THE FLATS – No. 11 Georgia Tech volleyball (4-0) will close out its season-opening, three-week road stint at the Florida A&M Invitational this weekend, facing the likes of South Alabama (6-0), Stetson (4-2) and host Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Yellow Jackets will begin the tournament against the Jaguars on Friday at 3 p.m., follow a matchup against the Hatters on Saturday at 6 p.m. and wrap up competition with the hosting Rattlers on Sunday at 2 p.m., all in the Al Lawson Center.
Coverage
- Friday, Sept. 8 | No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. South Alabama | 3 p.m. | Rattlers+ | Watch | Live Stats
- Saturday, Sept. 9 | No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. Stetson | 6 p.m. | Rattlers+ | Watch | Live Stats
- Sunday, Sept. 10 | No. 11 Georgia Tech at Florida A&M | 2 p.m. | Rattlers+ | Watch | Live Stats
Storylines
- The Jackets were ranked No. 11 for the second consecutive week in the AVCA DI Coaches Poll.
- Georgia Tech made the highest leap of teams in the preseason poll to week one as they rose nine spots from their previous rank of No. 20.
- The White and Gold have been listed in 57 straight top 25 polls dating back to 2020, reaching as high as No. 5 during that time, the highest for the program since 2003 and second-best mark all time.
- Starting the season 4-0, Tech followed its third-highest ranked victory in program history over then No. 8 Penn State with a pair of 3-1 wins over previous No. 12 Ohio State.
- The three-consecutive top-15 triumphs marked the first such streak in school history.
- Two Yellow Jackets earned all-conference honors for the first time in their careers as a result of the momentous weekend as senior libero Paola Pimentel was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week while freshman outside hitter Larissa Mendes was tabbed ACC Co-Freshman of the Week.
- Pimentel anchored the White and Gold’s defense in its second weekend of action, compiling 45 digs over the course of both matches. The seasoned libero came just one dig shy of her career high with 22 on Friday before tying her career high of 23 on Saturday against the highly-touted Buckeyes. Leading the squad in digs through both matches, Pimentel now tops the ACC and is 21st in the NCAA in digs per set (5.13). The floor cleaner owns the third-highest tally for digs in a single match in the conference (23) and is tied for the top two marks in the league in digs through a four-set match (23, 22). Over her career, Pimentel is also 10th in the league in digs per set (3.47).
- Mendes turned heads once again in her second week of collegiate action, fronting the Jacket attack with 30 kills (3.75 k/s) at a .286 clip on the weekend while pitching in on the defensive end with 19 digs and three blocks. The Brazilian was instrumental in both of Tech’s dominant triumphs over the Buckeyes, tallying double-digit kills in each contest. Mendes came away with 14 kills at a team-high .303 clip on top of five digs in Tech’s first triumph. The explosive freshman next led the unit with a career-high 16 kills and racked up a personal-best 14 digs to propel the White and Gold to the historic start. Amongst the conference this season, Mendes now sits tied for fifth in kills per set (3.67) and fifth in points per set (4.17). Early in her career, the young Jacket similarly ranks fifth in the league in career kills per set and fourth in career points per set with the same tallies.
- Senior setter Bella D’Amico has run the point for the Yellow Jackets this season, landing third in the league with 9.93 assists per set.
- Sophomore middle blocker Liv Mogridge has been another defensive stopper, ranking fifth in the conference in blocks per set (1.20).
- The Yellow Jackets enter week three of the season amongst the top four in the ACC in four major categories – first in digs per set (16.60), third in assists per set (12.80), third in opponent hitting percentage (.144) and fourth in kills per set (14.00).
- Going beyond 2019’s NIVC title, Tech has won 83 of its last 103 matches.
- Coach Michelle Collier has begun her 10th season leading the Jackets as the second winningest coach in program history, including 177 victories and 98 in conference play.
Series Notes
- Georgia Tech leads South Alabama in the all-time series, 3-2. The Yellow Jackets have claimed each of the last three contests, including a sweep of a neutral match in 1993 and a pair of home victories – another sweep in 1998 and a five-set match in 2018. The White and Gold remain undefeated at home (2-0) in the series.
- Tech is currently tied with Stetson all-time, 2-2. The Jackets swept both of the most recent matchups on The Flats in 1992 and 2006 to remain undefeated at home in the series.
- The White and Gold have never fallen to Florida A&M, owning a 12-0 advantage all-time. The Yellow Jackets earned their first victories over the Rattlers in 1982, and have since gone on to win 10 more consecutive matches since the series-opening doubleheader. Tech has eight sweeps in the series, including each of the last seven contests. Overall, the Jackets are 3-0 at home, 3-0 on the road and 6-0 in neutral meetings with a 33-3 set advantage.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will make its home debut by hosting the Georgia Tech Classic, beginning with Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate against Georgia in McCamish Pavilion, presented by Delta (Sept. 15). The White and Gold will also take on Howard (Sept. 16) and San Diego (Sept. 17) in O’Keefe Gymnasium.
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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