How it Happened
NC State climbed ahead early, building a 12-7 advantage. Georgia Tech rallied back, knotting things up at 14 apiece by taking seven of the next nine points. The Yellow Jackets retained their momentum from there, using a burst of three to move ahead for the first time of the set, leading 18-16. The Wolfpack wouldn’t go down easy, taking back the lead soon after, 20-19. The White and Gold answered once more though, rattling off four straight points to take a 23-20 lead. Tech would close out the set taking the final two points for a 25-22 victory in set one.
The second set was all Georgia Tech as the Yellow Jackets carried their momentum over to win seven of the first nine points, including three aces during the stretch. The White and Gold continued to pace in front, never surrendering the lead as a three-point burst extended the advantage to 15-7. Although NC State managed to hold Tech’s lead to single digits, the Jackets continued to cruise onto a 25-16 win in set two.
The Wolfpack bounced back in the third set, recapturing their early success in the first to jump ahead 8-3 early. The Yellow Jackets answered the bell once more, catching fire to claim seven straight points and move back into the driver’s seat with a 12-9 lead. As the two sides continued to trade blows, NC State evened the tally at 18 all as both squads put together runs of three. Soon after, Tech would take three points in four chances for a 23-22 lead, but NC State rebounded to take the final three points of the set for a 25-23 win in set three.
The fourth set proved to be another battle as the Yellow Jackets took control early, using runs of three and five points to leap ahead, 9-5. The Wolfpack would crawl back to tie the match at 11, but Tech used another five-point burst to move back in front, 16-11. NC State continued to hang around, gradually climbing back until four consecutive points flipped the lead in the home squad’s favor, 20-19. After each side took a point, Georgia Tech put its foot down, winning five of the final six points to clinch set four by way of a 25-22 triumph, resulting in a 3-1 match win.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will move onto the back end of its stint of road matches, making a Florida trip to take on Miami (13-9, 6-5 ACC) on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in Coral Gables, Fla. before concluding the swing at Florida State (20-10, 11-7 ACC) on Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. in Tallahassee, Fla. Both matches will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
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Competitive Drive Initiative
In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the A-T Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.
