ALANTA (October 9) – Looking to build upon its five-match win streak, the Georgia Tech (14-4, 5-1) volleyball team will face two conference matches this week and also step out of conference in the week ahead.
| Amanda Hess |
Tuesday, the Jackets will host Clemson (8-10, 3-3) at 7 p.m. in O’Keefe Gymansium, followed by a road-trip to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on Florida State (13-7, 2-4) at 7 p.m. on Friday, and then a non-conference match against Florida A&M (6-6) at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Jackets currently stand alone in second place in the conference with a 5-1 record, their best start in the history of the team’s program.
“I think our team is playing much more consistently right now,” said head coach Shelton Collier. “Early on in the season, we made a number of errors which is common to teams that are coming together. Now we are making fewer errors in every aspect of our game and our players are just stepping up and playing better. I think it’s just a natural progression of us improving as a team in every aspect of our game.”
Against Clemson, the Jackets hope to end a three-match losing streak dating back to the ACC Tournament in 1998. Last year’s ACC regular season champion, the Tigers have struggled this year and currently stand in fifth place in the conference standings.
| Ky Bell |
“Clemson lost four senior starters from last year’s team, and they were by far the best team that’s ever played in the history of the ACC,” said Collier. “Without those players, they are definitely regrouping and not nearly as strong as they have been in the past. Looking at their record, Clemson doesn’t seem to be one of the top teams in the league right now, but I think they will still be a formidable opponent for us. Every year, we have competitive matches with Clemson and I’m sure we’ll see the same thing on Tuesday.”
Friday, Tech will travel to Florida to face Florida State in Tully Gym. The Jackets swept the Seminoles last season and lead the series, 16-4. After finishing the 1999 season in last place in the conference, the Seminoles have been perhaps the conference’s biggest surprise this season.
“Florida State, to me, is one of the scariest teams in our conference right now,” said Collier. “When they play well, they can play better than anyone in the league. I have seen them play a few matches and have significantly outplayed teams at times. They play extremely well at home and we are looking at that as one of the matches which could be a stumbling block for us in terms of our pursuit of the ACC Championship. We are really going to have to play a strong match for us to come out with a win against Florida State.”
The Jackets will conclude the week on Sunday against Florida A&M, a NCAA participant a year ago.
“Against Florida A&M, we hope to be able to develop some of our players that have not seen as much action in the ACC,” said Collier. “It is important for us to develop several more of our players, so we are hoping to get some significant playing time for some of our key reserves, which in turn could help us in the ACC Tournament.” -30-
