No. 14 Jackets Withstand HurricanesNo. 14 Jackets Withstand Hurricanes
Volleyball

No. 14 Jackets Withstand Hurricanes

Brambilla joins the 1,000/1,000 club as Tech downs Miami

THE FLATS – No. 14 Georgia Tech volleyball handled Miami (25-18, 25-22,30-32, 25-19) for its ninth consecutive win in ACC play on Senior Night on Friday in O’Keefe Gymnasium. The Brazilian bomb squad of senior right-side hitter Mariana Brambilla and junior outside hitter Julia Bergmann combined for 42 kills on the night to fuel the Yellow Jackets to victory.

Brambilla fittingly highlighted the night by eclipsing 1,000 career digs, becoming the fifth Yellow Jacket in program history on record to join the 1,000 kill/1,000 dig club. Brambilla is the first Jacket to achieve the feat since Teegan Van Gust (2013-16), also joining Monique Mead (2009-12), Lynette Moster (2001-04) and Cris Omiecinski (1992-95) in the exclusive club.

Senior setter Matti McKissock kept the offense firing on all cylinders, orchestrating the vaunted Jacket attack to pile up a season-high 59 assists while pitching in across the board with three kills, four digs and three block assists. Brambilla and Bergmann were on the receiving end for McKissock for much of the match, each finishing with 21 kills to lead the squad. Brambilla finished at a solid .436 clip while adding six digs and four block assists. Bergmann was in line with Brambilla, finishing with a .417 hitting percentage, also tallying nine digs, a pair of assists and a block assist. Junior middle blocker Erin Moss was a force for the White and Gold on both sides of the net, tallying 13 kills at a gaudy .550 clip while anchoring the defense with a season-high six block assists.

Georgia Tech (20-3, 11-2 ACC) maintained an advantage over Miami (19-4, 10-3 ACC) in the stat column as well, leading the way in kills (74-53), hitting percentage (.416-.266), assists (69-51), digs (49-35) and blocks (9-8).

Tech’s nine straight victories mark the longest streak for the White and Gold since finishing on a 10-match winning streak on the way to an NIVC title in 2019. The Yellow Jackets have now won 31 of their last 35 matches in O’Keefe Gymnasium. Georgia Tech has also won 52 of its last 61 matches dating back to 2019.

Volleyball vs. Miami

November 5, 2021 (Clyde Click)

How it Happened

Georgia Tech used three separate spurts of three points to take the advantage early in set one, jumping out to a 12-8 lead. The Yellow Jackets incrementally pushed forward from there, answering a Miami point with two of their own four different times to further the gap until a Brambilla kill sealed the set, handing Tech a 25-18 first set victory.

An early run once again thrust the Jackets into the lead in set two as Tech rattled off six straight points, racing ahead 10-7. The Canes would rally back to knot things up at 19 all and again at 21 apiece, but the Yellow Jackets responded by taking four of the set’s final five points, clinching a 25-22 second set win behind an ace from junior libero Paola Pimentel.

The third set was a battle throughout as Miami used a five-point run to take the first significant lead of the set, leading 13-8. Tech battled back with three consecutive points of its own to trim the lead to two, but the Hurricanes maintained the lead up to set point with a 24-20 advantage. The stubborn Jackets remained unfazed as they claimed the next four points, evening the match at 24 all. The set was tied six more times from that moment as Tech had a pair of set-point opportunities leading 27-26 and 29-28, but Miami ultimately extended the match with a 32-30 third set victory.

Much like the first set, the Yellow Jackets used three spurts of three consecutive points to jump on top 12-8 early in set four. Georgia Tech kept its foot on the gas, going on a four-point run shortly after to cruise out to a comfortable, 17-10 lead. The Hurricanes would draw within five, but the Jackets kept them at bay throughout the remainder of the set, breezing on to a 25-19 fourth set triumph capped by none other than Brambilla with a kill for a 3-1 match win.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will wrap up its four-match homestand, hosting Florida State on Sunday at 3 p.m. in O’Keefe Gymnasium. Coverage information is available here.

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