Jackets Close West Coast Swing at No. 24 Stanford

• Magda Kobaidze came up just short of her sixth career double-double, leading Tech's offense against Stanford with nine kills and 10 digs.
• Saturday's 10 digs marked Kobaidze's 10th match of the season recording double-digit digs.
• Sasha Godey made the most of her time on the court, setting career highs in both assists (11) and digs (5). 
• Riley Bethea recorded a career-high three blocks on Saturday night against the Cardinal.
• Alida Bennour continued to make her mark in the record book, reaching 53 aces on the season to move into fourth place in the modern scoring era for single-season aces. The freshman sits just four aces shy of surpassing Monique Mead's 56 aces from 2012 for third place. 
• Heloise Soares' 17 assists against the Cardinal brought her closer to her second consecutive season with 1,000-plus assists. The junior recorded 1,087 assists last season, the sixth-most by a Yellow Jacket in a single season during the modern scoring era.

Tech struggled to find its offensive flow in the opening set while trying to slow Stanford's .310 attack percentage. The set began close before the Cardinal went on a six-point run through the media timeout, prompting Tech to call a timeout shortly after the 15-point break. Following the Jackets' timeout, Tech matched Stanford's final eight points of the set, but the Cardinal's early advantage proved enough to secure the opening set, 25-18. Kobaidze recorded three kills in the opening set, while Zoe Humphrey and Laura Bieleski added two apiece. Soares opened the match with six of Tech's first nine assists. Bennour contributed to each of Tech's two blocks, teaming up with Bianca Garibaldi and Humphrey for a pair of rejections.

Despite improved accuracy in the second set, Tech's .205 attack percentage couldn't match Stanford's .378 mark. The Jackets recorded one block in the frame courtesy of Bethea and Bieleski, while the Cardinal tallied three to help contain Tech's offense. Stanford jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, forcing Tech to play from behind. The Jackets continued to battle, working to close the gap one point at a time and keep the Cardinal within reach, but ultimately ran out of time to complete the comeback. Kobaidze paced the Jackets offensively with four kills and a .300 attack percentage. Bennour contributed three kills toward Tech's 14-kill total, while Bieleski, Garibaldi and Larissa Mendes recorded two apiece. Soares and Godey shared setting duties, with Soares recording seven assists and Godey adding five. Godey also posted a .455 assist percentage. Kobaidze was one of just two players across both teams to record six digs in the set.

The final set opened with a five-point scoring run by the Cardinal to establish a 6-1 lead before Tech called its first timeout. The Jackets battled back to bring the set within one point on three occasions, but following an Anna Fiedorowicz kill that made it 10-9 in favor of Stanford, the Cardinal went on a seven-point run through the media timeout to extend its lead to 17-9. Coming out of the break, Tech struggled to get points on the board and called another timeout after falling behind by 10 (20-10). Following Bethea's substitution into the match, the Jackets put together a three-point run, but Stanford needed just two more points to secure the match, allowing only one additional Tech point before closing out the set. Fiedorowicz, Bieleski and Kobaidze each recorded two kills in the final frame. Soares and Godey added eight assists apiece, while Bethea and Bennour teamed up for both of Tech's blocks in the set.

 

The Yellow Jackets will return to The Flats for a home-and-home series with Clemson, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 18, in O'Keefe Gymnasium at 7 p.m. before traveling to Clemson, S.C., for a Friday, Nov. 20, matchup at 6 p.m. Wednesday night's match will also begin honoring Tech's two seniors. Fans can stream both matches on ACCNX.

 

After selling out the final regular season match of the 2026 season against No. 24 Stanford Nov. 28, a limited number of tickets remain for Tech’s senior night match against Clemson on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.

To purchase tickets, click here.