Georgia Tech volleyball finishes out home stand with 8-0 record
GT vs. South Alabama Box Score
GT vs. Tulane Box Score
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech volleyball (8-0) remains unbeaten in O’Keefe Gymnasium, closing out the eight-match home stand with a 3-2 win over South Alabama and a 3-1 victory over Tulane. The Jackets were crowned the Hyatt Regency Tournament Champions, sweeping the competition over two days.
Freshman Mariana Brambilla was tabbed the tournament MVP and was joined by junior Kodie Comby on the all-tournament team.
Georgia Tech 3, South Alabama 2
Tech was a little slow coming out of the gate but found their stride to tie the set at 5-5 on a service ace from junior Lexi Dorn. Battling it out to a tie at 14-14, a solo block off the hands of freshman Mikaila Dowd put Tech up and a kill from Brambilla extended it to 16-14, causing South Alabama to call a timeout. South Alabama stayed close but the Jackets kept ahead, and with the lead at 23-21 on a kill from Dowd, South Alabama used its second timeout. Tech held off the Jaguars and took the set at 25-22 on a kill from Brambilla.
After another sleepy start from the Yellow Jackets, Tech got into a rhythm and took the lead at 6-5 on back-to-back kills from sophomore Kendall Wilson. Tech fell behind again and trailing 13-9, the Jackets called their first timeout. Tech brought it back within two at 23-21 but South Alabama held off the Jackets to win the set 25-21 and tie the match.
The third set started out close but the Jackets took four in a row to lead 10-6 and the Jaguars used their first timeout as freshman Maddie Tippett landed a service ace. Tech made it a 6-0 run with Tippett at the service line to put Tech up by six at 12-6. Tech kept at it and a kill from Dowd brought the tally to 18-11 and South Alabama used its second timeout. South Alabama brought it back within striking distance but the Jackets held on to win the set 25-21 and lead 2-1.
Tech carried the momentum into the fourth set, jumping to a 6-2 lead on back-to-back kills from Dowd. The Jaguars came back to tie the set at 13-13 and took over the lead at 19-17. Tech called a timeout to bring the momentum back in its favor but the Jaguars took the set at 25-19 to force a fifth set.
The Jackets came out strong in the fifth, leading 8-3 at the switch. South Alabama took two in a row to bring it to 8-5 and Tech called a timeout with the three-point lead. A block off the hands of sophomore Grace Rigsbee and freshman Kayla Kaiser out Tech up 12-7 and South Alabama called a timeout. Tech took set point on a service ace from Kaiser at 14-8 and Rigsbee landed a kill to seal the set for the Jackets at 15-11, keeping their perfect record intact.
Georgia Tech 3, Tulane 1
Tulane took the first big lead of the match, forcing Tech to call its first timeout trailing 12-7. The Green Wave moved the tally to 14-7 before the Jackets broke their scoring drought on a Tulane attack error. The Jackets brought it back within three at 17-14 but Tulane tallied two in a row and Tech called its second timeout. Despite a late run with redshirt junior Coral Kazaroff at the service line, the Jackets weren’t able to catch the Green Wave and dropped the first set 25-17.
Tulane once again took an early lead, and the Jackets called a timeout trailing by five at 8-3. A kill from Dowd turned it around for the Jackets and they knotted the score at 11-11. Tech took over the lead at 14-12 on kills from Comby and Rigsbee. The Jackets brought the score to 17-14 on a kill from Comby and Tulane used its second timeout. Tulane took three in a row to come within one at 20-19 and Tech called its second timeout of the set. Tulane tied the set at 20-20 and trading points to a tie at 22-22, the Jackets went ahead on two ball-handling errors by the Green Wave. Rigsbee scored the final kill of the set to take even the match with a 25-23 win of the second set.
Tech fell behind in the third set, calling a timeout while trailing 11-7. The Jackets made a 3-0 run, sparked by a kill from Rigsbee, to bring the score within one at 13-12 on a kill from Comby. Tulane pushed its lead back out to four but Tech brought it back within three at 18-15 on a kill from Brambilla and the Green Wave called a timeout. The Yellow Jackets kept at it, using a 5-0 run to overtake the Green Wave and steal the third set a 25-23 on a kill from Brambilla.
Tech carried its momentum into the fourth set, jumping to a 5-1 lead on back-to-back kills from Brambilla. Tulane battled back but the Jackets responded every time the Green Wave came within one. Brambilla slammed home a kill to push Tech to a 19-15 lead and Tulane used its first timeout of the set. A kill from Dowd gave Tech match point and at 25-23, Dowd won the match for the Jackets with her 15th kill of the night.
Up next:
The Jackets make their first road trip of the season, heading to Tuscaloosa for the Hampton Inn Bama Bash on Sept. 7-8. Tech will square up with Northern Illinois, Alabama and Marshall over the two days of competition.
GT vs. South Alabama Tech tidbits:
GT vs. Tulane Tech tidbits:
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GTVolleyball), Facebook (Georgia Tech Volleyball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.