No. 12 Tech Can’t Overcome No. 7 Louisville

LOUISVILLE, KY. – No. 12 Georgia Tech volleyball (22-6, 13-4 ACC) came up short against No. 7 Louisville (24-4, 15-3 ACC) inside L&N Federal Credit Union Arena. The Jackets battled hard, forcing two sets into extra points, but ultimately fell short in four sets, 19-25, 26-24, 25-18, 29-27.

QUICK HITS

• Tech ends the regular season with a 10-3 record on the road, the 4^th highest winning percentage in program history
• Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene set a new season high with 26 kills. She added in 13 digs for her team-leading 14^th double-double of the season and 22^nd of her career.
• She becomes the first Jacket to achieve a 300 kill/300 dig season since Marianna Brambilla’s All-American year in 2021. Otene’s season numbers stand at 361 kills and 306 digs.
• Junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino secured her 10^th double-double of the season and 24^th of her career, finishing with 12 kills and a season-best 17 digs.
• Senior libero Paola Pimentel made 11 digs. She has made double-digit digs in 25 of her 28 starts this season.
• Sophomore middle blocker Liv Mogridge led Tech from the service line with three aces, her third multi-ace performance as a Jacket.
• Senior opposite Afedo Manyang made nine kills on .438 hitting. She made at least eight kills on .400 or better hitting in four of her final seven matches of the season.
• Freshman Heloise Soares led the offense with 25 assists while senior setter Bella D’Amico was close behind with 24.
• The Jackets made 65 digs tonight (16.25 digs/set) the highest defensive output in eight matches.

Set By Set

Set 1 (GT, 25-19): The first few points set the tone for the entire match, with both sides taking strong swings but struggling to terminate thanks to even better defensive efforts. Neither team led by more than two points throughout the middle stages of the set, until another kill from Otene gave the Jackets a 21-18 lead. Tech ended the set on a 4-0 scoring run thanks to the serving of Otene and some timely kills from Manyang. Long rallies were the norm throughout the opening set with both teams combining for 35 digs. Tech leaned heavily on Otene for the offense, and the Kiwi obliged, racking up an incredible nine kills on .438 hitting in the opener. Bertolino led the way defensively, making seven digs to go along with her four kills.

Set 2 (LOU, 26-24): The Jackets seemed poised to take a 2-0 lead in the match, holding a 24-21 lead, but the Cardinals responded with a 5-0 run to steal the set. Otene maintained her torrid pace, making seven of Tech’s 15 kills. Defense dominated most points as both teams combined for 36 digs. Bertolino and Otene led the Jackets with four digs each.

Set 3 (LOU, 25-18): The Cardinals established a lead early on (12-5) and managed to hold onto it, despite a couple of scoring runs from the Jackets. Otene led the team again, with five kills while Mogridge added three on .750 hitting.

Set 4 (LOU, 29-27): The Jackets were buzzing out of the gates in the fourth, taking a 13-5 lead. But the Cardinals chipped away, tying the score 23-23 and forcing Tech to fight off three match points. The breaking point came at 29-27, when Louisville secured a service ace to end a hard-fought set and take the match.

UP NEXT
Georgia Tech will enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends before awaiting its fate in the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. The show will be broadcast on Sunday (Nov. 26) at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2

Looking to build on the success of last year’s Competitive Drive Initiative, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation and Georgia Tech athletics are partnering once again to launch Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2. CDI Turn 2 has a goal of raising $2.5 million in new gifts to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund by Dec. 31, and Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Foundation will match eligible gifts to accelerate the impact for Tech athletics. Like last year, not only will gifts to CDI Turn 2 be matched, but so will the contributor’s benefits in the way of A-T Fund giving levels and priority points. To learn more and contribute online, visit atfund.org/turn2.

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