Jackets Fall to No. 11 SMU on the Road

DALLAS, TEXAS – Georgia Tech volleyball (6-6, 1-2 ACC) dropped its first ACC road match of the season with a 3-1 finish against No. 11 SMU (9-4, 1-2 ACC) in Dallas, Texas on Friday night.

QUICK HITS

• In her third consecutive start, Anna Fiedorowicz led the Jackets’ offense with 11 kills alongside Mimi Mambu who notched 11 kills as well.
• Friday was Fiedorowicz’s second career match with double digit kills while it was Mambu’s sixth.
• For Mambu, her 11 kills against No. 11 SMU were the most kills she’s recorded against a ranked opponent so far this season, surpassing her previous high of seven kills, set against both No. 17 Purdue and No. 6 Wisconsin.
• Fiedorowicz 35 total attack attempts on Friday were good enough for a new career high, surpassing her previous career high for attack attempts (26) set last match against FSU.
• Bianca Garibaldi had a record setting night defensively as her 10 block assists are tied for second most in modern scoring era history. The feat has not been achieved since Sydney Wilson against Pittsburgh in the 2016 season.
• Heloise Soares not only recorded 34 assists against the Mustangs but also tied her career for kills (2) for the third time.
• Sofia Velez recorded her 10th game of the season with double digit digs with 15 digs, bringing her to 115 games recording 10+ digs out of 122 total collegiate games.
• Velez has now recorded 15+ digs in eight of Tech’s 12 total matches this season.
• Noemi Despaigne excelled across the court today in many categories, achieving a career high in assists (2), digs (7), and blocks (4).
• In her sixth appearance of the season, Laura Bieleski was able to record career highs in attack percentage (.333), aces for the second time (1), and assists for the second time (2).

SET BY SET

Set 1 (GT 19 – SMU 25)

• Set one began with the Jackets and the Mustangs exchanging points until a five-point scoring run that resulted in Tech trailing (13-8). Despite recording six blocks, led by Garibaldi with three, Tech ultimately dropped set one as it couldn’t manage SMU’s .367 attack percentage. Fiedorowicz (4) and Mambu (3) got started on offense early while Garibaldi notched half of Tech’s blocks in set one (3). Soares sported an exceptional .529 assist percentage as nine of her total 17 sets led to kills.

Set 2 (GT 29 – SMU 27)

• Tech found its stride in set two and was even able to come back to pull off the 29-27 set two win. The Jackets were not only able to hold the Mustangs to their second lowest attack percentage of the match (.233), but were able to match SMU’s 17 kills with a higher attack percentage (.250). Set two saw nine lead changes and the score tied a total of 17 times, with the Jackets coming out on top. Kills from Fiedorowicz, Bieleski, and DeAndra Pierce ultimately were the deciding factor after Tech was trailing 27-26 late in the set. Soares saw a match high 12 assists on 31 total sets. Fiedorowicz led the Jackets offensively for the second straight set (5) with Mambu once again assisting with four kills. Velez was able to notch a match high nine digs out of Tech’s 16 total set two digs.

Set 3 (GT 18 – SMU 25)

• Set three saw the Jackets struggle to find their rhythm offensively, while the Mustangs were able to slightly improve their attack percentage (.258) and record 13 kills. Similar to sets one and two, Tech trailed early but not by much, until a five-point scoring run for SMU gave the home team some room. Despite keeping the Mustangs from gaining any more run-away room, the Jackets were unable to come back in set three. Mambu led Tech’s set three offense with two kills while six other Jackets were able to pitch in at least one kill.

Set 4 (GT 21 – SMU 25)

• With SMU leading, two sets to one, Tech gave its all in the final set, keeping the fourth set close until it was outscored 6-2 to make the set 21-17. Despite three Jackets having a multi-kill set four performance, led time by Pierce and Despaigne. Soares tallied eight final assists while Garibaldi tallied three final block assists.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets will remain on the road to take on No. 5 Pittsburgh on Sunday in Pennsylvania. Sunday’s match against the Panthers can be streamed on ACCN.

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

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