No. 16 Jackets Vanquish Blue DevilsNo. 16 Jackets Vanquish Blue Devils
Volleyball

No. 16 Jackets Vanquish Blue Devils

Tech swarmed Duke for its ninth sweep of the season and fourth of ACC play

THE FLATS – No. 16 Georgia Tech volleyball made quick work of Duke, coming away with a sweep (25-16, 25-10, 25-16) in just over an hour on Sunday afternoon in O’Keefe Gymnasium. With the win, the Jackets earned their fourth consecutive victory and ninth sweep of the season, including four in ACC play.

Tech (15-3, 6-2 ACC) dominated Duke (12-7, 3-5 ACC) across the board through the match, namely on the defensive side holding the Blue Devils to a negative hitting percentage (-0.022) while piling up 10 blocks. The Jackets led the way in kills (37-22), hitting percentage [.412-(-.022)], assists (32-16), aces (3-1), digs (40-20) and blocks (10-1).

On the offensive side, the dynamic duo of junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann and senior right-side hitter Mariana Brambilla led the way with 10 kills apiece as Bergmann added nine digs and a pair of block assists while Brambilla pitched in with five digs and a pair of total blocks (one solo, one assisted). Senior setter Matti McKissock set up the attack with 29 assists on the day.

Defensively, senior middle blocker Breland Morrissette had the strongest presence in the middle with a career-high tying six total blocks (three solo, three assisted) while contributing offensively with five kills. Junior libero Paola Pimentel led the squad with 13 digs.

The Yellow Jackets have now won 28 of their last 32 matches in O’Keefe Gymnasium. Georgia Tech has won 47 of its last 56 matches dating back to 2019.

Volleyball vs. Duke

Oct. 17, 2021 (Danny Karnik)

How it Happened

In a back-and-forth first set early, Tech used a four-point run to jump on top, 12-10. Duke managed to even things up shortly after at 13 all, but the Jackets caught fire from there, taking 12 of the next 15 points on the way to a 25-16 first set win.

The second set remained tight up to a 6-6 draw, but Georgia Tech once again took control, claiming 11 of the next 12 points out to a double-digit lead, 17-7. The Blue Devils were unable to recover as the Jackets rolled on to take the last five points of the set with freshman outside hitter Bianca Bertolino capping off the set on a kill for a 25-10 set two victory.

An early four-point run gave Tech a head start in the third set as the Jackets raced out to a 6-2 lead. The teams traded blows until a 3-point stint for the White and Gold widened the gap to 16-9. Duke battled back to keep things competitive up to a 21-15 score line, but Tech came away with four of the final five points as Brambilla closed out the match with a kill to secure a 25-16 third set win and match sweep for the Jackets.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will head north for another ACC weekend on the road, first traveling to Syracuse to take on the Orange on Friday at 7 p.m. before concluding the weekend at Boston College with a Sunday contest at 1 p.m. against the Eagles. Coverage information will be provided here.

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