Sept. 5, 2002
With a 3-1 record in its pocket, the Georgia Tech volleyball team begins the home portion of its schedule, hosting the annual Courtyard by Marriott Classic this weekend in O’Keefe Gymnasium. On Friday, the Yellow Jackets will face Florida A&M followed by a 7:30 p.m. contest with No. 22 Louisville (3-0). Tech will take on Miami University on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“This should be a great tournament,” said head coach Bond Shymansky. “Obviously, our focus is on our match against Louisville, who beat us last year in the NCAA Tournament and is coming in off a huge win over a very good Arizona team. But we are also looking forward to playing Miami and Florida A&M and are expecting great matches against them.”
Tech opens the tournament against Florida A&M (1-0), an NCAA Tournament participant in 2001. The two teams have faced each other four times, with the Jackets winning each of those contests.
Friday night’s match against the Cardinals marks the second time the two teams have met. Last season, the Jackets fell to Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a five-game thriller. The match will be aired live on WREK radio (91.1 FM), and will also be televised regionally on a tape delay basis on Fox Sports Net South on Sept. 15th at 2 p.m.
The Jackets’ final match of the tournament will be against Miami University on Saturday night. The two teams have faced each other once before in 1996, with the Jackets winning in four games.
Tech began the season with a second place finish in the Patriot Invitational, defeating Villanova, Rice, and George Mason but falling to No. 14 Northern Iowa. Earning all-tournament honors and leading the Jackets were outside hitter Lynnette Moster (4.54 kills per game/3.31 digs per game/.85 aces per game) and middle blocker Alexandra Preiss (.420 avg./1.54 blocks per game).
“I was very pleased with our effort and determination last weekend,” said Shymansky. “We fought hard in each of our matches, and that was good to see. I think we still have some areas to improve in, but overall, I’m very pleased with where our team is right now at this point of the season.”
“I know our players are very excited to be playing at home,” said Shymansky. “We led the league in attendance last season and are expecting large crowds this weekend for our matches. Having a nationally ranked opponent in Louisville here is a real exciting opportunity for our team. This should be a great test for our team this weekend.”
Georgia Tech Courtyard by Marriott Classic Schedule
Friday, September 6 Georgia Tech vs. Florida A&M 12 p.m. Miami University vs. Florida A&M 5 p.m. Georgia Tech vs. Louisville 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 7 Louisville vs. Miami University 11 a.m. Florida A&M vs. Louisville 3 p.m. Georgia Tech vs. Miami University 7 p.m.
