BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the second week in a row, University of Georgia redshirt-junior Kendal Kemp has been named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday.
 
This is Kemp’s second SEC weekly award as a Bulldog and fifth of her career (three Defensive Player of the Week awards, two Freshman of the Week awards).
 
“We’re so proud of Kendal and her drive to get better every week,” head coach Tom Black said. “She’s established herself as a dominant force at the net, and her drive to continue growing is infectious for the entire team. We couldn’t be prouder.”
 
Kemp opened the weekend by recording a career-high 15 blocks against Alabama on Friday. Her 14 block assists rank second all-time in a five-set match, and her 15 total blocks tie the five-set rally scoring record at Georgia. She added six in Sunday’s match against Mississippi State with eight kills on the offensive side of the ball.
 
With the Eagan, Minnesota native leading the charge, Georgia has recorded 10.0 or more blocks in 14 of 18 matches this season and each of the last six matches. Georgia put up a season-high 20 blocks in Friday’s match, the most since Sept. 28, 2022.
 
The Bulldogs’ 3.12 blocks per set rank second in the country and lead the SEC. Kemp’s 1.62 blocks per set ranks sixth nationally and second in the SEC. Redshirt-junior Tori Harper ranks seventh in the league with 1.27 blocks per set.
 
Georgia is back on the road this weekend for a pair of matches. First, the Bulldogs travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. It’s then on to Columbia, Missouri, for a showdown with the Missouri Tigers on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.