GREENSBORO, N.C. – Georgia Tech volleyball’s Bianca Bertolino and Bella D’Amico were each selected to the 2023 preseason all-ACC team as the Yellow Jackets were slated to tie for fourth amongst the Atlanta Coast Conference for the season, the league office announced on Thursday.
The announcement marks the fourth consecutive year the White and Gold have been slotted for a top-five finish in conference play while fielding multiple preseason all-ACC selections. A season ago, all three preseason selections went on to earn all-conference honors in Julia Bergmann (first team), Bertolino (second team) and Erin Moss (second team). D’Amico was also named all-ACC second team last season despite a preseason snub.
Receiving her second consecutive preseason recognition from the league, Bertolino enters the year on the heels of a strong sophomore campaign. The Argentinian outside hitter earned her first career regional recognition as an honorable mention in 2022. Continuing to accumulate awards, Bertolino was also named second team all-ACC following her ACC all-freshman honors in her first collegiate season. The attacker has contributed across the board with her balanced style of play throughout her career, making good on last year’s preseason selection by ranking second on the squad and 10th in the league in digs with 356 on top of posting 201 kills, 29 aces and 37 total blocks. The developing Jacket was named to the GT Invitational all-tournament team early in 2022 before setting and tying her career high of 24 digs in premier matchups – once against No. 5 Louisville and again facing No. 7 Pitt.
Orchestrating one of the most potent offenses in the country last season, D’Amico garners her first preseason all-ACC honor. The setter was tabbed second team all-ACC for her first career all-conference selection a year ago. The center of the Jacket attack settled into her role quickly, going on to rank fourth in the league in assists per set (10.12) and fifth in total assists (1,042) as she broke 1,000 in a single season for the first time in her career. On top of running the point, D’Amico contributed across the board, also totaling 188 digs, 38 total blocks, 20 kills and 14 aces in 2022. In one of the biggest matches of her career, D’Amico also shattered a pair of her previous career bests, piling up 61 assists and compiling six blocks at No. 7 Pitt.
Georgia Tech heads into its 2023 slate on the heels of a 2022 season that saw the Jackets earn an NCAA tournament win for the third consecutive season under coach Michelle Collier, joining the White and Gold of 2002-04 as the only squads to do so in succession in program history. The berth in the Big Dance alone marked the 12th time in program history. Going beyond 2019’s NIVC title, Tech has won 79 of its last 99 matches.
Following the Gold-White scrimmage (Aug. 13) and an exhibition match against Auburn (Aug. 19) on The Flats, Tech will officially serve up the season on the road, competing in the Road 2 Tampa Bay Volleyball Invitational against host South Florida and Penn State (Aug. 25-26). The Jackets will make their official home debut hosting the Georgia Tech Classic, beginning with Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate against Georgia in McCamish Pavilion, presented by Delta (Sept. 15).
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The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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