LEXINGTON, Ky. – Georgia Tech volleyball earned a program-record four first-team AVCA East Coast all-region selections as announced by the AVCA on Tuesday. Julia Bergmann was named Region Freshman of the Year and head coach Michelle Collier was tabbed Region Coach of the Year.
Collier was recognized by the AVCA for leading the Jackets to a second-place finish in the ACC after a 11th-place projected finish in preseason. It marked the Jackets’ highest finish in conference play since 2004 when they went undefeated to claim the regular season title. The Yellow Jackets finished the regular season with a 21-8 record, its first 20-win season since 2016 when the Jackets went 24-8. Collier is only the third Georgia Tech head coach to earn the honor.
Bergmann became the second Jacket to earn AVCA Region Freshman of the Year. Bergmann was also placed on the East Coast Region first-team. She led the way in conference awards, earning ACC Freshman of the Year, first team all-ACC honors and an all-freshman team selection. The native of Munich, Germany, was tabbed ACC Freshman of the Week twice during the regular season (Oct. 14 and Nov. 25). Bergmann leads the Jackets in scoring with 390 kills and leads the conference in service aces per set with 0.49. Bergmann is the first Yellow Jacket to be named Region Freshman of the Year since Kele Eveland in 2000.
Sophomore Matti McKissock was named first team all-region. She was tabbed ACC Setter of the Year and named first-team all-ACC. The sophomore out of Orlando, Fla., led the ACC in assists per set for the entire season. She aided the Jackets to a league-leading hitting percentage, ranking in the top-10 nationally for the statistic. Her career-best 63 assists against Boston College were a season-best for the conference.
Senior Kodie Comby was also named first team all-region. She was a unanimous first-team all-ACC selection. The senior, middle blocker leads the ACC in hitting percentage, ranking third nationally. Against Arkansas, Comby went 12-for-12, hitting 1.000 for a national match-high for the 2019 season. Her .443 hitting percentage is on track for a program record for single-season hitting percentage.
Sophomore Mariana Brambilla was put on the AVCA all-region first team. She also was named to the all-ACC first team. Brambilla was named ACC Player of the Week on Nov. 25, following her performances in Tech’s wins over Clemson and Notre Dame. The outside hitter from Porto Alegre, Brazil, performed consistently during conference play and was critical to Tech’s final 13-1 run to finish the regular season.
The Jackets continue postseason play on Tuesday, Dec. 10 when they host Liberty in the quarterfinal of the NIVC for a 7 p.m. first serve.
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