Sept. 8, 2016
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech volleyball team (6-2) outlasted the Kennesaw State Owls (1-8) in a five-set thriller on Friday night at O’Keefe Gym.
How It Happened
The Owls were fast out of the gate with a 5-1 lead in the opening frame. Georgia Tech went to work and went ahead 7-6 on a block by Sydney Wilson and Gabriela Stavnetchei. Tied 17-17, the Jackets took a 23-17 and were able to close out the set 25-21.
Set two provided to be a battle with marathon rallies and several second chance plays. The Jackets through the entire set, but Kennesaw State got within one point late in the game 22-21 and then tied it 23-23. Kennesaw State gained its first lead of the set 25-24 and completed the comeback to win 27-25.
Tied 7-7, Kennesaw State went on a 4-0 rally to gain an 11-7 advantage. Down 17-15, two kills and a solo block by Stavnetchei tied it at 17-17, and a kill by Teegan Van Gunst gave Tech its first lead of the game 18-17. The Owls regrouped and came back from a 23-20 deficit to take game three, 26-24.
The Jackets wasted little time in game four. At 16-10, Tech scored nine-straight points to win the game 25-10 and force a fifth frame.
Georgia Tech took an 8-4 lead into the switch in game five. The Jackets did not let up and finished the match strong with a 15-9 fifth-set victory.
Quote
“I think we stayed patient,” head coach Michelle Collier said. “Kennesaw State was playing some great defense. We were taking some really good swings and they were keeping the ball alive. I think we stayed resilient and we starting terminating a little bit better from our side of the court to control the game.”
Quick Hits
– Freshman Kodie Comby had a season-high 12 kills
– Teegan tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 18 digs
– Gabriela Stavnetchei put up her second career double-double with 16 kills and 19 digs
– London Ackermann added 26 digs
– Annika Van Gunst and Ashley Askin each had seven kills, while Lauren Pitz added six kills on .545 hitting
What’s Next
The Jackets take on Georgia to wrap up the Georgia Challenge at 7 p.m. on Friday on the ACC Network Extra.
Follow Along
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech volleyball team, follow us on Twitter (@GTVolleyball), Instagram (GTVolleyball), Facebook (Georgia Tech Volleyball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
