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No. 10 Jackets Blast Past Cavaliers

THE FLATS — No. 10 Georgia Tech volleyball swept Virginia (27-25, 25-11, 25-21) for its sixth straight victory over the Hoos, including four straight sweeps, on Friday night in McCamish Pavilion. After staving off a late push by Virginia in the first set, the Yellow Jackets tied their highest set margin of victory (+14) in the second before coming away with the sweep.

Picking up their ninth sweep of the season, the fourth of ACC play, the White and Gold (11-3, 4-1 ACC) held the Cavaliers (8-8, 0-5 ACC) to nearly 0 in hitting percentage. Tech led the way through the match in kills (40-31), assists (39-30), hitting percentage (.287-.065) and blocks (8-4).

Georgia Tech’s attack was most efficient from the inside through the night as middle blockers Breland Morrissette and Erin Moss each hit at a .500 clip or better. Both finished with six kills as Morrissette posted a .750 hitting percentage with a pair of digs and a team-leading five total blocks while Moss clipped an even .500 on her swings as she also pitched in with three total blocks.

On the outside, senior leading attacker Julia Bergmann added a match-high 12 kills and five digs while junior outside hitter Tamara Otene picked up 10 kills, five digs and four total blocks of her own.

Junior setter Bella D’Amico pulled the strings behind the attack to finish with 38 assists, and sophomore outside hitter Bianca Bertolino added five kills and led the team with 13 digs on the defensive side.

How it Happened

In a competitive first set, Georgia Tech went on a stretch taking five of six points early as a Bertolino ace put Tech up, 6-3. Virginia bounced back to even things up at 7 apiece, but the Jackets took control shortly after, claiming seven points in nine opportunities to move back in front, 16-11. Despite the five-point lead, Virginia rallied once more to draw back even soon after at 18 all. Tech reclaimed the lead with back-to-back points at the tail end of the set for a 23-21 advantage, but the Wahoos answered with three points of their own to reach set point, leading 24-23. Virginia had two opportunities to seal the set at 24-23 and 25-24, but Georgia Tech made a final push to claim the last three points and win the first set, 27-25.

The Yellow Jackets were dominant in the second set, racing out to a double-digit lead before the Cavaliers could muster more than five points. Stringing together runs of four, five and seven, Tech capped its final spurt with an Otene ace for a 16-5 advantage. As the lead proved to be insurmountable, a four-point burst nudged the Jackets ahead 21-7 before they ultimately claimed set two, 25-11.

Virginia made a strong push in the third set as the White and Gold needed an early, three-point run to knot the set at 6 apiece. Shortly after, the Hoos scurried back out to a 12-7 lead. Georgia Tech climbed back within a point at 13-12, riding a streak of four straight points, but Virginia pulled back in front, 17-13. A run identical to their last brought the Yellow Jackets back even at 17 all, and despite the Cavaliers being the first to reach 20, Tech caught fire to close out the set. The White and Gold claimed seven of the final eight points of the set to come from down a pair up to a 25-21 set-three win and match sweep.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will host the program’s first ever match in McCamish Pavilion against No. 9 Pitt (14-2, 4-0 ACC) on Sunday at 2 p.m. The top-10 battle will be broadcast on ACC Network.

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Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.   

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