Sept. 30, 2003
Tech Opens 2003 Campaign with 13 Wins
The Jackets have begun the 2003 season with 13 straight wins, marking the best start to a year since 1996. In 1996, the team began the year with 16 straight wins before falling to Auburn.
Next up for the Jackets….Maryland, Virginia & Ga. State
After two conference matches on the road, Tech returns home to O’Keefe to face Maryland, Georgia State and Virginia this weekend.
Against Maryland
The Terps hold a 20-15 lead over Tech in the series, but the Jackets have a two-match winning streak, having won both contests during the 2002 season. The last time Maryland defeated the Jackets was in 2001 during the ACC Tournament. Maryland has not defeated Tech in O’Keefe Gymnasium since the 1997 season.
Against Georgia State
The Panthers and the Jackets have met 31 times with Tech holding the edge, 28-3. The last time Georgia State defeated Tech was during the 1998 season.
Against Virginia
The Jackets enter the match with a 17-14 edge in the series with the Cavaliers and have won the last four meetings. The last time Virginia defeated Tech was during the 2000 season.
Come Early and Come Often
Some fans who waited until the last minute to arrive for the match against No. 24 Wisconsin might have been disappointed to learn that they could not obtain a seat in O’Keefe Gymnasium. All told, over 1,400 fans attended the match and well over 200 fans were turned away at the door making it one of the best crowds in school history.
It’s true that close to 100 seats were taken up by television cameras at the match, but the best solution to this problem is for fans to make efforts to come early and secure a seat.
Doors open to the gymnasium appoximately 1 hour before game time.
Tech Stays at No. 5
In the 2003 USA Today/AVCA poll for Sept. 29, the Yellow Jackets remained at the No. 5 spot, representing the highest ranking in school history and the highest ranking achieved by any school in the ACC.
Dating back to last season, this marks the 19th consecutive week that Tech has been ranked in the Top 25, which is the second longest streak ever by an ACC school. Georgia Tech holds the record, having been ranked 22 consecutive weeks during the span from 9/5/95-10/1/96.
In the Volleyball Magazine Top 20 poll, the Jackets are ranked 6th.
Only Four Left
Heading into action this weekend, only four teams remain undefeated this season and at 13-0 Georgia Tech is one of them. The other three are #1 Southern California (12-0), #9 California (12-0) and #24 San Francisco (15-0).
Jackets Put the Sting in Streaks
It seems that no team wants to see the Jackets on their own home court.
Already twice this season, Georgia Tech has put an end to home-court winning streaks. Against Nebraska, the Jackets defeated the Cornhuskers in five games, their first regular season lost since the 1999 season. Two weeks later, Tech swept the Tar Heels to give them their first lost since the 2001 season.
Home, Home on the Range
Dating back to last season, the Jackets have compiled a 16 match home winning streak. The last time Tech was defeated in O’Keefe Gymnasium was last season to #11 North Carolina on Oct. 5. The school record for a home winning streak is 23, which was set from Oct. 31, 1993-Oct. 15, 1995.
399 and counting
The Jackets need only one more win this season to record the 400th Division I win in the program’s history. Tech entered the season with a 451-350 (.563) all-time record and a 386-298 (.564) record as a Division I program.
Eveland Watch
Senior setter Kele Eveland entered the 2003 season needing only 1,323 assists to surpass former Tech great Andrea Nachtrieb (1993-96) on the career assist list. Eveland now stands with 5,207 in her career placing her second on the career assist list, ahead of Margaret Gales (86-89) who recorded 3,432. With 896 to go and, at her current pace, Eveland should break the record in Tech’s 30th match this season. Look for the record to be broken near the end of the season at the home matches against Georgia or Clemson.
Grand Killer
This season a trio of Georgia Tech players could reach the 1,000 kills mark for their careers. If the trio all reach the mark this season, it would be the first time in program history for three players to join the prestigious club in the same year and the first time that three players with 1,000 or more kills were on the court at the same time.
Lynnette Moster 916 Needs 84 Alexandra Preiss 905 Needs 95 Lauren Sauer 846 Needs 154
ACC Standings as of 9/30
TEAM ACC PCT OVERALL PCT
Georgia Tech 2-0 1.000 13-0 1.000 Maryland 2-0 1.000 13-3 .812 North Carolina 2-1 .667 10-5 .667 Wake Forest 2-1 .667 12-3 .800 Virginia 1-1 .500 17-1 .944 Clemson 1-1 .500 11-6 .647 Florida State 1-1 .500 9-5 .643 NC State 0-3 .000 6-10 .375 Duke 0-3 .000 4-11 .267
ACC Statistical Leaders as of 9/28
TEAM Hit Pct.Georgia Tech .352 Kills Georgia Tech 17.81 Assists Georgia Tech 16.58 Blocks Maryland 3.19 Aces Wake Forest 2.52 Digs Duke 18.96
INDIVIDUAL
Hit Pct.Christy Williams, Wake Forest .420 Kills Lynnette Moster, Georgia Tech 4.35 Assists Kele Eveland, Georgia Tech 14.49 Blocks Rachel Wagener, Maryland 1.66 Aces Valerie Rydberg, Wake Forest 0.73 Digs Whitney Ashcraft, Virginia 5.10
NCAA Statistical Rankings as of 9/28
TEAM
Assists Per GameGeorgia Tech 16.58 2nd Kills Per Game Georgia Tech 17.81 2nd Hit Percentage Georgia Tech .352 1st W/L Percentage Georgia Tech 1.000 t-1st Avg. Attendance Georgia Tech 860 30th
INDIVIDUAL
Assists Per Game Kele Eveland 14.49 2ndHitting Percentage Lauren Sauer .416 15th Alexandra Preiss .402 21st Jayme Gergen .390 30th
