Tech Drops Road Match 3-1 to Boston College

CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. – Georgia Tech volleyball (12-10, 7-6 ACC) continue to road swing up north on Friday night with a 3-1 loss to Boston College (16-9, 5-8).

QUICK HITS

• Bianca Garibaldi had a stellar showing on offense with both a career high 17 kills and 28 attacks, as did DeAndra Pierce with a career high 13 kills and a season high 22 attacks.
• Garibaldi’s performance was the eighth time a Yellow Jacket has recorded 17 or more kills this season and the third most kills for a Jacket this season.
• Pierce’s .500 attack percentage paired with 13 kills tie the third best attack percentage for a Yellow Jacket this season with Ital Lopuyo’s .500 attack percentage against No. 17 Purdue.
• The well above average attack percentage was also the eighth time this season the Texas native has help a clip above .500.
• Sofia Velez recorded her 18th game of the season, her eighth consecutive match, with double digit digs. Her 18 digs bring her to 123 games recording 10+ digs out of 132 total collegiate games.
• Velez’s 18 digs are the third most in a four-set match behind her 19 against Arkansas State and her 20 against Purdue.
• Freshman Abi Li tied her career high for aces (2) after previously hitting the accolade last week against Virginia.
• Freshman Laura Bieleski saw her second most career kills against Boston College (4) just behind her five-kill performance against Tennessee.
• Heloise Soares saw her highest assist percentage of the season (.505) as well as tied her second most assists this season with her 47 assists against Florida State. Her 47 assists against Boston College were the most assists in a four-set match this season, surpassing the previous high of 43 against Cal.
• Anna Fiedorowicz recorded 12 kills against Boston College, marking her 10^th match of the season with double-digit kills and her 10^th in the last 12 contests.
• As a team, Tech tied its fourth most kills this season with its performance earlier this season against Arkansas State. Tech’s 58 kills are the second most in a four-set match this season for the Jackets.
• Tech also tied its third most assists this season with its match against California. The 56 assists against Boston College are also tied for the most in a four-set match this season.

SET BY SET

Set 1 (GT 25 – BC 22)

• Despite a tight race on the scoreboard, Tech outperformed Boston College offensively in the opening set with a .323 attack percentage and 15 kills compared to the Eagles’ .111 attack percentage and 12 kills. The Jackets took an early three-point lead and regardless of Boston College tying the set six times, never surrendered the lead through to the 25-22 win. Pierce and Garibaldi came in hot, Garibaldi with five kills on seven swings and Pierce going 5-5. Soares started strong with 13 kills on 26 attempts. Velez led the group in digs with 5 while Mimi Mambu (3), Soares (3), and Noemi Despaigne (2) all had a multi-dig set as well.

Set 2 (GT 22 – BC 25)

• Set two saw the Eagles get the jump on the Yellow Jackets with an early 7-1 lead. Tech battled back to tie the set 19-19 and 20-20, but went on to get outscored 5-2 to take the second set. The Jackets’ .273 attack percentage was bested by the Eagles’ .364 attack percentage along with the northerners’ three solo blocks and two block assists. Pierce and Garibaldi stayed hungry and finished the second set with four kills respectively while Mambu also posted three kills. Soares tallied another 14 assists, good for a .519 assist percentage. Velez recorded another four digs in set two and was assisted on defense by Despaigne and Bieleski with two digs each.

Set 3 (GT  21 – BC 25)

• Tech improved its set three offense with a .333 attack percentage and 16 kills while Boston College improved to a .393 attack percentage but with only 14 kills. The Eagles took a small lead to begin set three and were able to force the Jackets to trail by as much as seven but Tech was also able to battle back and bring the match within two points. Although Tech outscored Boston College 7-2 late in the set, the Eagles put away the two final points to claim set three. Garibaldi could not be stopped by the Eagles’ defense as she the most kills for either team in set three (6). Fiedorowicz sported a .500 attack percentage in the third set with four kills on eight attacks. Soares saw the most assists for either team in a set during set three with 15 assists on 34 attempts. Velez also recorded the most digs across either team during set three with six digs. Tech’s defense was supported by Despaigne and Garibaldi with two block assists each.

Set 4 (GT  19 – BC 25)

• The final set saw Tech struggle on offense with 12 kills and a .273 attack percentage against Boston College’s match high .424 attack percentage and 18 kills. After the Eagles outscore the Yellow Jackets 7-3 early on, Tech brought set four within one point on several occasions and even tied the set 13-13. A four-point run from Boston College was enough to push set four out of Tech’s reach as the Yellow Jackets went on to drop set four 25-19. Fiedorowicz went on to lead Tech’s offense in the final set with four kills while Pierce, Garibaldi, Bieleski, and Despaigne all recorded two respectively. Soares led Tech in assists for the final time with five, this time with five assists. The Brazilian was supported in her role by Velez, Fiedorowicz, and Sara Toth, all of who recorded two assists each.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets remain on the road to take on Syracuse on Sunday 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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