Oct. 4, 2001
Yellow Jackets Travel to Chapel Hill to Face First Place Tar Heels
After defeating NC State on Tuesday night in Raleigh, the Yellow Jacket volleyball team (8-3 overall) packs its bags again for a match in Chapel Hill, NC, against the first place Tar Heels (11-3 overall) on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Carmichael Auditorium.
Georgia Tech enters the match with a 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference record and in a tie for second, while North Carolina is atop the league standings with a 4-0 record, and also is the defending ACC tournament champion. Last season, the two teams split in their regular meetings, including a 3-2 loss that the Yellow Jackets suffered in Chapel Hill after holding a two games to none lead. Tech has not won in Carmichael since a 3-2 victory in 1997.
“We realize that North Carolina is all alone in first place, and know that we need to play really well to beat them on their home floor,” said head coach Shelton Collier. “They are the defending ACC champions, with a number of key players back this season, and traditionally play very well at home.”
The Yellow Jackets continue to be led by seniors Maja Pachale and Kyleen Bell. Both Bell and Pachale turned in solid performances earlier in the week, with Bell recording a team-high 16 kills, followed by 15 from Pachale. Alexandra Preiss continues to be a factor in conference play, as she tallied seven kills on nine swings to notch a career-high .778 hitting percentage against NC State. Kele Eveland leads the Tech offense, which is hitting a season-high .236 as a team entering the match, and averaging 15.68 kills per game.
“For us to win, we will need Kele running our offense at a high level, Ky and Maja to play a big games for us, and we will need a great defensive effort,” said Collier. “I am confident that we will bring all of these at match time,”
“After our match at North Carolina on Sunday, we will either be tied for first, or alone in third place in the ACC,” said Collier. “Obviously, it is a big match for us and I expect us to play very well to show that we are an ACC championship contender.”
