THE FLATS – No. 5 seed Georgia Tech volleyball (24-6, 13-4 ACC) will continue its NCAA Tournament run on Thursday, Dec. 7 against No. 1-overall seed Nebraska (30-1, 19-1 Big Ten). The match is set to start at 2 p.m. and will be nationally broadcast on ESPN2.
Match information: No. 5 Georgia Tech at No. 1 Nebraska | Thursday Dec. 2 | 2 p.m. ET | Bob Devaney Sports Center | ESPN2
The Jackets advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 for the second time in the past three seasons and fourth time in program history on Friday night (Dec. 1), defeating No. 4 seeded Florida (19-10, 10-8 SEC) in five sets. It was the first NCAA Tournament road win and the first five-set tournament win in program history.
Tech travels to play No. 1 Nebraska for what will be the third meeting in program history and first since 2015. Tech won the first meeting, in Lincoln, on Sept. 14, 2003. It will be the third time Georgia Tech will take on an AVCA No. 1 ranked opponent and first time since the 2021 Regional Final at No. 1 Louisville.
NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAM NOTES
- The Jackets are back in the NCAA Tournament for the 4th year in a row and the 13th time in program history.
- Tech is one of just 14 programs in Division I to have advanced past the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons, doing so for the 1st time in program history.
- GT has reached the Regional Semifinals for the fourth time in program history and second time in the last three seasons – one of 14 Division I programs to do so.
- The win over No 4 seed Florida was the first true road win in an NCAA Tournament in program history.
- It was Head Coach Michelle Collier’s 7th NCAA Tournament win, the most of any Georgia Tech head coach.
- Georgia Tech is one of three No. 5 seeds to have advanced into the Regional rounds after going on the road the first weekend (also Penn St. and Arizona St.).
- The Jackets are averaging 14.81 digs/set this season, the third most among the remaining teams in the tournament. They have made 129 digs this tournament, the second most among remaining teams.
- Georgia Tech recorded an NCAA Tournament best 128 kills in the first two rounds (56 vs. South Alabama | 72 at No. 4 Florida) – led by 36 from Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene.
NCAA TOURNAMENT INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- The Jackets are one of four teams remaining in the field to have three players record 300+ kills this season: Otene (397), junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino (343) and freshman right side hitter Larissa Mendes (304) (also Arkansas, Oregon and Stanford)
- Otene (397 kills / 327 digs) and Bertolino (343 kills / 311 digs) are the first Yellow Jacket duo to achieve 300 kills and 300 digs in the same season 2015 (Teegan Van Gunst and Annika (Rowland) Van Gunst).
- Georgia Tech and Arkansas are the only teams in the remaining NCAA Tournament field with two 300 kill / 300 dig players.
- Junior middle blocker DeAndra Pierce set a new career high with 11 kills in the 1st Round vs. South Alabama. She did so on .667 hitting, the highest hitting percentage by a Jacket in an NCAA Tournament match lasting longer than three sets (modern scoring era).
- Pierce is hitting .448 through two rounds – the 2nd highest hitting percentage by a player in the field making her NCAA Tournament debut.
- Senior right side hitter Afedo Manyang made at least 2 kill/set while hitting .333 or better in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, joining Erin Moss as the only Jackets in program history to do so across consecutive NCAA Tournament matches.
- Mendes set a program record for the most kills by a Georgia Tech freshman in her NCAA Tournament debut, with 12 against South Alabama (11/30).
- Otene recorded 21 kills in the win over Florida (12/1), becoming the third Jacket in the modern scoring era to achieve 20 kills in an NCAA Tournament match (also Marianna Brambilla and Julia Bergmann).
- Otene is three kills away from 400 for the season. She would give Georgia Tech at least one 400 kill hitter in each of the previous eight full seasons (2015-23 excluding 2020-21 season), joining USC, Purdue and Stanford as the only programs to have done so across Division I.
- Freshman setter Heloise Soares tied a program record with three aces against South Alabama (11/30) tied with Bertolino for the most aces in an NCAA Tournament match in the modern scoring era.
2023 SEASON NOTES
- Georgia Tech has beaten two Top 10 opponents in the same regular season for the first time in program history (No. 8 Penn State and No. 3 Louisville). Four of Tech’s seven all-time wins over Top 10 teams have come in the last three seasons.
- Tech had four Jackets honored in the end-of-year ACC awards: Bianca Bertolino and Tamara Otene were named 1st Team All-ACC while Heloise Soares and Larissa Mendes earned All-Freshman Team honors.
- Coming in at No. 12 in the final AVCA Coaches poll of the regular season, Georgia Tech is the highest ranked team not to receive a Top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament in four seasons (since 2019) – No. 10 Colorado State.
- The Jackets have now won 11 road matches this season, the most in the Michelle Collier era and the most in a single season since 2004.
- The next road win would be tied with 2004 for the second most in a single season (14 in 1988).
Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2
Looking to build on the success of last year’s Competitive Drive Initiative, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation and Georgia Tech athletics are partnering once again to launch Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2. CDI Turn 2 has a goal of raising $2.5 million in new gifts to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund by Dec. 31, and Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Foundation will match eligible gifts to accelerate the impact for Tech athletics. Like last year, not only will gifts to CDI Turn 2 be matched, but so will the contributor’s benefits in the way of A-T Fund giving levels and priority points. To learn more and contribute online, visit atfund.org/turn2.
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