THE FLATS – Georgia Tech volleyball announced its 28-match slate for the 2023 season on Thursday. The schedule consists of 12 home matches, including a home tournament highlighted by the home opener against archrival Georgia on Sept. 15 in the second ever McCamish Pavilion match.
A Closer Look
Following the Gold-White scrimmage (Aug. 13) and an exhibition match against Auburn (Aug. 19) on The Flats, the Jackets will make their official home debut hosting the Georgia Tech Classic. They’ll begin home competition with Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate against Georgia in McCamish Pavilion (Sept. 15), then take on Howard (Sept. 16) and San Diego (Sept. 17) in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The White and Gold will host nine Atlantic Coast Conference foes, beginning with NC State (Sept. 24) before going on a four-match homestand against Florida State (Oct. 13), Miami (Oct. 15), Duke (Oct. 20) and North Carolina (Oct. 22). Tech will begin a subsequent three-match stretch at home against perennial contender Louisville (Nov. 3), following with Notre Dame (Nov. 5) before wrapping up the stint with budding rival Pitt (Nov. 10). The Yellow Jackets will conclude their regular season home slate with Senior Day against Syracuse (Nov. 19).
Over the course of the past four seasons, Georgia Tech is 46-7 at home in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The Jackets went 11-3 on The Flats in 2022, including the program’s first match in McCamish Pavilion. Tech is 305-104 (.746) all time in O’Keefe Gymnasium’s 28-year history.
Tech will officially serve up the season on the road, competing in the Road 2 Tampa Bay Volleyball Invitational, facing host South Florida and Penn State Aug. 25-26. The White and Gold will next travel to Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes in a pair of matches Sept. 1-2 before heading back south to line up against South Alabama (Sept. 8), Stetson (Sept. 9) and host Florida A&M (Sept. 10) in a tournament. Road play in the ACC for the Yellow Jackets will begin at Clemson (Sept. 20), followed by a four-match road trip at Virginia Tech (Sept. 29). Wake Forest (Oct. 1), Pitt (Oct. 6) and Virginia (Oct. 8). Georgia Tech will travel for four more contests throughout the remainder of the regular season, heading to Boston College (Oct. 27), Syracuse (Oct. 29). Miami (Nov. 17) and Louisville (Nov. 21).
Georgia Tech will battle stiff competition on the road to a potential fourth straight appearance in the Big Dance as nine of its 2022 opponents competed in the 64-team field of the 2022 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, excluding exhibition opponent Auburn who also advanced to the postseason. The White and Gold will play 13 total games against those nine teams, including two against national title contenders Louisville and three against Final Four opponents Pitt and San Diego. Familiar future opponents in Ohio State (Elite Eight) and Penn State (Sweet 16) also made deep runs in the postseason.
Five of the aforementioned nine teams finished ranked in the final 2022 American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25, including three in the top five and all five in the top 11. The Jackets concluded the 2022 season in the second round of the NCAA tournament, ranked No. 20 in the final AVCA poll.
Opponents in the 2022 NCAA Tournament
Auburn (Aug. 19, home | exhibition) – Second Round
Penn State (Aug. 26, neutral) – Sweet 16
Ohio State (Sep. 1-2, away) – Elite Eight
Florida A&M (Sept. 10, away) – First Round
Georgia (Sept. 15, home – McCamish Pavilion) – Second Round
San Diego (Sept. 17, home) – Final Four
Pitt (Oct. 6, away / Nov. 10, home) – Final Four
Florida State (Oct. 13, home) – First Round
Miami (Oct. 15, home / Nov. 17, away) – First Round
Louisville (Nov. 3, home / Nov. 21, away) – National Championship Game
Opponents in the 2022 AVCA Final Rankings
No. 2 Louisville (Nov. 3, home / Nov. 21, away)
No. 3 San Diego (Sept. 17, home)
No. 4 Pitt (Oct. 6, away / Nov. 10, home)
No. 8 Ohio State (Sep. 1-2, away)
No. 11 Penn State (Aug. 26, neutral)
Gearing up
Headlining Tech’s 13 returners from the 2022 campaign are a pair of all-ACC second team selections in outside hitter Bianca Bertolino and setter Bella D’Amico, the former of which also receive all-region honors. The incumbents will be joined by eight highly touted new Yellow Jackets, including three transfers and five freshmen, four of which are international.
Georgia Tech heads into the 2023 season 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.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
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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