GREENSBORO, N.C. – Georgia Tech volleyball’s Bianca Bertolino and Breland Morrissette as well as recent graduates Mariana Brambilla and Matti McKissock have each been selected to the 2021 All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team, the league announced on Tuesday. The quartet of current and former Yellow Jackets receive the honor for a combination of their academic excellence and on-court performance.
The announcement ties the program record for most honorees in a season with four, the fifth time four Yellow Jackets have been honored in a single season. On an individual scale, the recognition marks the third such honor in Brambilla’s illustrious career on The Flats, second for McKissock’s equally impressive resume, first for Morrissette after her stellar senior year in 2021 and also the first for Bertolino following her first collegiate season.
Each student-athlete named to the All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team has maintained a career GPA of 3.0 or higher and posted a 3.0 GPA or higher in the most recent semester. Along with each honoree’s academic achievements, athletic prowess played a role in each selection as all four were All-ACC performers with strong hands in propelling the Jackets to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and a program-record tying final ranking of No. 8 in 2021.
Bertolino was selected to the ACC All-Freshman Team as she led the league in ACC Freshman of the Week honors with five. Morrissette was named Second Team All-ACC after anchoring the Tech defense from the middle. The Birmingham, Ala., native led the team and finished top 10 in the conference in total blocks (112) while picking up her first career ACC Player of the Week title. Brambilla had a decorated season for the books as she was vaunted as a First Team All-American, All-Region, First Team All-ACC and a two-time ACC Player of the Week after finishing third in the ACC in kills (486), kills per set (4.34) points (534.5) and points per set (4.77). McKissock was celebrated on a similar scale as she was named an Honorable Mention All-American, All-Region and First Team All-ACC while finishing second in the nation in assists per set (11.81) and fifth in the country in total assists (1,311), topping the ACC in both.
Over their careers, Brambilla and McKissock both made their marks in the Tech record books. Brambilla is now eighth all-time in career kills (1,586) and fourth all-time in career kills per set (3.87) while McKissock is third all-time in career assists (4,103), leading the program during the 25-point rally scoring era and ranking seventh all-time in career assists per set (10.11).
The Jackets will prepare to build on their historic fall for another triumphant season on The Flats in 2022. Chief among Tech’s 13 returners is First Team All-American and ACC Player of the Year, Julia Bergmann.
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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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