How it Happened
Riding high following Senior Night celebrations, Georgia Tech (18-6, 11-4 ACC) burst out of the gates, taking four points in five chances to work up to a 10-6 lead. Louisville (23-2, 14-1 ACC) clawed back within a pair trailing 13-11, but the White and Gold answered by snatching five of the next six points to pull further ahead, 18-12. The Yellow Jackets maintained control from there, closing the set by claiming five of the final six points to secure a 25-17 victory in set one.
Tech once again steadily moved ahead early in the second set out to a 10-6 lead, and shortly after used a four-point burst courtesy of Bergmann and senior middle blocker Erin Moss to extend the lead to 15-8. The Cardinals would battle back within three to trail 20-17, but the Jackets slammed the door by winning the final five points as Otene put an exclamation point on the 25-17 triumph in set two with a kill.
As the White and Gold needed one more set victory for a sweep, the match was delayed early in the third set due to a court issue. From there, Louisville bounced back using a five-point run to slip ahead, 11-5. Georgia Tech would draw back within three to trail 12-9 after taking four points in a five-chance span, but the Cardinals pulled back away. Louisville would go on to take seven of the last eight points for a 25-14 win in set three.
The fourth set went back and forth early as neither side created separation up to a 9 all draw, but the Cardinals pulled off eight of the following nine points to create an advantage, 15-10. The Yellow Jackets still hung around, drawing within two after earning five points in six chances to trail 18-16, but Louisville closed out the set with three consecutive points for a 25-19 win in set four.
In the paramount fifth set, the two sides traded near even blows early. Three straight in favor of the White and Gold early put Tech ahead 3-2, followed by another two to move the Jackets back ahead 5-4 after falling behind. The squads alternated the next six points as Bergmann sent Georgia Tech into midway break on top 8-7 with a kill. The Cardinals strung together four consecutive points coming out of the break that proved critical as they took over the lead, 11-8. The Yellow Jackets would get as close as within two trailing 12-10, but Louisville finished things off for a 15-11 win in set five and 3-2 match victory.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will hit the road again for its second contest of the season against Clemson (12-15, 3-12 ACC) on Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. in Clemson, S.C. The match 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.
