.”

To get through, she had to reframe her mentality and role on the team saying, “I just leaned on my teammates after that. It wasn't about me anymore, it was what I could do for them." She embraced being a leader and supportive teammate in any way she could, like “giving advice, [and] being that person they can lean on,” and has carried that momentum back to the court. 

This season, Harper is back and better than ever, recording a career best 11 blocks against Arkansas on October 10, and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week in September. Harper’s return mirrors the team’s collective resilience and comeback this season. 

Harper’s attitude of patience and persistence extends to the Bulldogs’ identity as a whole this season. The same mindset of leaning on the team and patiently working towards progress is clear as the team has rallied to turn around their 0-3 start to SEC play. Pushing through five-set battles, long stretches on the road, and early-season setbacks, the work of Harper and the Bulldogs in creating a culture of resilience is clear. 

After the match, coach Black praised the team’s mental toughness, saying, “I thought the girls had a lot of resilience and we got back into a little bit more of a rhythm. They found a way.” 

Bouncing back from a streak of losses is about more than a victory for the Bulldogs. It was about the power of resilience that runs deep in their veins. 

For Tori Harper and the University of Georgia Bulldogs, this season has proven that patience and perseverance can turn setbacks into a comeback. Their story reminds us that comebacks don’t happen alone, but are built on resilience and the support of our teammates and community.