CLEMSON, SC – Teryl Townsend collected 15 kills on 29 attempts (.517) and Eida Mabry tallied seven block assists as the Georgia Tech volleyball team (20-4, 10-1) defeated Clemson (10-14, 4-7) in three games Friday night, 15-12, 15-10, 15-10. The win increases Tech win streak to 11 matches, and marks the first time the Jackets’ have swept the Tigers over the last four years.
The Tigers jumped out to a 5-1 lead in game one as they scored on three kills, and errors from Mabry and Kyleen Bell. An ace from Bell, followed by a kill from Maja Pachale made the score 3-5. Clemson scored next on a kill from Kiki Dallao to increase their lead to 6-3. Then, with the score 5-7, the Jackets scored on a kill from Pachale, an ace from Amanda Hess, and a Clemson error to take the lead, 8-7. The two teams sideout for four rotations before Tech scored three straights points behind kills from Pachale and Townsend and a Clemson hitting error to increase their lead to 11-7. With Tech leading 12-7, Clemson scored on an overpass from Mabry, an error from Kele Eveland and an error from Bell to make it 12-10. The Jackets then scored on a kill from Eveland and Pachale to lead 14-10. Tech then scored on a Clemson error to take game one, 15-12.
In game two, the Jackets jumped out to a huge 8-0 lead as strong serving led to two kills and a block from Townsend, two kills from Mabry, and ace from Eveland and three hitting errors from Clemson. The Tigers scored their first two points on a kill and a Tech blocking error. Neither team scored for seven rotations before Bell connected with Eveland to make the score 9-2. Clemson then scored two points making the score 9-4 on a kill Jackie Dalleska and a Jacket hitting error. A block from Mabry and Bell followed by a kill from Pachale and Townsend increased the Jackets’ lead to 12-5. The two teams then played a remarkable point lasting nearly a minute and seeing both sides make great defensive plays. In that point, Jessica Dickerson collected three digs and Pachale finally tallied a kill on a tip over the Clemson block to increase Tech’s lead to 13-6. The Tigers went on a mini-run scoring three points on two errors from the Jackets and a kill from Lindsay Fuller to make the score 14-10. It took three more rotations, but a triple block from Hess, Bell and Eida allowed the Jackets to win game two, 15-10.
Game three saw Tech fall behind early, 3-5 as Fuller tallied two kills and Pachale and Townsend each recorded an error. Behind the serving of Townsend, the Jackets scored on a kill from Bell and two straight blocks from Mabry and Bell, making the score 7-6. Tech then scored four straight points to increase its lead to 13-9 on kills from Townsend and Pachale and two blocks from Mabry and Townsend. A passing error by Bell allowed Clemson to score a point, but that would be all as the Jackets would score on an ace from Geeske Banck and a Clemson error, winning game three, 15-10.
Eveland collected 40 assists, while Mabry tallied 12 kills, Pachale chipped in 11 and Bell totaled 10 in the match. Defensively, Tech was led by Eveland and Bell who each notched 13 digs.
The Jackets return to action when they travel to College Park, Md., to take on Maryland at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
