SOUTH BEND, IND. – Georgia Tech volleyball (14-7, 6-4 ACC) began the week on a high note as the Jackets completed a reverse sweep of Notre Dame (4-16, 1-10 ACC) in South Bend, Ind., on Friday night.
Quick Hits:
- Alida Bennour was nothing short of exceptional, recording career highs of 33 kills, 71 attacks and 16 digs while tying her career high with seven blocks.
- Bennour's 33 kills marked the first time a Yellow Jacket recorded 30 or more kills in a single match since Julia Bergmann accomplished the feat twice during the 2022 season.
- Bennour's performance marked the third time a Tech player has recorded 30 or more kills against Notre Dame. Kerry Annel first accomplished the feat with 33 kills in 1995, while Bergmann reached the mark in 2021.
- With 33 kills and 16 digs, Bennour recorded her fifth career double-double.
- Bennour is responsible for nine of Tech's top 10 offensive performances this season, recording 20 or more kills in four of those matches.
- Freshman Riley Bethea recorded a career-high two blocks on Friday against Notre Dame, while fellow freshman Sasha Godey set a career high with nine assists and tied her career high with three digs.
- Transfer Mia Hood tied her career highs in attacks (10), digs (two) and solo blocks (one) while setting a new career high with five block assists across three sets against the Fighting Irish.
- Laura Bieleski posted 10 kills and 18 digs on Friday, setting a career high in digs and recording her seventh double-double of the season and fifth in ACC play.
- Mana Kaneko recorded a season-high 18 digs, her most in a match this season while sporting White and Tech Gold. Her total tied Bieleski for the most digs in a match by a Yellow Jacket this season, with both performances coming against Notre Dame on Friday.
- With 48 assists and 13 digs, Heloise Soares recorded her sixth double-double of the season, 19th of her career. The senior's 48 assists marked her 21st career match with 40 or more assists as a Yellow Jacket.
- As a team, Tech recorded season highs in kills (71), assists (67) and digs (83). The Jackets also tied their third-highest blocks in a match this season with their 12-block performance against Miami.
SET BY SET
Set 1 (GT 21 – UND 25)
Notre Dame held the edge across the board in the opening set, posting a .433 attack percentage compared to Tech’s .275 while also recording four blocks to the Jackets’ one. Tech’s 18 kills were offset by seven attack errors, contributing to the set-one loss. After a close start, Notre Dame began to pull away, forcing Tech to call its first timeout following a four-point scoring run. Despite the Jackets responding with a four-point run of their own, Tech continued to trail by four late in the set, prompting its final timeout at 19-15. Out of the timeout, Tech matched Notre Dame’s scoring pace, but the Fighting Irish held on to take the opening set. Bennour was stellar in the first set, accounting for half of Tech’s kills with nine of the team’s 18. Humphrey bolstered the Jackets’ offense with four kills and a .429 attack percentage. Soares opened the match with a match high 15 assists.
Set 2 (GT 23 – UND 25)
Set two was the closest of the match, featuring 14 ties and four lead changes, but Notre Dame once again came out on top with a 25-23 win. Both teams struggled with offensive errors, as Tech continued to battle attack errors while Notre Dame also saw an increase in its own. The Jackets established a two-point lead heading into the media timeout but were outscored 5-1 coming out of the break, prompting a Tech timeout after surrendering the lead at 18-16. Tech battled back to take a 19-18 lead before Notre Dame outscored the Jackets 7-4 down the stretch to close out the set, 25-23. Bennour paced the Jackets’ offense once again with seven kills, while Bieleski added four. Soares collected 11 assists and four digs in the second set. Humphrey contributed to two of Tech’s three blocks, with Bennour and Soares assisting on one and Garibaldi recording a solo block.
Set 3 (GT 25 – UND 15)
Tech’s offense began to heat up in the third set as the Jackets improved their attack percentage while maintaining a strong defensive presence. The set opened with a different tone as Tech built a three-point lead, forcing an early Notre Dame timeout at 11-7. The Jackets extended their advantage to six points heading into the media timeout before Notre Dame called its final timeout of the set at 18-12. Tech went on to take the 25-15 set win to keep the match alive, holding the Fighting Irish to just three additional points after their final timeout. In a strong showing since her return, Mendes led the Jackets in set three with five kills and a .364 attack percentage, adding a block assist. Bennour, Bieleski and Hood each contributed three kills to Tech’s 16 total in the set. Hood also helped lead the defensive effort with three blocks, while Kaneko recorded 10 digs in the set alone.
Set 4 (GT 25 – UND 19)
Tech’s offensive push in set three carried into the fourth, disrupting Notre Dame’s rhythm as the Fighting Irish posted a -.111 attack percentage and were held to single-digit kills. The Jackets established a five-point lead early at 7-2, but Notre Dame battled back to take an 8-7 advantage, prompting an early Tech timeout. The Jackets responded with a 7-2 run to take a four-point lead into the media timeout, then continued to outpace the Fighting Irish, 5-3, to extend their advantage to six and force a late Notre Dame timeout. Both teams traded five points down the stretch, but Tech held on for the 25-19 set win to push the match to a fifth set. The Jackets’ offense was evenly distributed in set four, with Bennour recording three kills and Mendes, Hood and Kobaidze adding two apiece. Soares tallied seven of Tech’s 11 assists, while Godey added three. Bennour and Bethea recorded a pair of blocks, while Hood and Kobaidze teamed up for another. Hood also added a solo block.
Set 5 (GT 17 – UND 15)
Bennour came alive in a massive way in the deciding set, recording a match-high 11 kills, eight digs and one block. She accounted for 11 of Tech’s 13 kills in the final set, with Bieleski and Kobaidze recording the other two. Notre Dame appeared poised to close out the match, holding an 8-5 lead before Tech called a timeout. Following the break, the Jackets battled back to tie the set at 10-10 before taking a 12-10 lead and forcing a Notre Dame timeout. Tech continued to push forward, maintaining a 13-11 advantage before the Fighting Irish called their final timeout. The Jackets reached match point at 14-12 and fought through to secure the 17-15 set win and complete the reverse sweep. Soares collected 11 assists in the final set to help guide the Jackets to the comeback victory.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets remain on the road but head to Kentucky to take on the No. 3 Cardinals Sunday Nov. 1 at 12 p.m. The afternoon match is set to be streamed on ACCN.
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.