Aug. 29, 2014
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech volleyball team (1-0) opened its 2014 season Friday with a 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-10, 25-17) against Jacksonville (0-1) at the Gamecock Invitational in Columbia, S.C.
Georgia Tech ran a balanced attack with three players hitting more than .300 led by senior Courtney Felinski’s .476 attacking clip. Senior Ashtaan Horton tallied 11 kills and hit .318, while sophomore Teegan Van Gunst added 10 kills and hit for a .348 clip. Sophomores London Ackermann and Annika Van Gunst held down the back row with 17 and 13 digs, respectively.
“I was very pleased with our performance,” first-year head coach Michelle Collier said. “We were able to have a balanced offense and stay consistent with our serve and pass game.The team got better throughout the match and we finished performing at a very high level. I’m looking forward to our next matches tomorrow and our continuing progress.”
The Jackets took a 17-16 lead in game one and went on a four-point run to open the gap 21-16. Tech finished the opening frame on a three-point rally and carried that momentum into set two.
Tech fired off a seven-straight points behind the serving of Teegan Van Gunst to go up 11-4 in game two. The Jackets opened that lead to 13-9 and rattled off eight-straight with freshman Annika Olsen at the serving line as part of a 12-1 run that put the set away for the Jackets.
The third set featured seven tied scores and two lead changes early in the set. Tech took the lead for good at 10-9 on a kill by Horton and broke away from the Dolphins with five-straight points.
The Jackets continue action at the Gamecock Invitational on Saturday against Gardner-Webb at 10 a.m., followed by a 7 p.m. match against host South Carolina.
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