By Ansley Gavlak
UGA Sports Communications 

Georgia volleyball has eagerly awaited its season opener for the past eight months — but for one player, the wait has been even longer. Redshirt junior Kendal Kemp will finally make her debut in a Bulldog jersey on Friday at the Samford Invitational. 

After two standout seasons as an Auburn Tiger, the 6-foot-6 middle blocker transferred to Georgia in 2024, but was required to redshirt due to SEC transfer rules. 

Kemp made her unofficial debut last Saturday in Georgia’s exhibition match against Georgia State, and her first time back between the lines did not disappoint. 

“It was honestly a crazy feeling,” Kemp said. “I kind of felt like I was a freshman all over again, getting the little gameday jitters. But after the first point, I was like ‘All right, I’m ready to go.'” 

At Auburn, the Eagan, Minn., native quickly established herself as one of the SEC’s top defensive forces. As a freshman, Kemp set a school record with 180 blocks — which ranked second in the SEC– and broke program records for blocks per set, solo blocks and block assists. By the end of her sophomore year, she had become just the eighth player in Auburn history to reach the 300-block mark, doing so in just two years. 

Her decision to transfer was sparked by a desire for a fresh start and to find joy in the sport she loved. A phone call with former club teammate and fellow Bulldog Estelle Haugen was just what Kemp needed to realize Athens was going to be her next home. 

“[Haugen] always talked about how the team culture of this team was really good, and I always knew that was a possibility in the back of my mind – just playing with her again,” Kemp said. “Then talking with [head coach Tom Black] when I was in the transfer portal confirmed all the things Este told me.” 

While the transition came with its challenges, Kemp embraced her redshirt season as a time to reset and explore the team culture that brought her to Georgia in the first place. Away from the pressure of competition, she not only revitalized her game, she also became happier while doing so. 

“After I decided to transfer, I didn’t think I was in a great headspace to be able to compete in a season,” Kemp said. “Getting that year off helped me get back into the mental space I wanted to be in.” 

While Kemp felt the break from competition was necessary to work on both her physical and mental game, watching from the bench wasn’t easy. It became even more difficult when injuries continued to plague Georgia’s roster. At one point, six Bulldogs were out at one time, including fellow middle blockers Tori Harper and MK Patten. 

“I tried to do everything that I could, but it definitely got really hard to be on the bench,” Kemp said. 

Although Kemp wished she could be on the court at times, her leadership from the bench did not go unnoticed. In the spring, she was added to the team’s leadership group alongside Haugen, Harper and junior Bianna Muoneke. 

“It felt really nice to see that everything I had been doing in the season when I couldn’t play was being seen,” Kemp said. “I was like ‘Oh wow, [they] want me in this role.'”

Now, Kemp has embraced her leadership role on the team. At the end of each practice, the four leaders huddle with the rest of the team and guide conversations about what went well that day and where the team needs to improve. This is one of the team’s ways to reflect on the daily wins.

“The big thing I like to do is just celebrate all of the little things,” Kemp said. “Because one play is such a momentum shifter. The more you can celebrate that kind of stuff, the more it tends to shift the energy from one side to the other.” 

The Bulldogs will celebrate the start of a new season full of new beginnings on Friday. 

“We’re just ready to go out and show what we’ve been training for,” Kemp said. “Just how hard we’ve worked, we’re ready to show it all off.”