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No. 11 Georgia Tech Falls to Miami

THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech volleyball team (15-3, 6-2 ACC) came up short on Sunday afternoon, falling to Miami (12-6, 5-3 ACC) inside O’Keefe Gymnasium. Two of the three sets were decided by the minimum, two, points as the Yellow Jackets just couldn’t overcome Miami’s defense (25-23, 25-20, 26-24).

Quick Hits

  • This was the 22nd consecutive sellout at O’Keefe Gymnasium dating back to the 2021 season.
  • Senior libero Paola Pimentel led all players with 13 digs, her ninth consecutive 10+ dig match. She has reached double digit digs in 17 of 18 matches this season.
  • Junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino led the team with 13 kills, narrowly missing out on a double double with nine digs.
  • Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene collected double-digit kills for the fourth straight match, finishing with 12.
  • Otene owns 950 career kills, the most on the roster, as she closes in on her 1,000th career kill.
  • Freshman setter Heloise Soaresled the way with 28 assists and six digs. She posted multiple blocks for just the second time in her collegiate career (also at Wake Forest).
  • This was Tech’s first home loss to Miami since 2017.

No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. Miami

October 15, 2023 (Zach Zunt)

Set By Set

Set 1 (UM, 25-23): Bertolino started the match right where she left off on Friday, producing the first two points of the match off a solo block and a kill from Soares. Both sides settled into their systems from there on, trading points until the 14-13 mark when Miami won seven of eight points to take a 20-15 advantage and force a timeout from Coach Collier. Tech came out of the timeout with a 6-1 run, thanks to some strong serving from Pimentel to tie the set back at 21-21 but the Hurricanes’ fourth ace of the set brought the set to a close with the Jackets on the wrong end of a 25-23 score. Both sides utilized strong back row defense with the Hurricanes holding a 19-18 advantage in digs by the end of the set. Pimentel led all players with seven digs while Otene headlined the offense with five kills.

Set 2 (UM, 25-20): The back-and-forth battle continued into the second set with neither side leading by more than two points until the Hurricanes went on. 4-0 run to take the 15-12 lead heading into the media timeout. The Jackets fought to reduce the lead but couldn’t manage to get closer than two points as the Hurricanes took the set by five. Bertolino paced the offense with five kills to go along with three digs while Pimentel secured her 10th dig of the match.

Set 3 (UM, 26-24): Mendes found her groove at the start the third set, helping the Jackets jump in front 7-2 with a pair of kills. But the momentum slipped to the other side of the net as Miami came back to tie, 11-11, and eventually take a 20-14 lead. Bertolino stepped up with a pair of kills as Otene kept the Miami offense out of system from the service line to help GT on a 6-0 run, tying the score back at 20-20. But the comeback wasn’t to be as Miami won the set off an ace, 26-24.

Up Next

The Jackets continue the four-match homestand next weekend when they host Duke (Oct. 20) and North Carolina (Oct. 22) inside O’Keefe Gymnasium. The matches will start at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively and will both air on ACC Network Extra.

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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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