Sept. 3, 2010
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Sophomore Monique Mead had a career-high 23 kills and senior Mary Ashley Tippins had her second double-double of the day with 44 assists and 11 digs, but the Georgia Tech Volleyball team (3-2) lost to Loyola Marymount (3-2), 3-2 (25-22, 25-19, 26-28, 23-25, 9-15), Friday night at the Varney’s Kansas State Invitational. The Yellow Jackets won the first two sets, but saw LMU come charging back with three straight to win the match and snap Tech’s three-match winning streak.
Mead hit .348 as she had the career-high 23 kills, but did not have any in the final set. It was her fifth double-digit kill performance to begin the season and second time she’s hit the 20-mark. Tippins recorded her second double-double of the day and third of the season as she handed out 44 assists and had 11 digs. Senior Jordan McCullers led the team with 12 digs, while sophomore Susan Carlson had eight kills and eight digs. Junior Asia Stawicka had seven kills for the Jackets as they hit .315 on the evening. Tech had a season-high 12 blocks led by Mead (one solo, six assists) and Stawicka (seven assists).
The first set saw Georgia Tech jump out to a quick 7-2 lead but fine unanswered points by LMU quickly tied it up. The teams then traded the next several points. Trailing by a point at 15-14, the Yellow Jackets reeled off four straight points to open up an 18-15 lead and force a LMU timeout. LMU battled back to tie the set at 21, but Tech scored four of the final five points to take the opening set 25-22.
Tech got off to a quick start as well in the second set as LMU used an early timeout down 8-4. This time, the Yellow Jackets never relinquished their lead and went on to a 25-19 lead. Tech got the lead up to seven points on several occasions and never let the Lions back in the set to take a commanding 2-0 lead for the match.
In the third set, the Yellow Jackets looked to wrap up their fourth straight three-set win, but LMU would not go down without a fight and eventually prevailed, 28-26. The first stage of the set was back and forth but LMU opened up a slim lead at 10-8. Tech quickly tied it and that started a period of 15 ties and 17 lead changes over the course of the set. The Jackets fought off two straight set points and held match point at 26-25, but LMU did not go down quietly and scored the final three points to win the set.
With momentum on its side, LMU used a 6-2 run in the fourth set to take its largest lead at 15-11. This time, it was the Yellow Jackets who came right back with four straight points to quickly tie it back up at 15 apiece. LMU re-took the lead right back and soon had a 21-17 advantage and forced Tech into a timeout trying to prevent the match from going to a fifth set. The Yellow Jackets scored three straight points to get within one, but could not tie it up. Every time Tech got within one, LMU came right back and went on to win 25-23 and tie the match up at two sets apiece.
LMU got out to a two-point lead in the fifth set but Tech came back to tie it at six. The Lions ran their lead right back out to two points again at 9-7 and forced the Yellow Jackets to call timeout. LMU kept the charge going and ran away with the set to win 15-9 and complete the come-back. It was an 8-2 run LMU used to win the decisive set.
Georgia Tech closes out the weekend trip to Kansas with an 8 p.m. ET match against host-Kansas State tomorrow night. Follow online at www.RamblinWreck.com with live stats and audio. Please note, the audio is Kansas State’s broadcast.
