Sept. 26, 2007
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech volleyball returns to Atlanta to host Virginia and Virginia Tech this weekend in what will be the first Atlantic Coast Conference matches of the season at O’Keefe Gymnasium. The Yellow Jackets (8-4, 2-0 ACC) meet the Cavaliers (7-5, 2-1 ACC) Friday at 7 p.m. before closing out the weekend against the Hokies (7-6, 1-2) Saturday at 8 p.m.
Match Promotions – Chick-fil-A will be handing out coupons for free sandwiches and drinks to all in attendance (while supplies last) on Friday. On Saturday, fans can gain admission for $1 with their ticket stub from the Georgia Tech-Clemson football game.
Match Coverage – Radio broadcast for both matches on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM/www.wrek.org), with live stats at RamblinWreck.com. Friday’s match broadcast on SportSouth on Oct. 7. Time is still TBA.
The Yellow Jackets went 6-4 in their non-conference slate and opened their ACC schedule with a pair of 3-1 road wins against North Carolina and NC State last weekend. Tech has been receiving contributions from the entire lineup, with middle hitter Nikki Kaminskas leading Tech’s blocking efforts (1.19 pg), libero Michelle Kandell directing the Jackets’ back row defense (4.80 dpg), and Talisa Kellogg (3.98 kpg), Chrissy DeMichelis (3.48 kpg) and Ulrike Stegemann (.295; 3.29 kpg) guiding the offense.
Georgia Tech has already faced four teams that competed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, as well as another that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2005, and has one remaining NCAA participant on its schedule in No. 14 Duke, which it will play twice over the last six weeks of the season.
Tech vs. the Opponents (GT leads UVa, 24-16; GT leads VT, 4-3)
Georgia Tech is 24-16 all-time against Virginia, including holding a 9-2 record versus the Cavaliers since Bond Shymansky was promoted to head coach in 2002. Virginia was the only ACC school that the Yellow Jackets failed to earn a win against last season, as the Cavaliers won a five-set match against the Yellow Jackets in Charlottesville and then snapped Tech’s nine-match winning streak the last weekend of the season with a 3-1 victory in Atlanta. The Cavs’ victory in Charlottesville last season snapped an 11-match winning streak that the Yellow Jackets had against Virginia. Tech has posted 13 of its 24 wins against Virginia in Atlanta, as the Yellow Jackets are 13-6 vs. the Cavaliers at O’Keefe Gym.
The Hokies ended Tech’s 2006 season by handing them a 3-0 loss at O’Keefe Gym. Overall, Georgia Tech is 4-3 all-time against Virginia Tech, and 3-2 vs. the Hokies under head coach Bond Shymansky. Georgia Tech took the first match off the Hokies in 2006, a 3-0 victory in Blacksburg in mid-October.
The Tech Connection
In her third season as an assistant coach for the Virginia Tech volleyball team is former Yellow Jacket standout middle hitter and honorable mention All-America Jayme Gergen, who played on the Flats from 2001-04. In just her second season on the Flats, Gergen shattered the Yellow Jacket single-season marks with 157 block assists and 169 total blocks, records which still stand today. She finished her career ranked second in the Tech career record books with a .353 hitting percentage, fifth in total blocks (473) and block assists (426) and fourth with 1.19 blocks per game.
Jackets Hard to Stop at O’Keefe
Georgia Tech has posted a stellar 142-40 (.780) record at O’Keefe Gym since the volleyball team began playing matches there in 1995. Tech has won at least 10 matches at O’Keefe in each of the last six seasons, and has won 70 of its 84 home matches (.833) under head coach Bond Shymansky.
Random Nuggets:
* In 2007, Georgia Tech is:
8-0 with more service aces in a match than its opponent, 0-4 otherwise;
8-0 with more digs in a match than its opponent, 0-4 otherwise;
7-0 on Fridays, 1-0 on Sundays, but 0-4 on Saturdays.
* Captains for the 2007 volleyball season are: Nikki Kaminskas, Talisa Kellogg and Erin Birmingham.
Up Next:
The Jackets head south next weekend to face Florida State Friday (7 p.m.) and Miami Sunday (12 noon). Live video for Saturday’s match available online (gatech.playonsports.tv). Live stats for both matches available at RamblinWreck.com.
