Ameritas Players Challenge Concludes With Loss to No. 1 Nebraska

LINCOLN, NEB. –  Georgia Tech volleyball (8-2, 0-0 ACC) fell 3-1 to No. 1 Nebraska (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon in its final match of the Players Challenge.

Quick Hits:

• With the 26-24 set-one win, Tech volleyball is the first program to force No. 1 Nebraska to drop a set this season, despite the nation-leading Huskers already having faced No. 2 Texas, No. 11 SMU, No. 17 Florida and No. 20 Baylor.
• Saturday’s match against No. 1 Nebraska was Tech’s second ranked matchup of the season, its first top-five matchup of the season, and the first time since November 2024 that the Jackets have taken on the No. 1-ranked team in the country (Pittsburgh).
• Alida Bennour led the Yellow Jackets’ offense for the seventh time across nine matches with 16 kills. The freshman also recorded four digs and one block assist.
• Bennour owns three of the top kill performances of the season with 17 kills against Loyola, 16 kills against Oklahoma and another 16 kills against the Huskers.
• Freshman Magda Kobaidze is the only other Yellow Jacket to record a 16-kill performance this season aside from Bennour.
• Kobaidze finished the day with six kills as well as a career-high four service aces. Her career-best mark is the second-most aces recorded by a Yellow Jacket this season, behind Bennour’s six-ace performance against Oklahoma.
• Freshmen Sasha Godey and Vitoria Belfort saw action on Saturday, with Belfort recording three serves and Godey recording four assists on nine attempts.
• Sophomore Anna Fiedorowicz saw her first action of the season against the Huskers, recording one kill in the fourth set.
• As a team, the Jackets recorded their most attempts in a match so far this season with 125 total attempts.

SET BY SET

Set 1 (GT 26 – NEB 24)

• The Jackets stunned the hosting Huskers in the opening frame to walk away with a 26-24 set-one win. Tech was able to get some separation from Nebraska with a five-point run across the media timeout and two Nebraska timeouts, taking a 19-13 lead. Nebraska responded by battling back to tie the set at 20-20, but it would be Tech that came out on top for the 26-24 finish. Bennour had an exceptional start, leading both teams in kills (7) and hitting percentage (.583). Soares was responsible for all 12 of Tech’s opening assists, while Kaneko helped defensively with three digs. Defensively, the Jackets held the nation-leading Huskers to a .219 hitting percentage while recording five blocks. Soares and Garibaldi led the defensive efforts with three block assists apiece.

Set 2 (GT 17 – NEB 25)

• Tech was able to jump out in front with five unanswered points to start set two, taking the lead and forcing an early Nebraska timeout. The Huskers were able to bring the set within two points before Tech called its first timeout of the set (11-9). Coming out of the timeout, Nebraska outscored Tech 6-2 to hold a 15-13 lead at the media timeout. Despite the offensive push from Tech, an increase in errors led to the 25-17 set-two loss. Both Bennour and Zoe Humphrey recorded four kills in the second set, with Humphrey leading the group in hitting percentage (.429). Soares tallied another 10 assists as Tech’s lone setter in set two.

Set 3 (GT 18 – NEB 25)

• Despite a late offensive effort, Tech was unable to come back for a set-three win. Nebraska started out set three by outscoring Tech 6-1 before the Jackets called their first timeout of the match. Both the Huskers and the Jackets continued to trade points, with Nebraska holding a 15-6 lead at the media timeout. Tech was able to find a rhythm and put together four straight points to bring the set within five (15-10) before the Huskers called a timeout in hopes of stopping the Jackets’ momentum. Nebraska’s timeout gave the Huskers new life as they put together five points while holding Tech to three (20-13). Both teams went on to record another five points, giving Nebraska the 25-18 set-three win. Kobaidze saw another four kills, while Bieleski and Bennour had three apiece. Soares pitched in seven assists in set three, with Garibaldi and Godey contributing two apiece.

Set 4 (GT 12 – NEB 25)

• Set four began close, with back-to-back Husker kills and a Yellow Jacket attack error giving Nebraska an 11-8 lead before Tech called its first timeout of the set. The Jackets struggled to find a rhythm through the rest of set four, as an increased number of errors resulted in the Huskers taking the final set, 25-12. Bennour recorded two final kills, with Garibaldi, Humphrey, Bieleski and Fiedorowicz all recording one kill in the final frame as well. Soares completed three final assists, while freshman Godey recorded two. Bennour and Soares also pitched in two digs apiece toward Tech’s set-four total.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets will conclude their four-match road stand against UgA on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in Athens, Ga. The match is set to be streamed on SECN+.

2026 McCamish Matches

Tech volleyball’s annual McCamish Match is set to return with twice the action as the Yellow Jackets will take on No. 2 Pitt and No. 8 SMU. Tickets are priced as follows for the ranked matches:

Pitt - $23

SMU - $20

Group rate - $18 for Pitt | $15 for SMU

McCamish Pack (includes tickets to both matches) - $32

Tickets for the McCamish Matches can be purchased here.

Single Match Tickets

Single match tickets are now on sale with tickets prices for the 15-match home schedule start at just $10.00 with youth pricing and group discounts (10+ in a single transaction) available (youth pricing not available online).

To purchase, click here.

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.