Jackets Start North Carolina Swing With Sweep of Demon Deacons

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Georgia Tech volleyball (8-8, 3-4 ACC) handled business on the road on Friday, collecting its second ACC sweep of the season against Wake Forest (8-10, 2-5 ACC).

QUICK HITS

• Noemi Despaigne led the Jackets’ offense for the second time this season with 12 kills and a career high .476 attack percentage.
• Anna Fiedorowicz extended her double-digit kill streak to six matches after supporting Despaigne’s efforts with 10 kills.
• Heloise Soares continued to be an asset across the board for Tech recording a career high five blocks along with a season high assist percentage (.500) and a season high two aces. The junior setter also saw her fifth game of the season with two kills.
• Sofia Velez recorded her 12th game of the season with double digit digs with 13 digs, bringing her to 117 games recording 10+ digs out of 126 total collegiate games.
• DeAndra Pierce saw her highest attack percentage this season (.800) with eight kills on 10 swings. Her Friday attack percentage is bested only by her 2024 performance against Alabama State (.857). Pierce notched another career high on Friday with eight blocks.
• Laura Bieleski had a career high three assists along with a .750 assist percentage in the match against Wake Forest.
• With one solo block and five block assists, Bianca Garibaldi recorded her sixth straight game with four or more blocks.
• The Jackets recorded a season low number of attack errors on Friday while also recording their best attack percentage (.424) since their .430 attack percentage against Alabama State in 2024.
• Tech recorded its second most kills in a three-set match this season (42) originally set against Florida State along with its second most assists in a three-set match (42), also behind the Florida State match.
• Defensively, Tech earned its highest number of solo blocks since the 2023 season against Syracuse (4) and the second most block assists this season (24) just behind its Pittsburgh performance (25).
• The Jackets achieved a similar feat against the Demon Deacons in the 2023 season with six solo blocks and 22 block assists.
• Tech advances to 42-12 against Wake Forest and extends its win streak against the Demon Deacons to eight matches.

SET BY SET

Set 1 (GT 25 – WAKE 23)

• Set one was the closest set of the match by far with four lead changes and a tied score 13 times. Both teams exchanged points and the lead with neither team getting further than two points away from the other. With a late four-point run, the Jackets took the lead, 24-19, and regardless of the Demon Deacons clawing to 23 points, claimed the set one victory. Both Tech and Wake Forest recorded 12 kills with five Jackets seeing a multi-kill set one. Mambu and Despaigne led the offense in set one with three kills respectively. Soares recorded 10 of Tech’s 12 set one assists with a .357 assist percentage. Mambu led the group defensively with one solo block and two block assists; Pierce also recorded three block assists to open the match.

Set 2 (GT 25 – WAKE 11)

• The second set saw Tech boast its highest attack percentage in a set this season with a .632 attack percentage in set two. Tech dominated across the board with 13 kills, three service aces, four digs, three solo blocks, and eight block assists compared to Wake Forest’s eight kills, and four digs. Not only was Tech’s offense solid, but the Jackets held the Deacs to a -.042 attack percentage and saw one of its most consistent defensive sets of the season. Tech jumped out early and established a 7-4 lead before the Demon Deacons called a timeout only for the Jackets to push the set to 13-5 and draw yet another Wake Forest timeout. From then on, the Jackets maintained no less than a 10-point led through to the end of set two. Despaigne was trouble for the Deacs in set two as she boasted a .556 attack percentage with a team high six kills. Pierce was right alongside Despaigne on offense with four kills on four swings. Soares saw an exceptional .647 assist percentage with 11 assists on 17 attempts. Garibaldi once again showed her dominance at the net, leading both teams with one solo block and four block assists.

Set 3 (GT  25 – WAKE 19)

• Set three began with the Jackets trailing after the Demon Deacons went on a four-point run to make the set, 11-6. After regrouping, Tech went on to outscore Wake Forest, 8-2, and take the lead, 14-13. The two continued to trade points with Tech retaining the lead through to the 25-19 finish. Fiedorowicz came alive in the third set, recording seven kills on 11 swings. Despaigne (3), Mambu (3), and Pierce (2) all recorded a multi-kill set three as well. Soares finished the match recording 15 of Tech’s 18 final assists. Velez was responsible for six of Tech’s 13 final digs, as was Bieleski.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets remain in North Carolina to take on NC State on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. The match is set to be streamed on ACCNX.

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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